Khaberni - An American family has filed a lawsuit against two airlines after experiencing a horrifying ordeal on an international flight, where they discovered bed bugs spreading inside the plane.
According to the "New York Post", Romulo Albuquerque and his wife filed a legal claim in recent days against "KLM" Royal Dutch Airlines and "Delta Airlines", accusing the companies of causing their family, including their two children, to suffer from bug bites during their trip to Serbia on March 21.
The family of four left Roanoke, Virginia, and took a connecting flight operated by "KLM" from Atlanta with a stop in Amsterdam before reaching their final destination in Belgrade.
The problem began two hours after the take-off of the connection flight headed to Amsterdam, when Mrs. Albuquerque felt insects crawling on her body and biting her, according to the legal complaint, and noticed the insects moving on her light-colored jacket, prompting her to alert immediately.
The couple informed the cabin crew immediately, but the staff asked them to lower their voices to avoid causing a "panic" among the passengers, as stated in the lawsuit.
Albuquerque took photos and videos of the insects as they crawled on his wife's jacket and hid in the folds of the seats, while the photos attached to the complaint showed small blood-stained bugs on a napkin provided by the company.
The photographic evidence also showed the four family members suffering from inflamed red spots spread over their arms, legs, and bodies, caused by bites that resulted in itchy swellings, skin lesions, and rash.
The family is seeking financial compensation of no less than $200,000 from the two companies, citing that the bites ruined their family vacation and caused embarrassment, anxiety, distress, medical expenses, and loss of clothing and personal belongings.
On the other hand, "Delta" issued a press statement confirming that the claims relate to flights not operated by the company, noting that they are reviewing the complaint, while "KLM" stated that they are currently unable to comment and will address the complaint through the appropriate legal channels.
