A family from Virginia has filed a lawsuit claiming that during a transatlantic flight with Delta Air Lines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, they suffered injuries from bed bug bites.
The lawsuit, submitted last week by a family from Roanoke, Virginia, alleges that the cabin of the plane they traveled on March 21 was infested with bed bugs.
The complaint describes how the Albuquerque family developed itchy, raised welts, lesions, and rashes on their bodies, which they say disrupted their vacation and caused significant embarrassment, anxiety, discomfort, and inconvenience. They are also seeking compensation for medical expenses and damaged personal belongings.
A KLM Airlines Boeing 737 descends towards Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. (iStock)
The family members, identified as Romulo Albuquerque, his wife Lisandra Garcia, and their children Benicio and Lorenzo, embarked on their journey with a Delta flight from Roanoke to Atlanta on March 21. They then continued with a KLM flight to Amsterdam, followed by a flight to Belgrade, Serbia, intending to spend time with relatives and friends, according to the lawsuit.
As stated in the lawsuit, Romulo Albuquerque booked the flight tickets using Delta’s SkyMiles program.
Two hours into the flight to Amsterdam, Lisandra Garcia began feeling bugs crawling on and biting her, the suit said.
A sweater and napkin the Albuquerque family said were infested with bed bugs.
The couple alerted a flight attendant, who allegedly told them to keep their voices down to avoid “panic” on the plane, according to the lawsuit.
The bugs repeatedly bit the family during the flight, it said.
An image of a napkin taken by the Albuquerque family showing bed bugs. (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia Roanoke Division)
“Prior to landing in Amsterdam, the flight attendants again urged Dr. Albuquerque and Mrs. Garcia not to tell anyone about the infestation because, if they did so, they would miss their connecting flight to Serbia,” the lawsuit alleges.
Albuquerque and Garcia took photos of the bugs and recorded videos showing bugs crawling on her sweater and other parts of the cabin, the suit said.
Images attached to the lawsuit show what are described as bed bugs on a KLM napkin and a sweater, as well as visible bites on their bodies. The family had to wash their clothes in boiling water once they arrived at their destination, according to the complaint.
“As this pending litigation eventually states, the allegations at issue relate to flights not operated by Delta Air Lines,” Delta told Fox News Digital. “Delta will review the complaint and respond accordingly in due course.”
A member of the Albuquerque family is seen with what a lawsuit claims are bites from bed bugs from a transatlantic flight earlier this year. (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia Roanoke Division)
The lawsuit asks that the family be compensated $200,000. Fox News Digital has also reached out to KLM for comment.
