Qantas cancels Rome-to-Perth flight: bed bug outbreak grounds Dreamliner
Key takeaways
- Qantas cancelled Saturday's Rome-to-Perth flight after a bed bug outbreak on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
- Passengers on Friday's nearly 17-hour Perth-to-Rome leg said they were bitten mid-flight.
- The airline grounded the jet for a deep clean and rebooked affected flyers within 48 hours.
Qantas cancelled its Saturday flight from Rome to Perth after bed bugs were found on the plane. The problem started a day earlier, when passengers on the nearly 17-hour Perth-to-Rome flight said they were bitten. The airline then grounded the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for a deep clean.
What happened
The trouble began on Friday, October 9. The flight was a nearly 17-hour journey from Perth to Rome, according to the BBC. During the flight, some passengers complained that they were being bitten by bugs, the BBC reported, citing the Sydney Morning Herald. Cabin crew handed out antihistamines to ease the itching.
But supplies ran out before the plane landed, the reports said.
When the plane reached Rome, Qantas cancelled Saturday's return flight. The Sun, citing news. com.
au, identified the cancelled service as QF6, the Rome-to-Perth return. The Dreamliner stayed on the ground. A Qantas spokesperson told the BBC the aircraft was grounded for "a deep clean.
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"We sincerely apologise to customers for the cancellation of Saturday's Rome to Perth service, which allowed our engineers and maintenance teams to carry out a deep clean of the aircraft after an issue was identified on a small number of economy seats," the spokesperson said.
The issue was found on a small number of economy seats, according to Qantas. That was enough to cancel the flight and take the whole plane out of service.
Mid-flight scares are not new in commercial flying. A power bank fire on an IndiGo flight forced an emergency landing earlier, showing how fast crew must act when a problem starts in the cabin.
Why it matters
Bed bugs are small, wingless parasites that can live on clothes, furniture and bedding, the BBC reported. The bites can be itchy, but they do not usually cause more serious health problems, the NHS website says, as cited by the BBC. The real problem is getting rid of them.
The Sun reported that a deep clean to remove bed bugs requires fumigation, which forces the aircraft out of service.
One grounded jet ripples through the whole schedule. The Perth-Rome route is a popular non-stop service, The Sun reported. It draws passengers from Australia's east coast who are willing to pay a premium for the direct link to Italy.
Qantas said all affected customers were given accommodation and rebooked on alternative flights within 48 hours of their original departure.
A cancellation is not just an announcement on a screen. It changes plans, hotels and onward flights. Our guide explains what flight delay announcements really mean and what you can ask the airline for when plans change.
Qantas said its aircraft cabins are regularly cleaned to a very high standard. Planes are disinfected every 50 days as a precaution, the airline said, according to The Sun. Yet bed bugs can hitchhike into the cabin in passenger luggage, jackets or bags from hotels.
ByteTechLab noted that a widebody jet can carry over 1,500 different passengers across three continents within 72 hours, so one infested bag can spread the insects fast.
This is not the first time bed bugs have caused travel chaos. Less than two weeks ago, several Southeastern train services in England were cancelled after drivers found the insects in their cabs, the BBC reported. In 2017, British Airways apologised to a family travelling from Vancouver to London after they arrived covered in bug bites from an overnight flight.
Last year, the New York Times reported several cases of bed bug infestations on Turkish Airlines planes, according to the BBC.
What happens next
The Dreamliner must be fully cleaned before it returns to service. Qantas has not given a date for its return, based on the reports so far. Passengers on upcoming Rome-to-Perth flights should watch for schedule updates from the airline.
If you were bitten, the BBC cited NHS advice: wash all clothing, bedding and curtains on a hot wash and tumble dry them. Or seal items in plastic bags in a freezer for three or four days. Tell the airline fast so it can check the seats.
The Perth-to-Rome leg is a 17-hour marathon in an economy seat. Long flights need a sleep plan. Here is how to sleep in economy on long-haul flights to arrive ready.
On any flight, you can do a quick seat check. Use your phone flashlight on the seat seams, the headrest and the seat-back pocket. Look for small dark specks or shed skins.
Keep jackets and bags off the fabric seat when you can. ByteTechLab suggests these simple checks in its travel safety tips.
Qantas will want this story to end fast. Bed bugs on a plane make headlines around the world. The airline's next move is simple: clean the jet, bring it back and show flyers the cabins are safe.
How fast it does that will decide how long this story stays in the news.
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