Qantas passengers stranded after bedbug outbreak
Qantas has apologised to passengers, who were left stranded after a bedbug infestation on a long-haul flight to Rome.
Source: Qantas
A bedbug infestation on a Qantas plane left passengers stranded for two days in Rome as the plane was fumigated.
The horror outbreak was reported on long-haul flight QF5 from Perth to Rome on Friday when people on board complained they were being bitten.
News.com.au reports they were given antihistamines on medical advice but supplies ran out.
The aircraft then had to be grounded for a deep clean and fumigation, forcing the cancellation of the Rome-Perth leg on Saturday. That left passengers stranded in Rome for up to two days.
Qantas apologised to customers for the cancellation of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner service.
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“[The cancellation] 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,” a Qantas spokesperson said.
Passengers were given accommodation and rebooked on alternative flights within 48 hours of their original departure, the airline said.
Qantas said planes were disinfected every 50 days and its aircraft cabins were regularly cleaned to an “extremely high standard”.
A deep clean to eliminate bed bugs requires fumigation, forcing the aircraft out of service.
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The bedbug drama comes as golfing great Greg Norman slammed the airline he once proudly promoted as an ambassador, saying it is no longer a great travel experience.
US-based Norman launched a scathing tirade after his long-haul Qantas flight from Sydney to Dallas was delayed by three hours.
The 71-year-old posted an angry rant to social media about the “never-on-time” Australian national carrier.
He claimed that as well as the three-hour departure delay, he had to wait another hour after arrival to collect his luggage.
“I have always tried to support my national airline,” posted Norman, who was a golf champion in the 1980s and 1990s.
“Sadly their reputation of the ‘never on-time’ airline (or the ones I am on — this time Syd — Dallas circa 3 hrs late departing), plus an hour to get one bag in Dallas now has me looking elsewhere.”
The ‘Shark’ suggested he would have to change his loyalties to another airline such as Emirates — “longer but reliable, Wi-Fi, comfort caring”.
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