Bedbugs on A Plane: Scarier Than Snakes on a Plane?

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REUTERS/Toby Melville

If you’ve ridden British Airways recently, you may want to check for bites.

British Airways grounded two jumbo jets last week after a passenger complained of being badly bitten on two separate occasions. One of the planes has been fumigated, after the airline confirmed it had been infested with bedbugs.

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The 28-year-old internet executive who initially complained, Zane Selkirk, created a website to document her frustration with British Airways’ response to her complaints. She posted several graphic pictures of her bites on www.ba-bites.com following what she described as “two horrific flights,” one in January and one in February.

Bedbugs have become an increasing concern across the U.S., with 1,700 documented cases in New York City schools alone in the past five months. A spokesperson from the Environmental Protection Agency said that outbreaks are more widespread than ever before, as bedbugs are usually concentrated in specific hot spots.

And with that, NewsFeed will be squeamish about flying for a while.

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