Delta Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have been named as defendants in a lawsuit by a Virginia family who allege they were “bitten and injured by bedbugs that infested the cabin” on a flight they flew on earlier this year.
In the complaint filed Thursday, the Albuquerque family from Roanoke, Virginia, say the bites left him with “raised and itchy wounds, sores and rashes on his torso and limbs.” The legal filing includes close-up photos of those alleged injuries.
The lawsuit says the biting “ruined their family vacation and caused humiliation, embarrassment, worry, discomfort, inconvenience, medical expenses, and loss of clothing and personal items.”
Delta and KLM did not immediately respond to NBC News requests for comment Wednesday.
In a statement to People magazineDelta said: “As ultimately stated in this pending litigation, the allegations at issue relate to flights not operated by Delta Airlines. Delta will review the complaint and respond accordingly at the appropriate time.”
KLM told British publication The Independent That the company is “unable to comment on specific allegations at this time” but will address the matter in “appropriate legal channels.”
The plaintiff has been identified as Romulo Albuquerque; his wife, Lisandra Garcia; and his two children, Benicio and Lorenzo Albuquerque.
According to the lawsuit, the family of four took a Delta flight from Roanoke to Atlanta on March 21, then took a KLM flight to Amsterdam and then flew to Belgrade, Serbia, where they planned to visit family and friends. The lawsuit says the flights were operated by KLM and purchased through Delta’s SkyMiles program.
“About two hours into (the flight to Amsterdam) Mrs. Garcia began to feel as if insects were crawling on her and that she was being bitten,” the lawsuit states. “That’s when she realized there were insects crawling on her light-colored sweater.”
The lawsuit claims that the husband and wife “immediately alerted the flight attendants,” who allegedly “urged them to keep their voices down to avoid ‘creeping’ on the airplane.”
According to her lawyers, Albuquerque and Garcia took photos and recorded videos of insects crawling on her sweater and moving “in the folds” of her seats. Images from the suit include a photo of a KLM drinks napkin that appears to be covered in dead insects.
The plaintiffs are seeking at least $200,000 in compensatory damages against both airlines.
