bedbugs, Turkish Airlines, passengers
by Mitti Hicks

January 3, 2025

Passengers Claim Turkish Airlines Flights Have A Bedbug Problem, Staff Reportedly Is Unbothered

The best way to avoid bedbugs when traveling is to keep your luggage off the bed and wash your clothes in high heat.

Passengers on multiple Turkish Airlines flights have reported bedbugs crawling on their seats, blankets, and pillows and falling from the cabin. To add insult to injury, some passengers say the carrier has brushed off their concerns.

In one instance, passenger Patience Titcombe said she noticed a tiny bug crawling on her seat as she boarded her flight from Johannesburg to Istanbul.

“I almost flicked it away,” she told the New York Times. “But my friend stopped me and said, ‘That’s a bedbug.’” 

Titcombe told the publication that while the flight attendant got rid of the bedbug, she dismissed her concerns.

“I had to strip down at the airport and change clothes because I have kids — what if I brought bedbugs home?” said Titcombe.

Other People Share Bedbug Experiences on Turkish Airlines

What’s even more alarming is when Titcombe posted about her experience in a Facebook travel group other travelers chimed in with similar experiences on the same airline. Other travelers claim they were dismissed as well, according to the Times.

In October 2024, Mattew Myers and his girlfriend were traveling from Istanbul to San Francisco. He said another passenger tapped him on the shoulder during the flight to inform him bedbugs were crawling on the seats and falling from the cabin. Myers said he saw bugs fall onto his neighbor’s lap.

“Multiple passengers were asking to move seats after discovering bugs,” Myers told the Times. 

He said a flight attendant told passengers she had filed an official complaint during their flight. Myers said the airline later offered him a 10% discount on future flights through the end of the year.

Kristin Bourgeois had a different experience during her 10-hour flight from the D.C. area to Istanbul. She noticed a bug crawling on her blanket before departure and later found another on her pillow.

“I realized it was a bedbug,” she said, adding that she had taken photos of at least 13 bug bites on her skin after the flight.

She filed a complaint and claimed the airline demanded her to submit a “medical report approved by a doctor with a signature, stamp, and date.”

When she followed up, a representative told her they couldn’t find her reservation at first, before finding i and then hanging up the phone.

Bourgeois told the Times that she checked her flight history and saw the flight was removed from the airline’s app. Bourgeois said the airline later offered her 5,000 frequent flier miles.

The airline did not immediately respond to BLACK ENTERPRISE‘s request for comment.

Preventing Bedbugs While Traveling

Bedbugs have been around for thousands of years. While the insects feed on blood, they are not known to spread diseases to humans. People, however, can be allergic to their bites.

Reddish-brown in color, bedbugs hide during the day on beds, in cracks, crevices of walls, floors, furniture and more.  According to the New York Health Department, they can spread into your home from luggage, purses, backpacks, or other items.

Getting rid of them can be frustrating.

The best way to avoid them when traveling is to keep your luggage off the bed and floor but use luggage racks instead. Unpack in the bathroom to easily spot bedbugs. Wash your clothes in high heat, check for signs of infestation in your room or body, and keep your luggage sealed.

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