American Airlines passenger finds a bedbug climbing leg mid-flight

The phrase should be: “safe escape, don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

An American Airlines passenger experienced the ultimate flight mare after discovering a bed bug on their leg during a flight from New York City to Detroit. They described the chilling discovery in a post on Reddit that went viral.

The panicked flier, named @HaddawayThrowaway978, reportedly discovered the itchy walker while sitting in “first class” on American Airlines Flight 4412 from La Guardia.

“I found this bed bug crawling on my leg mid-flight,” they wrote in the comments. “I put it on the cocktail napkin to show it to the FA, who immediately informed the captain via telephone/intercom.”

Included was a photo of the napkin with the said leech, which allegedly tried to bite the passenger’s finger as they transferred it to the fabric, according to a follow-up comment.

Fearing infection, the Redditor reportedly changed and ‘bagged’ their clothes at the airport.

“They are currently being washed,” they wrote. “Hoping that no stragglers ended up on my backpack or checked bag during the clothing swap.”

Haddaway wrote that they hoped the vehicle was grounded due to the stowaway, but checked and saw that it had “returned regularly to LGA and then to Tulsa!!”

They wrote that they have since filed a complaint with American Airlines, which provided an “extremely disappointing” response.

“Please accept my deepest apologies for the experience you have described,” they wrote, according to the thread. “Our commitment to putting you at the center of everything we do is unwavering, and your feedback underlines this commitment. Rest assured; your insights will be made available to our leadership team as we work to ensure we deliver the high-quality customer experience you deserve.”

Redditors sympathized with the passenger’s plight, writing: “Nightmare fuel, I always check but it’s hard to catch on a plane.”

Another joked, “How did you think the bedbug would get to Detroit? Just like you, they are going to choose the airline with the lowest fares.”

“That’s an adolescent bed bug, not yet an adult. There’s a good chance there are eggs on that plane,” wrote a third.

While certainly rare, bed bug infestations are not unheard of in the friendly skies.

In 2017, Canadian passengers were bitten by the creepy crawlies on a British Airways flight from Vancouver, BC to London, UK.

Pest control experts say fliers can reduce the chance of picking up an unwanted stowaway by covering their seats with specially made covers, placing carry-on luggage in plastic bags and packing your own pillow and blanket instead of the airline to use.