Paul Standerwick said he was bitten over 100 times by bed bugs. Credit: SWNS
A man who was bitten “over 100 times” by bed bugs on a British Airways flight has demanded an apology after he was given just a £50 voucher as compensation.
Paul Standerwick, 36, was about to depart for a family holiday in the US with his wife and two young sons when his flight was delayed by 24 hours.
When his flight finally took off from Heathrow, Mr Standerwick was repeatedly bitten by bugs.
It was only after he landed that Mr Standerwick discovered passengers had been moved from the seat he was sitting in after complaining about the bugs.
“Me and my son moved seats to sit and watch the landing by the window,” he said.
“It wasn’t until after we landed, actually, that someone tapped me on the shoulder and said the people sitting in the seats we moved to were moved on after they complained about bed bugs.”
Mr Standerwick added: “I thought nothing of it at the time. But about an hour later, at our hotel, these horrible, itchy bites started to appear.
“They got really infected. Lots of pus. They were everywhere. On my neck, my back, shoulders and legs.
“Where I was bitten lots of times in one place there was what looked like large bites the size of a 50 pence piece. If I had to guess, I would say I was bitten well over a hundred times. I’m still scarred. It’s horrible.”
Mr Standerwick then only received a £50 voucher from British Airways as compensation for his ordeal.
“I’m not even a compensation person,” he said. “I don’t like that attitude. All I want is a proper apology. I paid for a premium service, and what I got was the complete opposite.”
A spokeswoman for British Airways said: “We have said sorry to our customers for their experience and appreciate it must have been upsetting.
“We work hard to provide the best possible experience for customers on our flights and we’re sorry that on this occasion we haven’t met our customer’s expectations.”
