Bed Bugs Flying First Class on Turkish Airlines

Matt Unrein • March 6, 2025

Bed bugs are known for hitchhiking their way around the world by attaching themselves to luggage, furniture, and people, so it's no surprise that they can also hide in airplanes.


According to a New York Times (NYT) article, passengers found bed bugs on flights that belonged to Turkish Airlines. Undetected by TSA, bed bugs have the potential to multiply in tight, warm spaces like airplanes and bustling environments like airports, where they hop from traveler to traveler. No matter the cleanliness of you or the space you're in, bed bugs can invade and unleash their reign of terror. Where there are people, there can be bed bugs. So, jam-packed airplanes invite a multitude of risks.


Bed bugs are “more common on planes than people like to admit,” according to Reuven Noyman, owner of NYC Steam Cleaning, which does cleanings for private jets.

inside of an airline

Passengers from Turkish Airlines reported to the NYT that over the course of recent months, they encountered bed bugs on three different flights.


Matthew Myers, 28, told the NYT he and his girlfriend were flying from Istanbul to San Francisco in October.

He said a passenger next to him drew his attention to bedbugs on the seat and falling from the ceiling before some landed on the person's lap.


"Multiple passengers were asking to move seats after discovering bugs," Myers told the NYT.

He said one passenger moved to a jump seat for flight attendants.


Myers said Turkish Airlines offered him a 10% discount on future travel that was valid through the following two months.

Yahya Üstün, the airline's media relations chief, said in a statement: "Regarding recent news reports about bedbugs, we would like to emphasize that Turkish Airlines remains steadfast in its commitment to the highest standards of safety and comfort.

"Bedbug cases are a general issue occasionally encountered in public spaces, including aircraft. In this regard, we take all feedback seriously and thoroughly investigate each report."


Üstün also said Turkish Airlines planes were "regularly cleaned and thoroughly sanitized before every flight."

Bed bugs can easily get on an airline by hitching a ride on a person or luggage. Bed bugs can hide in people's clothes or in a suitcase and wait for weeks or months until their next meal. These pests are also very resistant to any form of chemical treatment.


At SOS Pest Control we use heat treatment to kill bed bugs for good. Bed bugs are chemical resistant but not heat resistant. We heat up a room or space to a high enough temperature that kills the pests from the inside. This method also kills any eggs in the area. Heat treatment also has the bonus of being pet-friendly and does no damage to furniture.


If you think you have bed bugs from a flight, travel, or on your airplane then SOS Pest Control can help you remove these pests. SOS also offers a free inspection. 


 Story Source:

https://www.businessinsider.com/turkish-airlines-passengers-encountered-bedbugs-three-flights-report-2025-1

https://www.yahoo.com/news/bedbugs-more-common-planes-people-140700386.html?guccounter=1

Bed Bugs’ Historical Hankering for Humans

By Carley Norton • October 3, 2025
Humans have fought— and lost—many battles against pesky insects and rodents throughout history. From plague-ridden rats in 14th-century Europe to the modern comorbid mosquito, millions of people have fallen to opponents a fraction of their size. But the earliest war has lasted over 245,000 years and is still fought today: Humans versus bed bugs. A team of researchers at Virginia Tech studied the lineage of bed bugs and found that patterns in their activity coincided with the rise and fall of the human population over time. Though these findings admit the defeat of bed bug reign by humans, they can be used to predict future invasions as urban living develops, and to investigate the phenomenon of insecticide resistance in the determined bed bug species. Though bed bugs first preferred cave-dwelling bat blood, a group of them jumped over to the Neanderthals in those same caves, and their palates have remained un-cleansed ever since. In fact, humans became the bed bug’s exclusive source of sustenance, a preference shared by only one other insect species—head lice. Just like you won’t find a family of lice at the local park, you won’t find bed bugs in your garden—only in your bed and other suitable dark spots in your home. Bed bugs have hitchhiked and set up camp amongst humans for centuries, just waiting for the perfect time to indulge in their human midnight snacks. But there is good news. Bed bugs will not be the cause of any new plagues, as they cannot make humans sick. Though their bites, as well as their resilience, can be irritating, their harm is liminal, and there are easy methods for getting those lazy bones (or exoskeletons?) out of your bed. However, bed bugs are resistant to many residential chemicals, and consulting professionals is your best bet. First, call SOS Pest Control for a FREE inspection. If they do bombard on a bed bug sleepover, their safe and effective heat treatment heats your home’s walls to rid of bed bugs from the inside out. This safe, effective, and damage-free process takes little time, and SOS’ unmarked vehicles ensure your neighborhood won’t be all up in your business (as for businesses, we will make sure the neighborhood is back up in you soon). Call (816) 471-5733 today or visit online at soskc.com Original article: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/05/bed-bug-whole-genome-human-lineage-warren-bo

Why Bed Bugs Are Becoming More Resistant — and What Kansas City Residents Should Know

By Carley Norton • August 18, 2025
According to a TIME article, bed bugs have been a persistent problem for years, but lately, they’ve become even more difficult to eliminate. That’s because these pests are developing resistance to many common pesticides, making traditional treatments less effective.
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