Dad-of-two covered with a hundred bites on British Airways flight after he moved to seat ‘where previous occupant had complained about bedbugs’
Paul Standerwick was feasted on by blood-sucking parasites on a BA jet from Heathrow to Boston
A DAD was left covered in more than 100 insect bites after a transatlantic British Airways flight.
Paul Standerwick, 36, arrived at his hotel room covered in dozens of itchy, infected bites all over his body and legs - some swollen to the size of a 50 pence piece.
It was a nightmare start to a family holiday after Paul and his wife Maribel and sons Frankie, five, and two-year-old Hector had already been hit by a 24 delay on their way to America.
Paul was bitten repeatedly by blood-sucking parasites during the flight from Heathrow to Boston.
Only after landing did financial adviser Paul learn that other passengers had earlier been moved from the seat he was in after they complained about bedbugs.
Paul, of Wallington, Surrey, said: "Me and my son moved seats to sit and watch the landing by the window.
"It wasn't until after we landed, actually, that someone tapped me on the shoulder and said the people sitting in the seats were moved on after they complained about bed bugs.
"I thought nothing of it at the time. But about an hour later, at our hotel, these horrible, itchy bites started to appear.
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"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."
The itchy horror marred the family holiday but Paul received only a £50 voucher as compensation from the airline following the flight on July 19 this year.
Paul said it was the lack of a "proper apology" that angered him and led him to speak out.
He said: "I'm not even a compensation person. 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."
British Airways apologised for the incident and said the plane had since been fumigated.
The airline 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."
A spokeswoman added: "The aircraft was taken out of service and thoroughly fumigated and checked before it was put back into service.
"There have been no further reports of this nature."
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