Cockroaches on a Plane: China Eastern Flights Infested With Over 100 Roaches
We've reported about snakes on a plane, a scorpion falling out of an overhead bin and even a mouse forcing the disembarkation of a San Francisco-bound British Airways flight. But until now, we haven't seen a katsaridaphobic's worst nightmare: dozens of cockroaches scurrying around an international flight.
Just in time for Halloween, that horrifying scenario played out on not one, but two recent China Eastern flights. As reported in the South China Morning Post, a pair of flights arriving in the southern China city of Kunming (KMG) landed with over 100 six-legged stowaways.
After landing in Kunming, "quarantine inspectors" boarded the flights to catch the insects. One photo of this process was provided by the authorities:
As cockroaches are a known disease carrier, the authorities examined over one hundred of the caught cockroaches for pathogens. They found the cockroaches to be blattella germanica, known commonly as German cockroaches.
The SCMP explains the news was originally reported by the China News Service, but the government-owned media service wouldn't reveal the airline, country of origin or dates of the incidents. Gary at View From The Wing points out that the headrest covers in the photo above match SkyTeam member China Eastern's logo.
As KMG is one of China Eastern's hubs, it's not going to be an easy process to figure out where these flights came from. According to the Kunming Airport's Wikipedia page, China Eastern flies to 26 international airports and a few dozen domestic cities from KMG.
Thankfully, TPG didn't see any cockroaches on his recent China Eastern first class flight. But even if he didn't see them, they may have left their mark. As Penn State's Department of Entomology explains, these cockroaches "produce odorous secretions that can affect the flavor of various foods. When cockroach populations are high, these secretions may result in a characteristic odor in the general region of the infestation." Of course, when flying China Eastern, you probably won't notice this scent over the smell of cigarette smoke in the cabin.
Both aircraft have since been fumigated by pest control, and airport authorities have asked the undisclosed carrier to "improve hygiene on its planes."
H/T: View From The Wing
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app