A long-haul flight is bad enough without bites. A Qantas flight from Sydney via Perth to Rome had passengers reporting bed bug bites on board — and the fallout cancelled the return flight while the whole Boeing 787 Dreamliner flew back to Australia empty for a deep clean.
What happened: bitten on QF5, return QF6 cancelled
- The flight involved was QF5, departing Sydney, Australia on 9 October 2026, routing via Perth to Rome, Italy. The Perth–Rome sector lasted nearly 17 hours, operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
- According to USA Today and the Sydney Morning Herald, passengers flagged the crew on the first leg (Sydney–Perth). Before the second leg, Qantas cleaned the aircraft, removed soft furnishings and seat covers from affected seats, and kept customers out of those seats — but passengers on the second leg (Perth–Rome) still complained of being bitten. Cabin crew gave affected passengers antihistamines to ease the itching, but the onboard supply later ran out.
- One passenger said they were woken by screaming — a child on board felt sick and vomited, while a small child pointed at the bugs crying 「有蟲子」 (“there are bugs”). (Kinliu HK, October 15, 2026, relaying passenger accounts)
- The return service QF6, Rome to Perth, scheduled for 10 October, was cancelled, and the aircraft flew back to Australia empty (without passengers) for a deep clean before returning to service.
- Qantas said the issue was confined to a small number of economy seats and apologised to affected customers. Passengers hit by the cancellation were given accommodation and rebooked onto alternative flights within 48 hours of their original departure.
- The airline said its cabins are cleaned regularly, with a precautionary disinfectant treatment every 50 days; during this grounding the aircraft needed fumigation and a deep clean before returning to service.
Why an aircraft can get bed bugs
- Bed bugs cannot fly — they spread by hitchhiking, hiding in clothing, luggage, blankets and seat crevices and travelling with people from place to place.
- A cabin suits them: seat seams, seat-back pockets, blankets and overhead bins are all crevices, and passengers sit still for hours, giving the bugs a steady food source.
- Bed bugs are not a sign of dirt — five-star hotels and clean cabins can be hit too. What matters is whether they were carried in on luggage or clothing.
- Health sources note that bed bug bites are usually itchy red bumps, sometimes in clusters; bed bugs do not spread disease, but scratching broken skin can lead to a secondary skin infection.
After you land: don't carry them home
- Check immediately after landing: inspect your clothing, blanket, bag openings and luggage seams for tiny dark spots, shed skins or live bugs.
- Don't unpack onto the bed at home: check luggage on a hard floor or in the bathroom, and tumble-dry any suspect clothing on high heat for 30 to 45 minutes.
- If you were bitten: don't scratch; wash with cool water and mild soap. If itching is severe, ask a pharmacist about a suitable remedy. Seek medical advice if redness spreads, pus appears, or you develop a fever.
- Keep records: photograph bites and any suspect insects, and keep your boarding pass and flight details — useful if you follow up with the airline.
Why Hong Kong travellers should care
This was a plane, but the principle is the same as a hotel — bed bugs follow luggage. With the Christmas and New Year travel peak ahead, long-haul flights plus hotels are the highest-risk combination. Before you go, read the travel hotel bed bug checklist; when you get home, check luggage and heat-treat clothing right away. If you find bites, compare them with the bed bug bite identification guide; and if you did bring them home, the DIY bed bug removal guide has the full process.
Sources
- USA Today (October 14, 2026) — https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2026/10/14/bed-bugs-qantas-flight-perth-rome/92247422007/
- The Straits Times (citing the BBC and the Sydney Morning Herald) — https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/qantas-plane-grounded-after-passengers-on-long-haul-flight-report-bed-bug-bites
- TVB News (2026-10-13) — https://news.tvb.com/tc/1200566-澳航一架波音787客機疑有乘客被床蝨咬須停飛深層清潔
- Kinliu HK （堅料網, 2026-10-15) — https://www.kinliu.hk/news/%E7%92%B0%E7%90%83/%E7%8F%80%E6%96%AF%E9%A3%9B%E7%BE%85%E9%A6%AC%E9%95%B7%E9%80%94%E8%88%AA%E7%8F%AD-%E6%BE%B3%E8%88%AA%E5%AE%A2%E6%A9%9F%E9%A9%9A%E8%A6%8B%E5%BA%8A%E8%9D%A8-%E6%97%85%E5%AE%A2%E9%81%AD%E7%8B%82%E5%92%AC17%E5%B0%8F%E6%99%82/394676.html?id=80
(Written: 2026-10-15; corrected 2026-10-17 per USA Today: QF5 is a two-leg Sydney–Perth–Rome routing, flagged on the first leg, treated before the second leg yet passengers still bitten; after QF6's cancellation the jet flew back to Australia empty for a deep clean. Enriched 2026-10-21 per Sam's instruction with Kinliu HK's 2026-10-15 passenger accounts: a child felt sick and vomited, a small child pointed at the bugs crying 「有蟲子」. Compiled from public reporting by The Straits Times, the BBC, the Sydney Morning Herald, TVB News, USA Today and Kinliu HK. Note: some Chinese-language secondary reports mention a similar incident on a 30 September Los Angeles–Melbourne flight; that claim appears in a single relayed source and is not confirmed by Qantas or mainstream outlets, so it is not relied on here as fact.)