We took a Turkish Airlines flight in September (IST-SFO), and the seats were teeming with bedbugs (as in, multiple passengers were able to visually point them out when we were still boarding).
Some passengers were able to switch to other seats, while multiple others broke out in hives (including my wife). The cabin staff were polite and understanding, but once we landed, escalating to Turkish airlines was pretty useless. We've filed a case with the DOT which got the airline to respond.
Glad the media is covering this, we heard from multiple folks that this has been a problem.
Wow, did you consider requesting to deplane? I would at least seriously consider it, considering the notoriously difficult to get rid of nature of bed bugs.
Also, my search brought up this final response from Turkish, which infuriated me enough that I wanted to share:
"Thank you for your feedback.
At Turkish Airlines, we strive to provide all our passengers with the best flying experience possible and to make them feel valued at every stage of their journey. As giving our passengers who choose us on their travels the service they deserve and delivering this excellently are among our priority targets, we again have experienced how important your feedback is.
Through your feedback, we’re able to improve the services we provide. We’d like to thank you again for your support.
We kindly submit for your information and wish to host you better in your future travels.
Some passengers were able to switch to other seats, while multiple others broke out in hives (including my wife). The cabin staff were polite and understanding, but once we landed, escalating to Turkish airlines was pretty useless. We've filed a case with the DOT which got the airline to respond.
Glad the media is covering this, we heard from multiple folks that this has been a problem.