Couple sues US airline after cockroach encounter

Louise Birchall, November 14th, 2011

A North Carolina couple is suing US carrier AirTrans Airways alleging cockroaches crawled out of air vents and storage areas above them on a recent flight.

Passengers Harry Marsh and fiancés Kaitlin Rush are suing for negligence and recklessness after their September 15 flight from Charlotte to Houston was invaded by the insects, according to reports in UK newspaper The Mail.

In the lawsuit, the pair claims that after pointing the cockroaches out to airline crew, one flight attendant responded by raising a finger to her lips to silence them.

Their lawsuit claims that, after pointing the cockroaches out to airline crew, one flight attendant responded by raising a finger to her lips as if to silence them.

Among the other claims against the airline are intentional infliction of emotional distress, nuisance, fraud, false imprisonment and unfair and deceptive trade practices, the newspaper report said.

Marsh - who is an attorney - saw the cockroaches soon after takeoff but the attendants were too busy to investigate the problem, he told media.

The couple said the insects scurried out of air vents and carry-on compartments, hanging around for long enough so that pictures could be taken to include in the lawsuit.
Claiming they weren't alone in their distress, the couple said other passengers noticed the stowaways and commented on them.

Rush asserted in the lawsuit that she became nauseous by riding with the insects around her, and no longer wanted to fly.

The couple claim they had to throw away some of their belongings following the flight, and wash clothes and other items out of concern they may have been infected by the insects.

The couple is suing for more than $100,000 from the airline for mental and emotional distress, in addition to the price they paid for their tickets.

AirTran said it could not comment on pending litigation, but it denied several of the allegations.

The airline said cleanliness was important and that planes were regularly and professionally treated for bugs.