Flight attendants sacked after declining to fly over alleged bed bugs on plane — but the airline stands by the termination

Their excuse didn’t fly with the airline.

Tensions are boiling after three senior Brussels Airlines workers have been sacked because they refused to go on obligation over bed bug issues.

The issue occurred on Oct. 16 after cleaners observed indicators of the parasites aboard an A330-300, which was slated to fly from Brussels, Belgium, to Accra, Ghana, Aviation24.be reported.

In response, Brussels Airlines performed its own investigation into the so-called bloodsucking stowaways, finally figuring out that the vessel was bug-free.

“After thorough inspection, it was confirmed as a false alarm, and the aircraft was accepted by the captain of the flight to re-enter service,” Brussels Airlines spokesperson Nico Cardone told the Post. “Our cleaning staff are trained to be vigilant in this type of situation. “

Despite the all-clear, three of the five flight attendants who raised concerns remained unswayed and invoked their “unfit to fly” proper—a European aviation coverage permitting crew to withdraw from obligation bodily or psychologically unable to do their job.

This didn’t fly with the service’s brass, who reportedly canned the veteran crew members — who had 20, 27 and 30 years of service respectively — over “gross misconduct,” Cardone said. The workers have been accused of “flagrantly breaching procedures” and inflicting financial and operational hurt to the service.

The flight attendants, who had anticipated a slap on the wrist at most, have been appalled over their shock dismissal, with one of them reportedly even fainting during the assembly.

Union representatives condemned the choice, claiming that it set a harmful precedent.

“Crew who feel unsafe or unfit may now be pressured to fly regardless of their condition, which jeopardizes passenger safety,” warned Jeroen Van Ranst of the Dutch-speaking union ACV Puls.

Unfortunately, talks between the unions and the airline failed to get resolved, prompting unions to take into account a protest motion — although Cardone told the Post that he was “unaware of any concrete strike actions” that have been in the works. Many are imploring the airline to reinstate the crew members and for management to make a gesture to restore trust.

Several flight attendants imagine this is the end result of deteriorating circumstances at the service, which has been plagued by management stress, growing cancellations and an getting older long-haul fleet.

“We’re tired of being harassed and threatened,” declared one, per Aviation24.be. “The company has become toxic.”

Bedbugs are a more common drawback in the pleasant skies than one may suppose.

“Bedbugs often hitchhike on luggage and personal items; they can unknowingly end up on airplanes,” said Hottel, a Georgia-based Orkin entomologist. “They are also incredibly skilled at hitchhiking, traveling on personal belongings such as luggage, clothing, purses, and gym bags. Travelers can unknowingly transport them from one place to another.”