Cockroaches on a Plane: Couple Sues Over Insect Invasion During AirTran Flight (With Pics!)

Air Tran Airways may offer low fares, but the company is now facing a lawsuit from a North Carolina couple who claim that they were ignored despite bugging flight attendants about cockroaches coming out of the air vents on their flight.

WCNC-TV reports that Charlotte attorney Harry Marsh and his fiancee, Kaitlin Rush, saw the cockroaches soon after takeoff on a Sept. 15 flight from Charlotte to Houston with a stop-over in Atlanta. They say flight attendants were too busy to investigate the problem, and one attendent made a "shush" sign with her index finger against her mouth, when the problem was brought up again:

Marsh said Rush became nauseous and now doesn’t want to fly. Marsh and Rush claim several other passengers became aware and distressed by the cockroaches, which came out of both air vents and storage areas when the flight took off. AP reports that the couple is claiming mental and emotional distress, and seeking more than $100,000, plus the price of their tickets. WCNC notes that they took pictures of the cockroaches and included them as exhibits in the lawsuit:

Marsh also told WCNC that the couple had to throw away some of their belongings and wash others out of concern that cockroaches got on their clothes and into their luggage.

Air Tran has said it can’t comment on pending litigation, but denies several allegations made in the case filing. AP notes that the airline says cleanliness is important and that planes are regularly and professionally treated for bugs.