Passengers travelling through Honolulu Airport (HNL) risk taking home an unwanted souvenir after an infestation of bedbugs was found at the E gates in Terminal 2.The critters were first found in the terminal building on May 29th 2023, triggering an immediate shutdown of the affected gates to undergo deep cleaning, carpet extraction and a heavy dose of nontoxic spray.
A swarm of bedbugs was first spotted in the terminal home to Delta, United, American and Southwest Airlines. After removing items staff believed to be the source of the bugs, the gates were reopened.
Only for a Southwest Airlines Manager to spot more bugs the next day. The Hawaii Department of Transport (HDOT) ordered the immediate closure of Gates E-5, E-6, and E-7 to undergo more cleaning until May 31.
It has now been confirmed that additional cleaning will occur over the next three weeks to ensure the eradication of these pesky bedbugs. And HDOT will continue to check at each gate throughout the next few weeks to check for any more infestations and prevent a recurrence.
Experts from the US Environmental Protection Agency have weighed in, pinning the cause of these infestations on a post-Covid surge in travel across the US and a lack of knowledge on bedbug prevention.
Fortunately, the bed bugs have not caused any flight delays, but you may want to think twice about where to sit if you’re travelling through in the next few weeks.
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