British Airways apologises after family bitten by bed bugs on Vancouver to London flight

British Airways has apologised to a family after they were bitten by bed bugs on an overnight flight from Vancouver to London.

Heather Szilagyi was flying with her seven-year-old daughter and fiancé earlier this month when she spotted the bed bugs on the seat in front of her, CTV News reported.

She told the flight attendant who explained she was unable to move them.

Ms Szilagyi told CTV: "She was like, 'Oh ok, sorry about that. We're sold out. We don't have anywhere to move you'."

She said she and her daughter woke up the next morning “absolutely covered” in bites.

“Me and my daughter are both really sensitive to insect bites, so she was just covered just all over,” Ms Szilagyi said.

Ms Szilagyi, who said she was able to identify the bugs having worked in hotels for most of her life, took photos of the bites and posted them to Twitter, tagging British Airways.

The airline has since offered an apology to the family.

An airline spokeswoman said: "We have been in touch with our customer to apologise and investigate further,"

"British Airways operates more than 280,000 flights every year, and reports of bed bugs on board are extremely rare.

"Nevertheless, we are vigilant and continually monitor our aircraft."