American Airlines passenger claims to find live bugs in business class meal

Can you spot what is wrong with this meal? Photo / Ricky James, Twitter

Business class passengers usually expect delicious meals and pillow service - but one customer got more than he asked for in the worst way possible.

An American Airlines customer took to social media to complain after he allegedly found "small, live bugs" in his in-flight meal.

Taking to Twitter, Ricky James claimed he paid US$10,000 (NZ$15,000) for his round-trip seat from Germany to Texas but says the quality of service was severely lacking.

In a video, he shows viewers small, black specks that appear to be crawling underneath the plastic wrap which covers a white plate.

He also claims staff "laughed" off his complaint.

"@AmericanAir here is a video I took from my flight today from FRA to DFW … food with live bugs being served and a staff that simply laughed it off and asked if I wanted a different salad," he tweeted on June 2.

In the video the bugs appear to be crawling. Photo / Ricky James, Twitter

The airline replied directly to James' tweet hours later on Thursday. "Thanks for bringing this to our attention," they wrote. "We'll send this over to the right team to review this further."

In a statement, American Airlines wrote: "We're concerned about this report, as what the customer is describing is not up to our standards.

"We are investigating this matter and are working directly with our catering provider in Frankfurt. A member of our team has reached out to the customer to apologise and learn more about their experience."

Viewers took to social media to weigh in on the find.

"How about his $10k back?" one asked.

Another said: "I've seen better food in economy."

James has since tweeted that he has received a call from an American Airlines representative but didn't say what was discussed.