Dealing with Pax with a nut allergy

[A Comfy Chair]

Hi all,

After 7 years I thought I'd get around to starting my 2nd thread :} I know I sit on the wrong side of the flight deck door, but I think Cabin Crew would have more idea about this than those of us they keep locked away from the passengers! :E

A situation popped up the other day that may well be familiar to many here (although it was my first time).

After take off, a passenger contacted the CSM and informed her that she was allergic to nuts, and demanded in no uncertain terms that we must not serve any nuts, or anything with nuts in it, on board the aircraft.

As luck would have it, the morning tea service for the passengers was a nut log type thing, with packets of peanuts to go with the drinks.

I am aware of how serious these allergies are... however the passenger had made no effort to contact the airline prior to travel to discuss the situation.

I'm not interested in the moral issue of whether these people should travel, or whether we should all change our lives to suit a minority, but how, as crew, we should deal with this kind of situation when it arises. Do any airlines out there have a policy for travellers with allergies, or for dealing with 200 peeved pax who haven't received anything to eat for 3 hours because we can't serve any of the loaded food? Would anyone serve the food and deal with the medical situation if it arose (she had her EPIPEN, but that is a short term "First Aid" type device with rapid hospitalisation still required), or would everyone just abandon the service and start with the apologies.

Any suggestions?

Cheers,

A Comfy Chair.

[CornishFlyer]

Don't know whether you have seen it but there's also another topic raging about Peanuts here: http://www.pprune.org/passengers-slf-self-loading-freight/362512-no-peanut-zone-whats-next.html

I know your question is from a different perspective but it's still entertaining reading

In that situation, I think you would probably have to feed the pax then hope for the best as if people have paid for a flight including a meal, most won't have eaten in the terminal or before the flight and so will probably be pretty hungry. It's slightly easier on a LCO as there are a range of drinks and snacks available so choosing not to sell particular item isn't as awkward but having a meal with nut as the only main option means a lot of people will be go without.

Of course nobody wants a medical emergency but does anyone have any statistics for how many people have had an allergic reaction due to nuts being consumed on a plane? (That isn't meant to sound sarcastic-just not sure if there are any available. Could be useful to remember then too :ok:)

[resboy]

All the domestic airlines in Australia state clearly on their websites (under "Before you fly" or "health" sections) that there is no guarantee to provide a "nut-free" (pardon the pun) environment on board aircraft. Passengers are advised to make appropriate arrangements in advance (ie carrying of medication).

As an on-board manager I have been faced with this situation several times with passengers requesting, and in some instances demanding, that we modify, or on one occasion, cancel, the in flight service. On all occasions I have refused to do so on the basis that other passengers have the right to consume on board product and bring their own food for consumption, which I have no control over. Furthermore no guarantee can be given to the residue of nuts that may be in the cabin from previous sectors.

My course of action would be to ascertain from the passenger what a possible allergic reaction could entail, what assistance they may require and are they carrying the appropriate medication with them. If I considered there to be a serious risk, then I would consult the Captain to offload. Interestingly some of these passengers with a DIRE condition, still manage to check their Epipen into their hold luggage. :ugh:

In the example provided, my personal opinion is that if the passenger was genuinely worried about their allergy then they would have alerted the crew at boarding.

[Miles]

I think you missed out a "no" before the guarantee there resboy......

from a major carrier:

Peanut Policy
****** is aware of the challenges of peanut allergy sufferers and where possible seeks to minimise the risks of exposure to peanuts through:

The removal of peanuts as a bar snack on all ****** flights and from ***** owned and operated lounges.

Minimising the use of peanuts or peanut based products in our inflight menus.

The provision of an extensive range of special meals inflight that are specifically designed not to include peanuts or other nuts, or products of peanuts or other nuts in the preparation of the meal.

Whilst all reasonable steps are taken by ***** and its caterers to reduce the exposure to peanuts inflight and on the ground ***** cannot guarantee an allergy free environment onboard or in our lounges. It is always possible that other passengers may bring peanuts or other nuts on board or into the lounges with them. Passengers may also be served a range of other nuts including almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts as bar snacks or after dinner snacks. For this reason, we recommend that passengers carry any medication they may need with them in the cabin of the aircraft and be ready to administer the medication if necessary. See the Medical Assistance page for more information about taking medication onboard.

As a matter of interest, all severe reactions require ingestion of the product itself (at least contact). I.e other than eating the product, you would have to inhale particles of it.

So get them to put on a mask if they are that worried :rolleyes:

[bunkrest]

Its a very tricky situation - as mentioned in a previous thread a nut allergy sufferer can suffer a life threatening reaction from merely inhaling peanut particles from a pax seated several rows behind.

I think just ascertaining how serious the allergy is would be a starting point, however as I understand it the reaction can intensify with each exposure and so is very unpredicatble. Perhaps moving the pax to an emptier section if possible..maybe checking with the flight deck about air circulation/likely movement of particles (not sure that this is possible but worth enquiry)...however you really can't ban other pax from eating and you certainly can't guarantee that someone in row 3 is not going to start tucking into their personal stash of KP lightly roasted...

In short I think you do all you can to minimise their exposure without inconveniencing other passengers and if their past history is so severe then the onus is on them make the severity of their condition known before travel - once onboard its rather too late.