Nut Allergy

[Wannabe Flyer]

https://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/sit-in-the-loo-emirates-told-indian-origin-siblings-with-nut-allergies-1845165?pfrom=home-lateststories

What is the protocol for Nut allergies in most global airlines? How is it handled? I am sure it is incredibly hard to change menus etc for 2 customers.....

[Tech Guy]

Probably almost impossible to convince everyone else on the plane they cant eat their packet of peanuts with their can of beer and anyone caught with a snickers bar will be given a beating. :)

[Tray Surfer]

This is one of the biggest food issues for airlines.

Whilst some will make announcements asking people not to consume nuts if the crew are made aware of pax onboard with an allergy, they can, in no way guarantee that the cabin is nut/nut trace free. The person sat in that pax seat only the previous flight could have smothered the thing in traces of nut oil etc from eating their own snacks.

It also becomes a big issue when the product served to everyone else contains nuts or is nuts. Most airlines as a nibble with drinks in at least Business and First supply some sort of nuts with a drinks service. Are they supposed to then remove part of the product that 40/50/60+ other people have paid for as part of their ticket and service provision, to satisfy the requirements of 1 other passenger? And not saying that the allergy is not a serious thing, but I do wonder what the airlines would have to do to placate the other passengers, how much cost that would add, and how that would be built into everyone else fare?

It is a total mine field for airlines.

[Mr Mac]

I was on a BA flight about 10 years ago from Boston to LHR where we were told there would be no nuts served with our pre dinner drinks due to a child, back in the rear of the plane having a nut allergy. I was a little surprised that the child had survived to that age if he or she suffered such a reaction from presumably airborne particles causing distress, as nuts as we all know are used in all manor of products so exposure must be comonplace. I can understand the airline being made aware of the issue, and wanting to ensure a situation was not caused which may have led to divert or worse, but can not help but feel this must have been overly pushed. My normal regular carrier EK present you with a bowel of warmed mixed nuts on every flight with pre dinner drinks as I believe AA do as well, and I have never heard of a nut allergy situation when these have not been handed out.

Kind regards
Mr Mac

[radar101]

DUB to EMA with Ryanair last week - announcement re someone on board having such an allergy so no nuts would be served. You would have had to buy the nuts anyway so no great loss.

[wiggy]

There's already a thread running on this subject in Jet Blast...

https://www.pprune.org/jet-blast/608343-nutty-about-emirates.html

Maybe the mods will merge/tidy up. In the meantime to paraphrase what I have just posted there, FWIW BA's policy is detailed here:

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/travel-assistance/medical-conditions-and-pregnancy

IMHO and obviously in the considered opinion of others nobody can guarantee a nut free enviroment/nut product free surfaces on any aircraft, especially with the increased incidence of passengers self catering to a greater or lesser degree....

[Mr Mac]

Wiggy
The world must be going nuts about nuts ! I did not see the thread in Jet Blast until after I had posted. MODS please merge, as I agree with Wiggy, only one thread on the nutty question is really required.


Kind regards
Mr Mac

[S.o.S.]

Thanks for the feedback and observations. I think it useful that this thread is here, so that others can follow the provided link to Jet Blast if they want and don't start the topic again. So I'll simply close this.