Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Would you eat a packet of nuts on a plane?

482 replies

Purpleturtle45 · 28/09/2025 22:11

I thought it was widely understood that you don't eat nuts on a plane. The woman next to me just cracked a packet open!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
LillyPJ · 29/09/2025 07:31

Yes. I don't think I ever have but it wouldn't occur to me not to.

Purpleturtle45 · 29/09/2025 07:30

It's not just the airborne aspect that worries me, it's that you are eating them with your fingers then touching things around about you on the plane. There might not be someone with an allergy on your flight but what about the next one. Let's face it, planes aren't cleaned very well in-between trips any more.

General consensus seems to be that it's fine unless asked not to. I was obviously wrong thinking it's as an unwritten rule as such.

OP posts:
HighLadyofTheNightCourt · 29/09/2025 07:30

OneFlewOverMy · 29/09/2025 07:28

I would NEVER eat nuts on a flight! Not worth the risk !

What if the airline themselves were handing them out?

OneFlewOverMy · 29/09/2025 07:28

I would NEVER eat nuts on a flight! Not worth the risk !

JustMyView13 · 29/09/2025 07:28

Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice · 29/09/2025 07:15

They hand out a packet with every alcoholic drink from memory, so I'm sure I did get a few packets in on a 23 hour London-Melbourne trip.

Are you seriously going to double down on your argument that people shouldn't eat nuts on the plane even when the airline gives them out?

I mean this with the utmost respect, but it is so draining when people don’t read your posts & then hop on their own conclusions.

You said: Are you seriously going to double down on your argument that people shouldn't eat nuts on the plane even when the airline gives them out?

The post title is: Would you eat a packet of nuts on a plane?

I replied very clearly in my initial post saying No. No, I would not eat a packet of nuts on a plane. Never have, never will. My choice.

If (big if) the airline says - no nuts on this flight (which I mentioned has happened SO many times on flights I’ve been on), then yes, everybody on board should adhere to that. In that scenario, the airline tends to withhold the nut snacks. BA have actually switched to mini pretzels for this reason. (However there was a very tragic & high profile death on their flight when Pret mislabelled a snack & the passenger had an allergy to one of the ingredients). There’s literally no help up there if someone has an anaphylactic reaction, I don’t know why anyone would go against the cabin crews request.

Sleepingone · 29/09/2025 07:27

Biskieboo · 29/09/2025 07:10

But I think the point is that dying also has a serious impact on your life, so if it's true that somebody munching a Snickers or whatever 15 rows back could kill you, as quite a few on here are suggesting is the case, then surely you'd just put up with the limitations of not flying?

I'm not being argumentative for the sake of it here, I genuinely don't understand how somebody can on the one hand think that there's a real risk of death if they/their kids share a plane with traces of nuts, but on the other think it's worth running that risk for a week in Fuerteventura. The only way I can reconcile the two (and the fact that nuts are regularly dished out by various airlines), is if the risk isn't that great in reality and the people flying aren't actually that bothered themselves.

To reiterate before anybody accuses me of being a monster: I'd never eat nuts and would check anything I did eat very carefully if the 'no nuts' message went out.

The risk is small if you’re careful, though not zero. It’s easy to say that, if your child were allergic, you’d never fly or never eat out again. People often say that sort of thing on here.

In reality, the parents of allergic children mostly choose not to limit their lives in this way. They teach their children to be careful, but they don’t lock them up. It is very stressful though.

So the risk is small, but people are definitely bothered.

Tiredofwhataboutery · 29/09/2025 07:23

mamagogo1 · 29/09/2025 07:11

Yes, they give them out on some planes even . They announce if it’s a nut free flight (though I strongly believe they should be informing customers 48 hours ahead of the flight if it’s nut free so we don’t bring the foods onto the plane, too late once you have boarded

Id agree with this, I boarded, unknowingly, a nut free flight and had to ditch various bits in the bin on the way to Australia.

mumzof4x · 29/09/2025 07:22

@tripleginandtonicthe poster was not suggesting you did not eat nuts ever
Just not when fully aware that someone near to you in proximity (plane) would be hurt by you doing so at that time.
FFS is it that much of an on inconvenience for you?

user0345437398 · 29/09/2025 07:20

not unless it was the plane that gave me them as they always used to

soupyspoon · 29/09/2025 07:20

In mosts other countries nuts are in and on absolutely everything which is why they have lower rates of nut and legume allergy. However as western diets infiltrate many easter countries their allergy rates are increasing.

nosleepforme · 29/09/2025 07:20

Pleasegodgotosleep · 29/09/2025 07:03

Because if there's the slightest chance you could make someone ill why would you chose to? Could be someone in the flight who doesnt know they have an allergy yet. Might not even be the flight your on, could be the next one.

There are millions of snacks in the world. Why not just chose a different one to eat in an enclosed space?

It's like smoking or vaping you wouldnt do that in an enclosed space either.

Smoking in a closed space is illegal. Consuming nuts is not illegal, not airline policy and not even assumed

Clockface222 · 29/09/2025 07:18

Airborne reactions to nuts are exceptionally rare. I would assume that if someone experiences this they would contact the airline to inform them.

tripleginandtonic · 29/09/2025 07:18

BeMellowAquaSquid · 28/09/2025 22:24

My dd is ANA to nuts. We are allowed to board flights first and have to wipe down the trays and seats ourselves. Most airlines are great with putting out an announcement about nuts.. Emirates however refuse to do this. For those that say they’ll continue to eat nuts on a plane when asked not to, I hope you never have to see your child struggle to breathe with a collapsed lung or worry that the person next to you in the cinema opens a pack of M&Ms. It’s absolute HELL. But I hope you enjoy your 90p pack of dry roasted.

But you can't expect people not to eat nuts ever.

Sugarnspicenallthingsnaice · 29/09/2025 07:15

JustMyView13 · 29/09/2025 06:49

Could be either.
Maybe next time there’s someone on board with a nut allergy, crack open your old free packet & then, if they have an anaphylactic reaction, just explain how ‘overly dramatic’ you think they’re being.

(In reality, given you didn’t eat them on the last flight for whatever reason, I’ll presume you can survive one flight without nuts if asked).

They hand out a packet with every alcoholic drink from memory, so I'm sure I did get a few packets in on a 23 hour London-Melbourne trip.

Are you seriously going to double down on your argument that people shouldn't eat nuts on the plane even when the airline gives them out?

mamagogo1 · 29/09/2025 07:14

@Bertielong3 best never go to Spain and Portugal, they put nuts in salads and on sharing platters here, everyone is eating nuts in public!

don’t be ridiculous it’s fine to eat nuts, healthy food, but if someone has an allergy you simply don’t

mamagogo1 · 29/09/2025 07:11

Yes, they give them out on some planes even . They announce if it’s a nut free flight (though I strongly believe they should be informing customers 48 hours ahead of the flight if it’s nut free so we don’t bring the foods onto the plane, too late once you have boarded

Biskieboo · 29/09/2025 07:10

Sleepingone · 29/09/2025 05:54

There isn’t really a ‘that allergic to nuts’. Reactions vary depending on lots of things— the amount of allergen consumed, how it was cooked in some cases, how healthy you are at the time, so if you’re tired or battling a cold it can all have an impact. Someone can easily just be having mild reactions and then one day have a very severe one.

Also, never being able to travel by air has a serious impact on your life. It’s very easy to say ‘don’t fly’, but it’s very limiting in reality, and usually not necessary.
People say to never eat out too. That also has a negative impact on how you live.
Most people with allergies try to be as careful as they can without locking themselves away from life.

But I think the point is that dying also has a serious impact on your life, so if it's true that somebody munching a Snickers or whatever 15 rows back could kill you, as quite a few on here are suggesting is the case, then surely you'd just put up with the limitations of not flying?

I'm not being argumentative for the sake of it here, I genuinely don't understand how somebody can on the one hand think that there's a real risk of death if they/their kids share a plane with traces of nuts, but on the other think it's worth running that risk for a week in Fuerteventura. The only way I can reconcile the two (and the fact that nuts are regularly dished out by various airlines), is if the risk isn't that great in reality and the people flying aren't actually that bothered themselves.

To reiterate before anybody accuses me of being a monster: I'd never eat nuts and would check anything I did eat very carefully if the 'no nuts' message went out.

Firstshoes · 29/09/2025 07:08

I don't buy anything containing nuts to eat on board as the majority of the time there is an announcement about a passenger with an allergy. I just buy alternatives now.

Simonjt · 29/09/2025 07:06

No, I don’t eat nuts at all as our son has a serious peanut allergy. He was due to start allergy therapy but he had a reaction from touching the door handle at the hospital that had been touched by the previous patient who had consumed a small amount of peanut, and the residue was on their hands. So that therapy won’t be going ahead for quite some time.

EvelynBeatrice · 29/09/2025 07:06

Also those saying announcement will be made … staff at some airlines can’t or won’t.

And a nut allergy doesn’t stay the same throughout life necessarily. People with ‘mild’ allergy may become more sensitive without warning and vomit ( a lot) or go into anaphylactic shock never having done so before. So they may not think to ask. A plane isn’t like other public spaces! You’re all kind of trapped together.

DancefloorAcrobatics · 29/09/2025 07:05

I would unless requested otherwise.

Nuts are a healthy alternative to UPF foods therfore a stable in my diet.

Nothing selfish or inconsiderate about that.

Jc2001 · 29/09/2025 07:04

JDM625 · 28/09/2025 23:10

The woman was sitting next to my son and as a minimum I would have thought she would have checked

Should she also have checked before ordering a white coffee incase your son had a dairy allergy, or checking you don't mind her eating meat?

I'm well aware of anaphylaxis and allergies. I was served nuts on a long haul flight last month! I fly very often. IF an announcement was made NOT to eat them, I'd absolutely comply, but your assumptions that 'its widely understood you don't eat nuts on planes' is something I've never heard before! Your assumption is wrong.

You clearly don't have an understanding of anaphylaxis if you're comparing it to an intolerance or a decision not to eat meat.

HighLadyofTheNightCourt · 29/09/2025 07:04

I’ve been on 6 flights in the last 10 days. I was given a packet of nuts on 4 of them.

I wouldn’t eat them if we were asked not to, but if the cabin crew are handing them out then I’m assuming nobody has declared an allergy.

Pleasegodgotosleep · 29/09/2025 07:03

rwalker · 29/09/2025 06:49

Why
if anyone has got a serve allergy they should let crew know and the can announce it then I wouldn’t dream of eating them

Because if there's the slightest chance you could make someone ill why would you chose to? Could be someone in the flight who doesnt know they have an allergy yet. Might not even be the flight your on, could be the next one.

There are millions of snacks in the world. Why not just chose a different one to eat in an enclosed space?

It's like smoking or vaping you wouldnt do that in an enclosed space either.

Timetochangenow · 29/09/2025 07:03

My son is allergic to peanuts. He has reacted (once) to a tiny amount. Thankfully on the ground and we are hyper vigilant.
This year was our first year flying with him. British Airways were amazing and put out many announcements. Thankfully his allergy is not airborne but a trace amount if ingested can put him into anaphylaxis.
On the ground this is terrifying, in the air is so much worse.
The issue with nuts vs other allergens is the way (in the main) they are consumed. Nuts are eaten with fingers and have smaller particles. A glass of milk or cheese sandwich generally won’t touch skin that is then spread around when that person is standing, opening an overhead locker or going to the toilet and using the handles.
Nuts are super cheap that’s why they are used as snacks and a major part of life in the Middle East or Asia and why we wouldn’t be on their airlines or in those Countries as the risk is too great.

Swipe left for the next trending thread