Would you eat a packet of nuts on a plane?

No. I've known enough people with 'air transferred' nut allergies to be wary. A bit hypocritically, I ate nuts on a train recently but did check with a person sitting near me first (it was a mostly empty carriage).

It never really occurred to me to avoid eating them anywhere besides a plane. My son’s primary school is nut free so of course he doesn’t pack anything but he has peanut butter every morning at home. My daughter’s school isn’t restricted so she packs whatever she wants. She’s autistic with a limited diet so I’m just happy she can have a peanut butter sandwich now. I thought flights were particularly risky as people wouldn’t have access to medical care.

I did last time I flew. Which was in August.

Yes. The airline I usually fly serves a small bowl of them before lunch/ dinner service.

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.

If the pilots announces that a person with an allergy is onboard, then of course not. But otherwise I often bring M&Ms onboard and have never given it a second thought.

No. My sister has a severe nut allergy and this is a huge risk for her. She always asks the crew to make an announcement. They won't serve nuts at her request but can only ask that other people don't eat ones they've brought on the plane. One time when we were flying together, the lady next to us (after an announcement) opened a packet of nuts (this was on a long haul flight). My sister had to move seats and avoid touching anything the whole flight.

OneFootintheHedgehog

As in in everyday life people go out of their way-banned from primary and secondary school here. Mad they’re on planes!!!

Mid contraction I bollocked my husband for opening a packet of nuts without asking the midwife first if she was allergic - but I appreciate that’s OTT to most people (to say the least)!
I wouldn’t eat nuts on a plane, no

Someone with an allergy so severe that someone else just eating nuts in the same room as them puts them at risk of dying surely wouldn't be just taking a chance on others having nuts and flying anyway.

As for those that don't eat nuts in public- well that's just madness, nuts are everywhere in restaurants, chocolate bars, and even growing on the trees on the street! It's so pointless setting yourself rules to protect the hypothetical people at risk when risk is everywhere.

If you have an allergy it's up to you to protect yourself, the whole world can't be expected to be sanitised just incase.

The more we limit exposure, the more we exacerbate allergies for future generations.

I thought that they announce it if there is someone on board with a serious nut allergy. I flew earlier this year and bought a bag of trail mix that was one of the menu basics.

I don't habitually snack on nuts anywhere, so I wouldn't. But I would eat whatever I wanted at any given time and if that was a sandwich that contained but oil, something with pesto, a chocolate bar with nuts etc, then so be it.

Yes, unless specifically mentioned due to a fellow passenger being allergic. It’s often the only snack or source of protein available in some countries.

They don’t go out of their way though, most of the flights I’ve been on recently have served them.

no, I don’t get why people would go out of their way to eat one of the only foods that people are so regularly hearing of others having issues with

Theyre the snack of choice served on flights.

If I bring my own, I ask seatmates. Most of my flights have served almonds recently

If I was asked not to, of course not.

My DC has a child in his class who is severely allergic to nuts. This means the school is strictly nut free, and we are all asked not to give our children peanut butter in the mornings due to risk of trace transfer. (It’s a SEN school so they can neither be relied upon to have vigorously scrubbed their hands, nor to keep classroom items out of their mouths)

There’s no “need” to drink alcohol or fruit juice or anything in a plane. Equally bread, biscuits or coffee. Sadly allergens are everywhere- I agree with PP that airlines need to stipulate if there is a passenger who may be affected by what is offered but it is extremely hard to police. I am truly thankful that neither I nor immediate family have allergic reactions to everyday foodstuffs as it must be so exhausting and worrying.

I would have not been able to bite my tongue and would have told her to fuck off.

The only nuts I eat on planes are the ones served to me by the airline, which happens 90% of the flights I take.

That's a really unfair comment. It had never crossed my mind that I shouldn't eat nuts in public places. I don't recall reading or hearing that I should. It's not about not caring, its about people (including me!) not being aware that I shouldn't. I've been on 'nut-free' flights but it's always been made clear that there was someone on board that has an allergy. If they don't make that announcement on every flight then it is bound to lead the public to thinking its ok to eat them unless told otherwise. As we don't have a national ban on nuts on planes, surely it's up to the individual to alert the flight about their allergy if it is so severe that someone sitting a few feet away with them impacts on them.

No, it’s standard practice that someone with an allergy informs the cabin crew and an announcement is made at the gate, during the welcome message and at the start of food services.

Completely reasonable to assume your son didn’t have an allergy given no announcement had been made.

KLM serve lovely bags of peanut and cashews mixed. I quite look forward to them!

This. My son has a nut allergy so I’m acutely aware of how dangerous this is.

I usually don’t but that’s because I have food allergies and it’s always on my mind.

(as an aside I’m terribly allergic to animals and it has contributed to my anxiety around flying. I wish you could at least request to sit a few rows away from animals on a flight like you can request a nut free flight.)