Nuts on planes

[Bookmonster123]

Hi

I am due to fly with DS soon, first time he’s been on a plane. DS has a peanut allergy, has epi pens prescribed. What’s the protocol about nuts during the flight.

Do I tell the airline at booking, check in or on the day? Do they always accommodate requests not to eat nuts during the flight?

Thanks

Most airlines will ask politely for people not to consume, it’s rarely a “not permitted”.

Nobody bothered looking at the IC study I Iinked to upthread yet…?

I suspect para 4 of the key findings might be controversial….

they handed out a packet to every passenger so the smell was overwhelming. I’m not sure if it’s a vasovagel response but the smell of allergens (he used to be allergic to egg too) has always made him feel sick and if the smell is overpowering it makes him vomit. If it was just one person at the next table he’d be ok.

Exactly! And banning in schools etc is the choice of the school, not the advice of Anaphylaxis UK. Schools chose to ban instead of using the suggested controls as tbf, it's easier to withdraw the risk than to manage it. We don't get that choice in life, so we have to manage it.

Guess it depends on the airline then, I’ve certainly been on flights where they’ve announced someone has a severe nut allergy , though thinking about it they have probably said nuts won’t be served rather than they just don’t serve them

I found it really useful as the parent of an allergic child. Thanks for posting, as I've seen it discussed before but not the actual report. Have filed it away to read when I have time.

Yep. The press release from the airline is very very telling. Especially when you read her own words - suddenly the context of the story is very different indeed!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0kkzzy8eqjo

I was thinking of the announcement on a flight last year requesting us not to eat fish. I had already bought a tuna snack at the airport and wanted to eat it. I was six weeks post abdominal surgery and had a hugely restricted soft diet to follow with a regular eating pattern needed for energy. A 5-hour flight, and we were told on board. Yeah I was that person, I challenged them that I also had dietary requirements and not enough notice was given. I ate some of it. Fuck 'em, I could have bought something else if I were told in advance but I wasn't

Stop talking shit - Most airline policies state you advise cabin crew upon boarding.

Aer Lingus - if you suffer from a peanut allergy, please make our cabin crew aware of this whilst you’re boarding.

@rkahic For example
Singapore airline https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/gb/travel-info/requests/passengers-with-nut-allergy/ They serve cashews and almonds as snacks. Their signature dishes satay and nasi lemak are both peanut based.

Emirates https://www.emirates.com/uk/english/before-you-fly/travel/dietary-requirements/ Similar, nuts in meals and snacks.

Cathay Pacific https://flights.cathaypacific.com/en_GB/flying-with-us/inflight-dining/special-meals-allergies.html

You'll need to google the airline's policy before making such assumption that airlines don't serve nuts. I have flown many times with nuts given as snacks. The most recent being this year. There's also a main meal of peanut noodles.

Threads like this always bring out the arseholes. People who think their right to eat nuts is more important than someones life

And yet, Easy Jet:
https://www.easyjet.com/en/help/boarding-and-flying/medicine-medical-conditions-and-equipment

"We'll do all we can to help, but we cannot guarantee a nut or allergen-free environment on board our aircraft.

If you or somebody travelling with you suffers from a nut allergy, it is important that you let us know before your flight. You can do this during the booking process online by requesting Special Assistance and then selecting the “I have a nut allergy” statement.

This information will be added to your booking and Ground Crew and Cabin Crew will be aware of your nut allergy.

On the day of travel, you must also tell the cabin manager when boarding the flight. Our cabin crew will make an announcement to ask other customers not to eat any nut products for the duration of the flight. We will also stop the sale of any products containing nut traces on board. However, we cannot guarantee a nut or allergen-free environment."

See also TUI, Jet2, Qatar (and you have to file a medical form and be accepted onto the flight), Japan (require 2 weeks notice in writing), Cathay Pacific (recommends a Dr's note to certify fit to fly).....

It's almost as though all companies are different and that by waiting until you're at check-in or the gate you could be up shit creek.

If you have severe allergies in your party, you need to be proactive. It's very simple, especially if the alternative is no flight or death through anaphylaxis....

You are not a squirrel.

If somebody asks me not to eat nuts on a plane, I won't eat them. I will be considerate.

However, I will have had my Warburton's seedy bread (sesame etc) for breakfast, possibly with peanut butter. I make no apologies for a stray sesame seed.

I might have had a Thai meal the night before.
I eat a lot of nuts, they are lined up in jars in my kitchen. It's my go to snack.
I will obviously have washed my hands at some point, but I won't change my diet before flying just on the off chance.

I will probably have a snack at the airport, in Pret, or Wagamama - I will not ask the ingredients because I am not allergic. I might well have eggs. I will certainly be opening those little pots of milk or cream for my coffee. There may be residue on my fingers, my body, my breath.

I will be considerate, and not open the nuts, but that's as far as I go.
If I or any other random stranger can make you ill through our life style, then you avoid us.

Diabetes?

Why should I consume carbs and endanger myself?

Assuming you're not planning on french kissing strangers, none of that is a problem at all.

Your last paragraph is weirdly antagonistic.

Agreed. Very odd.

'Assuming you're not planning on french kissing strangers, none of that is a problem at all.
Your last paragraph is weirdly antagonistic.'

Read up on allergies. Why do you think they ask passengers not to open the nuts?

It is not antagonistic to say that if you are that allergic keep your distance, wear a mask, do what you have to do to to keep safe, and other than the common courtesies of life, don't rely on people who do not know you to look out for you.

Not for a diet controlled gluten intolerant diabetic 🙄

Well, if we didn't know this already...we would never leave the house, would we?

But, thanks stating the obvious. I'm sure it's made all the difference to the OP 🙄

I'm a diet controlled, gluten intolerant diabetic. I also don't eat upf or pf.

Again, what do you suggest I carry as snacks?

It's hard enough finding decent meals, let alone giving up nuts.

Are you entering this for a creative writing prize at school?

Um. Maybe you should read up on allergies. I do all of that with an allergic child, haven't killed her yet.

I hate to be "that person" and hate to think of people thinking of me as an inconvenience, I have an epipen and if I have to use it I need to get to a hospital immediately to have my heart monitored. The disruption caused by a plane potentially being diverted to get me to a hospital is more that the disruption caused by not eating nuts surely.

I notify the airline in advance, on check in and when boarding, if travelling with someone, make them sit next to other travellers and take as many precautions as I can and I really appreciate all the people who take notice of the no nut requests. I don't like having to do it either

Even for a gluten free diabetic free diabetic there are other snacks available that do not present a threat to other people's lives.

Epi pens aren't like taking an antihistamine and cracking on. Even with an epi pen, you can still die. It's not a bit of itching and a runny nose, it's imminent, impending death and the adrenaline in epi pens is intended to keep patients airways open and heart beating until they get to hospital and can have hardcore steroids on IV. Each one gives you 15-20 minutes to get to hospital. It's also unbelievably painful - my insides literally blister if I'm badly exposed. It's agony, for days and no painkiller touches it. It takes weeks to recover.

If you take an Epi pen you have to go straight to the hospital to be at least monitored in resus and get your steroids for 4-5 hours, and that's as a fit healthy adult. It's notoriously difficult to access resus departments with their skilled clinical staff and full complement of medications, as well as on call surgeons you may need for trachs, from a fucking plane in the sky.

I regularly have to get off buses and trains, or leave theatres, restaurants, bars etc because I'm having an airborne reaction. Bit more challenging to sit by an open window or hop off a plane.

People who think their snack choice trumps someone else's health are arseholes.

@Bookmonster123 It depends on the airline. BA are atrocious and won't take nuts off their food services. They also actually have no way to tell them about your allergies in advance - you can book vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal or gluten free food but you can't tell them that you have a nut allergy. When you tell the staff when you board they will ask why you didn't tell them in advance DESPITE THERE BEING LITERALLY NO WAY TO DO SO. Even if I contact customer service in advance they just don't pass the info on. It's the most frustrating thing on earth. The most they'll do is let you board first to clean down the chair and table but they won't help you, or take nuts off their catering etc.

Easyjet and Ryanair are excellent. Will pull nuts from their catering, will make an announcement, will challenge anyone eating nuts for you and will help you clean down the chairs etc.

American airlines (Delta etc) as well as Air France get very stressed about liability but you can tell them in advance and they are also very good.

Quantas and Emirates act like they don't know what you're talking about. They also won't pull nuts from the catering and they won't tell you what's in the food, they did let me board early though.

Bring wipes, bring your own food, try to tell them in advance, ask GP for an extra set of epi pens for travel - if you think they'll be funny about this just ask for a repeat prescription and say you lost the last set. Get hold of liquid benadryl - it's the best one for dealing with a reaction starting I find and easier to skoosh in a kids mouth. I do take some preventative antihistamines about 30 min before boarding to just damp down any mild reactions.

I have travelled all over the world and my nut allergies are raging severe so it is possible to do so safely, and try not to worry excessively, although I know its difficult particularly when dickheads think their food trumps your childs life.