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

I flew with Easyjet a couple weeks ago and on the outgoing flight it was announced someone with a severe nut allergy was on board and they would not be serving nut products and asked that anyone who had nut products with them to refrain from opening/ eating them.

The recycled air is the issue as powdery residue from nuts and seeds can be blown around easily and inhaled. Milk or fish could be much more easily contained within a more discrete area (I think) though presumably passengers in the immediate vicinity would be notified to take particular care. I dont know though as I've only ever heard announcements about nuts.

1. Recycled air
2. Not very easy to ring an ambulance to attend at 40,000 feet

As for 'don't be that person' - you mean a person who wants to avoid having to administer adrenaline mid-flight, causing a huge problem for the plane crew and potentially all passengers if the flight has to be diverted??

@shrodingersvaccine

BA definitely do pull nuts from their catering plus do not have nuts in their complimentary in flight meals anyway (they can't guarantee nut free because the factory isn't nut free). What annoys me is that they don't alert you prior to boarding for short haul flights, once I've bought food at the airport I want to eat it.

I’ve not read the whole thread yet and assume others have already told you this but because you are clearly and idiot and will need to be told multiple times:

trains/buses aren’t flying tubes in the sky, a plane diverting because someone has had a medical emergency on board ruins everyone’s day.

If someone uses an epi pen, assuming it works and slows the reaction (often they don’t and person will die anyway) the person needs immediate medical attention, it isn’t just stab yourself then go back to normal, epi pens are extremely dangerous. This would again lead to the flight having to divert ruining the trip for everyone involved.

Honestly people on here are so fucking thick.

@honeylulu

I had a shellfish announcement, i thought it was asking a bit much because it's not airborne unlike the dusty bits in peanut packs.

What a stupid reply. Busses and trains are well ventilated and you can open a window which you can't on a plane.

I hope your not 'that person' that eats nuts if asked not to on a flight

Shellfish / fish / seafood is the most common airborne allergy.

Any allergen has the potential to be airborne. It might be rare, but it is possible. I know of people who've had airborne reaction to melon and cinnamon. Aerosolised milks in coffee shops and cafes are a risk for some.

Like what?

Cheese goes warm & sweaty.
Ham/meats will turn.
Pepperami are nasty & processed.
Crisps are carby, processed, and would get crushed to crumbs if they lived in my bag.
Chocolate melts and is not suitable for me.

So what do you suggest other than nuts?

I don't think milk would become airborne in an airplane?

They could stop serving nuts on planes as a starting point. Nobody 'needs' them.
Unfortunately I can't see how a ban on nuts on airplanes and airports would work.
You can't x-ray for nuts. Also, other countries wouldn't comply because they wouldn't want to or understand the benefits.

It is quite sad that nut (and other severe food) allergies are still not prevented because we don't know if it is possible or how to do it. Maybe in 3-4 generations from now, this will not be the danger that it is now. Maybe with scientific developments this problem will disappear.

If they're making milky coffees or have powdered milk/hot chocolate, then the milk can become airborne.

I can only retiterate that if you actually have a genuine interest in the topic, rather than just being here to bang on about people being selfish and quoting anecdata it really is worth a reading the IC study..haven’t gone through it in full yet but at a skim I can see lots in it including air recycling, filters, even simulated peanut bag opening…

Unfortunately I suspect it’s conclusions about the value of totally banning nuts on board might not go down well.

(and yes, it was produced with assistance from the two major UK Anaphylaxis and Allergy organisations.

@SweetGingerTea do you have a child with a peanut allergy? I do and I'd rather be that person I'm afraid. What a terrible comment to a mum with a child with a life threatening allergy

Is shovelling food in on a flight that important to you that it trumps someone else’s life? I think you could risk going a few hours without a snack if you really cannot find something else suitable, which I also highly doubt.

Peanuts have a very heavy protein in them so any contact is triggering as the protein is hard to break down. So if you eat them in a room with someone or you've eaten them then touched a table the person could simply touch the table and have a reaction. It's that severe with peanuts it's not just about eating them.

Things I can think of that you can either bring or buy in the airport - An apple? Some berries and yogurt? Some chicken? Some cheese? A homemade oat bar with no nuts in it? Houmous and veggies? Eggs and avocado pots? Quinoa?

You're being asked to not eat some nuts for a maximum of what, 19 hours? If you're on the longest possible flight. You'll be asleep for 8-9, so 11 hours. Even if you don't eat the airplane food there are actually options for you, there just aren't as many as there are for someone who doesn't have your restrictions. The nut allergic person is dealing with similar restrictions also. If them eating a haribo next to you would set off your diabetes, then yes, they shouldn't eat haribo and should have an apple instead.

It's not that hard to not be a twat.

Yeah, I'll just pass out from a hypo, yeah 👍🏼

Nut free people are not the only people with dietary requirements.

If I need to eat nuts as that's the only food that is safe for me, I will.

If you are diet controlled, not eating for a while is not likely to be a medical emergency (compared to being on insulin where you may need to bring your levels up quickly which can be a medical emergency). Nuts are not great for dealing with a hypo, you'd be better off with a little bag of haribo.

Nuts are excellent lower carb snacks for diabetics though, as they don't spike your blood sugars like crisps and other carb-heavy simple snacks (generally what they sell overpriced on planes) and they are high protein so a small amount keeps you fuller. It's just not the thing to be using in a diabetic medical emergency.

As a T1, I snack on nuts a lot, and tbh I would be frustrated if I was only informed on the plane as there isn't really much you can buy on board that doesn't leave me juggling taking insulin as well which i'd try to avoid on a short haul. If I knew in advance I could take something else, but the handy packaging of nuts is a hell of a lot easier to deal with than packing up some meat and cheese from home, especially if it's the return journey. I'm not a twat though so I'd probably just go hungry if there was an allergy sufferer on board. I carry glucose tabs for low sugar which is rare for me and i'm unlikely to have an emergency on the plane (flown hundreds of times with no issue, and not come across a 'no nuts' flight yet either so it's clearly not frequent enough to never bring nuts by default), it's more just having the same access to not being hungry as everyone else, and without passing on the extra expense of easyjet's overpriced tub of pringles.

To sum up. T1 Diabetic, nuts are a preferred snack for many reasons, but not to treat a low blood sugar emergency, no issues with not eating nuts if required for an allergy sufferer but honestly it would be nice to have 24 hrs notice to arrange an alternative lower carb, higher protein snack.

Last flight I was on, the crew made an announcement that a passenger had a severe allergy so please refrain from eating nuts. An hour later the woman across the aisle from me was munching on a Snickers. Don't count on compliance.

sarahc336,
Thank you.
A clear explanation.
I am not going to argue with the hard of thinking, because it simply derails the thread.

Nuts will neither prevent or treat a hypo. Stop making T1 look even harder than it is.

Poor OP, she must be regretting asking.

@Bookmonster123 , check your airline's policies but the info posted by @notimagain should be reassuring. Focus on cleaning your DC's seat etc (you may be allowed board early to do so) and sticking to safe foods and you'll be grand.

You'll feel much better once you have the first flight out of the way and you've done it. It's amazing how relaxed security are about epipens, they must see them all the time.

Regarding the studies about the protein not becoming airborne, it feels like there's more research to be done on severe allergic reactions without actually eating the allergen.

The trouble is no scientist can actually run this study in a meaningful way because you can't knowingly expose a load of severely allergic people to their allergens in a controlled environment ethically.

I had to use adrenaline following a reaction as a 14 year old at a party when I hadn't eaten anything at all so it wasn't cross-contamination from eating. Yes, it was probably ingested via me touching a surface that a nut eater had. It was a shock to me and my parents to find out I could have a serious reaction just for being in the same room as peanuts.

There are pubs that I just can't go into because there are regulars who eat nuts at the bar and within minutes of walking in my eyes and nose are streaming and my face is swelling even if I don't touch my face.

I have had the social discomfort of turning up at events and either having to leave immediately or to ask the host to take the bowls of nuts off the buffet table.

On a long train journey with no other available seats I had to ask people nearby not to open a packet of nuts I saw them get out. I offered to go to the buffet car and buy some alternative snacks for them but they were lovely about it and declined.

Whenever someone cooks for me that isn't close family or friends I have to go through my list of allergies and explain that even a small trace will be problematic. Friends clean their kitchens before I visit.

I am someone who hates putting people out so I find it all very uncomfortable having to ask people to do these things.

I'm just trying to point out that it's not all as simple as it appears. For those who can't understand it, I'm pleased for you that you have such great health that you can't imagine yourself in these shoes.

I have other medical conditions that garner a lot of sympathy but the nut allergy really brings out the ignorant selfish side of some people.

I’ve also been on a flight where this request was made. DP dutifully put his peanut m&ms back in the bag and didn’t eat them but I’m sure there are plenty of selfish folk who still would! Must be so hard x