Would you eat a packet of nuts on a plane?

[Purpleturtle45]

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!

People can be life-threateningly allergic to eggs, banana, milk, pet pander, nuts, seafood… Why nuts, specifically, OP?

People behave as if it’s the only allergy and that it’s always deadly.

It's fine unless you are asked not to

I would unless told of allergies nearby.

But you must go to places that have nuts all the time?
.. cafes, coffee shops supermarkets, restaurants, public spaces etc

They used to give out packets of nuts on planes

I can’t understand why people get so worked up about simply not eating a particular thing for a few hours.

Do they? I've never seen anyone respond badly (or at all) to a nut allergy announcement on a flight. It's not unusual, people understand.

Only 1% of people have nut allergies, of course people should continue to eat a major food group in public unless asked not to in a confined environment 🙄

Actually you're probably right - they just told us they weren't selling any products with nuts in because there was someone with a severe allergy on the flight.

I'd hope in that situation, no one would actually bring their own nuts and open them.

Nuts aren't really a snack I buy for myself except at christmas. I do eat them in cakes and salads at home. I doubt I would ever take nuts on a flight and I will never be able to afford first or business class so won't ever be served nuts on a plane either.

I think on planes they normally do an announcement if you've told them you have a nut allergy.

No because my daughter has a nut allergy. Her allergist doctor told us to wipe around her seat and the handles, seat belt etc when we fly to clean any nut residue and to clean her hands as she puts her fingers in her mouth. We always have baby wipes and her adrenaline pens with us. I wouldn't expect anyone not to eat nuts unless the cabin crew announced it (which they do when our daughter is flying) but for those who don't eat nuts just incase, thank you very much. 😊

I was offered nuts on a flight just last week, so I assumed it was still fine unless told otherwise.

Nuts and traces of nuts can be found in all kinds of things like chocolate bars and bread so I wonder how it works in practice.

The onus is on the allergy sufferer or their appropriate adult to alert the flight staff. Reasonable people absolutely then don't eat nuts post an announcement. No announcement, I'll eat them if I like.

I’ve seen various threads here and on other forums (granted probably the hellhole that is Facebook) where people will absolutely defend their right to eat nuts and are horrified at the suggestion they refrain for a few hours.

Do you fly often? I’ve been on plenty of flights where the crew specifically announced that there was a passenger with a severe nut allergy, so they wouldn’t be serving nuts and asked everyone else not to eat them either. If no such announcement is made, then why should I assume I can’t eat nuts on the plane?

We flew Cathay Pacific in 2024 and everyone was given (in economy) a packet of peanuts soon after take off. My anaphylactic son had to put on 2 face masks to block the smell and still ended up vomiting.

apparently you have to email them a doctors certificate 3 weeks out for them to not serve them.

This. I was reading something about this recently but I can’t remember where.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2dpkpjjnw2o

Has anyone said that? Most people seem to agree they'd not eat them if asked.

At least on the ground you have the chance of a hospital fairly quickly if needed
on a plane not so much

Nuts are particularly problematic because they’re ‘dusty’ which bananas, eggs, milk and seafood are not. Pet dander is but less of an issue on flights specifically.

Why would you do that?

The difference is that if an allergy sufferer was exposed to nuts in a supermarket or anywhere else on the ground for that matter, an ambulance would be called. An EpiPen will hold off death for ten minutes, and most people with allergies carry two meaning they’ve got twenty minutes until they’re dead unless an ambulance can get to them.

An ambulance can’t get to 30,000 feet over the Atlantic in twenty minutes.

Airborne nut allergies are quite rare.

I was thinking about this the other day. Surely we’re getting to the stage in society where it’s just completely unacceptable to eat nuts on a train, or basically anywhere in public at all? Because someone could die!

Most deaths are not to milk allergy sufferers.
In children, yes, milk allergy causes the highest number of fatalities if peanuts, tree nuts and unidentified nuts are classified separately.
Not so in adults.
Nuts are considered dangerous for good reason, though unfortunately they’re not alone in being dangerous if you’re allergic.