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!

Wow. Why would you do that?

if someone is that allergic to nuts, why are they on a flight where they could die. No holiday would be worth the risk surely,

Nuts are very healthy and filling, and a good source of protein. I eat them all the time. Crisps and crackers are not an alternative.

It wouldn't cross my mind to not eat them in public unless specifically asked. I would assume that anyone with a fatal allergy would either not be boarding a plane, or would put out some kind of request.

I flew Malaysia air last week and they were giving out nuts. I would eat nuts on a plane but if an announcement was made I wouldn’t.

It's super common. Qatar do it on every business flight. If anyone asked me not to or flagged an allergy of course I would not.

Yeah I agree tbh and I bet that poster doesn't avoid eating many other things in public to which people have serious allergies, so it's only if your allergy is one of the most well known that it merits this level of sanctimony apparently.

No, as i’m not a selfish idiot. Plenty of other snacks you could choose, even if not told on the tannoy.

Yes, people are overly irrational about this topic. If you are that bothered about people with allergies you should be upset if they are serving fish and dairy onboard. From allergy uk:

“Nuts are often considered a risk, but the reality is that nut allergens are usually not airborne. The real concern lies with particles on surfaces, which can indeed pose a risk for those with severe allergies.
Shellfish and dairy allergies can be more problematic since they can trigger reactions through airborne particles, yet these issues don’t receive as much attention. “

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.

They might have HEPA filters but how often do the filters get replaced? Air flow inside planes is low in any case, with insufficient air changes per hour to completely eradicate the risk.
Hence airplanes are a place where tightly fitting masks make a lot of sense, as you can't rely on the HEPA or air changes to keep you safe from airborne viral particles (I have yet to see CO2 levels below 1500 ppm inside a plane, and it's usually much higher when they are on the ground).

Because I don't fly very often I didn't know the no nut rule, too be honest I thought it was the noise of someone munching the nuts, like someone eating crisps in the flicks, didn't think of allergies.
I've never eating nuts on a plane but I have eating a Toblerone does that count?

I wouldn’t, in the same way that I wouldn’t send my DD to school with them in her pack lunch. I think it’s just not worth it in a plane with enclosed spaces and no access to medical assistance in an emergency

I had a few friends whose children had allergies. I would always ensure my child didn’t eat those specific foods around them. One simple change by me, made life much easier for that person for a short space of time

No. Because I prefer my flights without medical diversion or dead bodies sat next to me. We fly quite a bit, and I must say more often than not the crew advise of a nut allergy on bored. It’s really really common & I can go x hours without one item for the sale of someone’s life.

I'm preparing my carry on bag ahead of a flight tomorrow and found a little bag of complimentary airline peanuts that I must've saved from the last flight. Either Malaysia Airlines doesn't mind the odd medical diversion and dead body, or you're being ridiculously dramatic.

Really?
you think they should stay home and not travel the same as anyone else????

Yes unless the crew had said it was a nut free flight
I might check with the person next to me though

We used to serve warmed up nuts when I was a cabin crew a few years ago.

No I wouldn’t just in case and also because there are so many other things I could eat.

But if nuts are so dangerous, why are they given out, for free, on board. If the risk of a death or diversion was so high, they wouldn't do this. It wouldn't cost them anything to switch to say, crisps, so the risk must be minute.

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).

Because not all big corporations give a shit.

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

Just to add my own experience here - I’m an airline pilot operating long haul flights and we serve nuts on every flight, as well as various dairy products including cheese, yoghurts, milk in tea. We also frequently serve prawns and usually have hummus somewhere on board too. In over 25 years of flying I have never had to divert and nor have any of my colleagues, and though I have often been informed a passenger has an allergy and is carrying an EpiPen we have not had to use one on any of my flights. A diversion is a huge thing, and we take all actions possible to avoid them. However this does not include routinely banning all possible allergens (or even just the one people are being so vociferous about here.) We do have protocols in place to assist passengers with an allergy, and if it is correct to do so we do not serve allergens in the cabin a person with allergies is in. But there can be up to 4 separate cabins on our flights.

There is considerable hyperbole here about the likelihood of diversion.

I’ve not been given any free nuts on a plane in many years. We all know nuts on a plane can be dangerous, so why not just avoid buying them to eat on a plane? To me, that makes the most sense, even if not told otherwise. There are endless snack options.

TBH, I think all planes should be nut free. And I don't have an allergy. There are so many easily available alternatives.

It wouldn't totally remove the risk (as others have said, nut traces in other things), but it would reduce it.