Nuts-on-board: A deadly snack?

An unexpected danger to some passengers on board is the dissemination or consumption of nuts. A four year old girl on a Ryan-Air flight suffered an alleged anaphylactic shock after a fellow passenger opened a packet of nuts in another row. This story raised a number of issues with our members and led them to query whether a nut-free airline is the way of the future.

Our members have experienced nut-free zones in aircrafts. However it is believed that for those with severe allergies the recycled air in an aircraft cabin could still lead to a reaction. Our members love to play devil’s advocate and want more information about all involved in the incident. The nut-wielding passenger was said to be warned three times about the consumption of peanuts on board but the nature and type of the warnings is not known. Further, there is new speculation that the passenger did not speak English and may not have understood the warnings.

Our members are also keen to know the precautions taken by the parents of the young girl prior to boarding the flight and the availability of an epipen and the like should a reaction occur.

Another family are said to have been denied boarding on a return transatlantic flight after suffering an allergic reaction because the airline was not a “nut-free airline”. The days of receiving warm nuts upon boarding may be gone but our members query whether airlines are doing enough to accommodate this phenomenon.

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Staff Writers