‘There is a passenger on board this aircraft with a severe nut allergy…’
If you’ve ever heard that announcement on a flight and huffed like a teenager who’s been told it’s time for bed, I have something to share.
Not eating a bag of dry-roasted nuts while flying through the sky might be frustrating.
But you know what’s worse? Going into anaphylaxis at 30,000ft and not making it to your destination at all.
I should know: I’m a travel writer with a severe nut allergy who’s faced this dreaded possibility.
A few years ago, on a flight from London bound for Chicago, I suddenly felt the scratchy, irritating sensation at the back of my throat that anyone with a severe allergy dreads. My eyes were puffy, my body itchy – all signs of a potential reaction.
I took antihistamines and quietly made my way to the back of the plane to give myself a bit of space to determine whether this was life-threatening. I had to quickly decide whether to use my EpiPen or not, which could have triggered an emergency landing.
Even with an EpiPen, there is no guarantee I would survive – they aren’t always the life-savers some believe them to be. Medical intervention and/or more doses may be necessary, and most people carry only two pens.
Not eating nuts while flying through the sky might be frustrating – but there are worse consequences
I made the call that this wasn’t a severe reaction – partly influenced by the shame and potential embarrassment I’d feel if I got it wrong. But this is not the position someone with a severe allergy should be put in.
Fortunately, my symptoms passed, but I spent the rest of the flight anxious and desperate to land.
Over the last 15 years, very little has changed in how airlines cater to severe allergy sufferers. In fact, some airlines persist in serving not just products that may contain nuts, but bags of nuts.
Surely it’s common sense to ban nuts entirely? Imagine being the parent of a baby with a severe nut allergy, spending the entire flight monitoring your child to ensure they haven’t touched a surface with nut residue.
Put simply: it doesn’t seem to be a big ask. We can’t smoke or vape on planes. What’s the difference?
And yet, there are, as far as I’m aware, no airlines in the world today that offer flights that are completely nut-free.
Even those that don’t serve nut products on board still can’t guarantee nut-free meals.
When I requested one with a major airline recently, I was effectively told there was no such thing. Gluten-free, yes. Veggie, yes. Vegan, yes. Nut-free, no. ‘We can’t guarantee there are no nuts in our meals, sir’, I was told.
Going into anaphylaxis at 30,000ft is a terrifying prospect for many
We are expected to tell airlines about our allergy, and then they may offer a pitiful announcement (more embarrassing for us, anyway, and one that I’ve seen other passengers ignore). Many are forced to bring their own nut-free food with them.
We’re also encouraged to board flights early to wipe down tray tables (that they haven’t cleaned properly), then pray there aren’t any rebellious passengers willing to risk our lives for their nut fix.
So, save your peanuts for when you’re settled somewhere sunny with a cold pint.
And to airline bosses, stop shirking your responsibility and make planes safe for everyone. If you can prevent us from bringing a bottle of water on board, surely you can also stop potentially allergenic ingredients?
