You eating nuts on a plane can kill me
I WAS distressed to read about 14-year-old Poppy Jones, who suffered a severe allergic reaction on board a British Airways flight when a fellow passenger twice refused to stop eating peanuts (Mail).
Why is this still happening when there have been well-publicised tragic deaths on airlines when a vulnerable passenger has been exposed to nuts and seeds? In this case, it appears the flight staff felt powerless to stop the passenger. They need to feel confident that they can protect all of the people in their care.
I have serious allergies to all nuts and have campaigned on this issue for several years. I have not been allowed to travel by one airline and was shouted at by a flight crew when I’ve asked for an announcement to be made asking my fellow passengers not to eat peanuts. I was told that request impinged on the human rights of the other people on board. I’m so angry about this matter that I’ve started a petition calling on the Government to take action so airline staff can legally remove peanuts or tree nut products from passengers who refuse to comply after it’s been announced there’s a person with severe, relevant allergies on board.
Today, I’m talking about this subject to the airline industry at the World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo in Hamburg. I spoke at their last in-person event in 2019 and, ironically, when flying home, the airline told me it couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be any nuts on my flight. I was advised to wear a mask to protect myself.
The airline didn’t provide a mask and I didn’t have one, so I spent the flight at the front of the cabin with my jumper around my mouth to limit the risk of inhaling airborne allergens.
Being in a sealed unit thousands of feet in the air with someone eating peanuts near me is playing Russian roulette with my life. I have suffered anaphylaxis so if I have a reaction, my breathing will be impacted very quickly. I need to always carry EpiPens.
Even if airlines are not concerned about the health and safety issues, allowing nuts on board makes little financial sense.
Up to 80 per cent of aircraft diversions are related to anaphylactic shock and each time this happens it costs the airline £80,000. Is that worth the freedom to eat a peanut?