Airline staff ignore nut allergy plea
A CARDIFF University student with a severe allergy was made to leave a flight after airline staff refused to stop serving nuts on board.
Meleri Williams was boarding a Aerolineas Argentinas flight from Buenos Aires to Esquel in Argentina when she told staff that any contact with nuts would risk her going into anaphylactic shock.
“I boarded the plane and, as I always do, told a member of staff that I have a severe nut allergy,” Meleri said.
“Usually, they make an announcement that they will not be selling nuts on the flight and advise the passengers not to consume any nuts on the flight as it could be very dangerous.”
The 20-year-old was due to start volunteering at a Spanish and Welsh primary school in Patagonia. She says she was shocked that airline staff refused her request.
Meleri said: “I explained that I could develop an anaphylactic shock if I was in an enclosed environment where nuts are consumed but they didn’t seem to understand. The only food they had for their passengers was packets of dried fruit and nuts. They said that it would affect a greater number of people if nuts wouldn’t be served.
“My allergy is very severe and could lead to anaphylactic shock where my airways could close up and I could potentially die. I do carry an Epipen but did not want to put myself in a position where there was a high risk and I could suffer from an allergic reaction mid-flight.”
After contacting the organisers of the volunteer program so they could explain and handing staff Spanish translation cards explaining her allergy, they maintained they must serve nuts.
Meleri and her friend Sara had to walk off the aircraft.
“There was a lot of fuss, I was very upset by the end and then having to just walk away was awful. It was very distressing trying to explain everything,” said Ms Williams.
She added: “We stayed in Buenos Aires another night and had to book a 26-hour bus to Esquel which meant missing out on days of volunteering.”
Despite the severity of her allergy, she says she has never encountered problems flying before.
“Everything had been very easy until this incident. We flew from Gatwick to Buenos Aires with Norwegian Airlines and they were very attentive and helpful.”
On the journey home from Argentina, she tried to book with the airline again but was met with the same response.
“We tried booking another flight and thought maybe if we gave them a warning it would be ok, but once again, they said it would be impossible. They would only change my food, meaning that there would still be nuts served on the plane.”
Meleri, who is originally from Hendy in Carmarthenshire, claims she is yet to receive any response from the airline.
She said: “Being told that I would be unable to travel because of my allergy was the worst experience of my life. I haven’t received an apology and I’d like to stress how important it is that airlines explore their on-board allergy policies urgently.
“Thankfully when we arrived everyone we met expressed disgust and embarrassment that an Argentine airline had acted this way.”
Aerolineas Argentinas has been subjected to recent criticism by passengers after strikes from the airline caused up to 10-hour travel delays and flight cancellations. This year, independent company AirHelp, which assists passengers with flight compensation claims, ranked the airline as one of the worst in the world based on on-time performance, quality of service, food and drink options and how easy it is to claim a refund.