Our day began at 1am in Houston with an American Airlines auto call saying my 18 year old daughter’s 8am flight was cancelled & rebooked. She was rebooked on a random flight without her friend (who she was traveling with). By 3am, we thought their 12:00 flight was fixed only to have an American Airlines flight attendant tell her that they would be serving peanuts in First class. She asked if she could move to the back of the plane. She was told she could not switch from her 6A seat to the back of the plane, & the American Air employee said “if your allergy is that bad you should drive to Pittsburgh.”
My daughter, in tears, shocked, took with 2 Benadryl and went back to the gate where American Airlines agents confirmed what was said, that the plane would be serving peanuts but they did not put my daughter on the plane. Instead they rebooked her on a 7:30pm flight on United.
A TSA agent saw her and immediately asked her if she was OK. Appalled at what happened, she took her to United to confirm her new flight.
My husband & I drove the hour back to the airport and got her for a bit because she was so upset. She was missing the surprise & dinner that had been planned in PA & now we were unsure where her bags would be or how she would get picked up, since she was landing after 11pm.
Her friend took the original flight and called saying they did not serve peanuts & she was asked to move out of 6B to the back to accommodate a mom to sit by her daughter. My daughter could have been on the plane. The flight attendant simply did not want her on it….period.
Finally at the United Airlines gate, the agents were awesome & the flight attendants even better.
Passengers who had heard about her issue were shocked and so sweet. She was allowed to board early & wipe down her seat & they made announcements about a Peanut allergy on board. She slept on the plane against her window as usual & landed without a hitch.
Yes, my daughter made it clear she does not expect people to understand her allergy. She does not expect all people to care or abide. Her ticket file shows she has an allergy. It shows her conversations noting it from the day the ticket was purchased. She tried to tell the flight attendant she had taken her medication, covers her face, & puts a blanket over her head & sleeps. She asked is it real peanuts or just products produced in a plant. She clearly and specifically said peanuts, not “nut allergy”.
My daughter apologizes over and over for her allergy on a daily basis. She has told people how sorry she is when they put their peanuts away on a plane or at the gate when announcements have been made about her allergy (by other airlines). Everyone responds with respect and no worries. No one wants to have to have an emergency landing if she has to use her auto-injector.
We don’t do this to inconvenience anyone but up in the air we need to take precautions to keep her safe. As yet, there isn’t a “cure.” We have taught her personal responsibility and steps to take to keep herself safe. Sadly, American Air ,was completely Un-American. She was able to fly safely on United, with all precautions taken.
On a positive end note, we flew Spirit to & from Houston & Michigan the week before, and they too were VERY accommodating! They made announcements at the gate and then directly to the seats around her. Super awesome!
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