Note from No Nut Traveler (Lianne)- I want to reiterate that no matter what someone tells you on the phone or even in the air- I do NOT recommend accepting any meal in the air. Mistakes happen, recalls happen, crew who are handling the food, often do not understand cross contamination.
Testimonial:
I’ve always been uneasy when it comes to flying and the constant worries about my son’s life threatening nut allergies. He’s 20, old enough to fly the coop, pardon the pun. Today was his first solo flight across country. I did everything that a loving, worry wort mom would do. Book a first class ticket to ensure safety and follow up with American Airlines to ask about their nut policy. I was told by the representative in a rude manner, “We don’t serve nuts”. I did feel a lot better knowing their policy ahead of time. No need for the plastic bubble wrap and sterile wipes.
My son sat in seat A1, the first seat on the plane, where I thought there would be less chance of someone crunching on nuts next to him. He barely took his seat when they offered him a warm towel and a nice big bowl of MIXED NUTS. Are you kidding me? He called me when they landed and told me that he was so upset the whole trip. I called American Airlines to make sure there were no nuts around him on the second leg of the trip, I even said that it was an emergency, of which it was. I have still not received a call back. Also note, when ordering food, I asked about the nuts in the meals, and was told there were no nuts. He didn’t eat his lunch because the chicken on his salad looked like it had pesto.
What these companies don’t realize is the extreme anxiety that goes along with being trapped in a small vessel with airborne, contact and possible ingestion of allergens all without any control. Is it more important to serve a snack for a 3 hour flight than preserve someones life?
So many innocent lives lost due to lack of education and personal responsibility it makes me sad and sick. Airlines, restaurants, government agencies need to up their game and educate their staff. This definition should be placed as a reminder in every location that has the responsibility of preparing, serving food and or/manufacturing health and beauty products.
Anaphylaxis causes your immune system to release a flood of chemicals that can cause you to go into shock — your blood pressure can drop suddenly and your airways may narrow, blocking breathing. Signs and symptoms may include a rapid, weak pulse; a skin rash; and nausea and vomiting. Maybe it would remind us all of the dangers of how one small piece of an allergen can rip apart a family when death occurs.
In a nutshell, the American Airlines representative lied to me and I trusted her. If these companies are going to operate in the public’s interest, we need to encourage them a bit harder to eliminate nuts on all flights. Nuts can be as lethal to someone with nut allergies as ingesting toxic chemicals. It’s time to take this seriously.
I write this wondering why they tell customers that they DON’T serve nuts, it just doesn’t make any sense!
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