I called four months prior to my flight at which time the employees instructed me to tell the crew the day of. On the day of said flight, the crew refused to refrain from serving peanuts because it would deny First Class of their expected snack. This is the only airline that I’ve ever flown who has refused to serve a different snack. Not to mention, I have flown AA several times in my life, and they have never served peanuts – or so they have told me.
Many people have severe, life-threatening nut allergies – threatening to the point of the plane’s air circulation affecting their health – and AA is actively refusing to attend to a growing population. I was appalled at the company’s discriminatory nature regarding life-threatening allergies and the poor advice given by a representative. The flight attendant suggested I should never fly and simply take a boat. The plane was also left in dirty conditions for our flight, in which there was a melted Butterfinger (a heavily peanut-reliant snack) in the pocket of the plane’s seat.
When I finally was able to talk to a representative over the phone, she assured me it was “company policy” that requests regarding allergies (life-threatening or otherwise) be dismissed. I told her that was a form of discrimination, and she told me that was a ridiculous claim and that the airline simply couldn’t accommodate all flyers. While I understand that ALL allergies cannot be attended to, this could have been easily avoided had they removed the nut snack and recognized the gravity of the event—a very simple set of actions.
Though AA’s website does clearly state that they cannot adapt to allergies, there is no mention of it while booking and is a separate page altogether. Not to mention, it seems that not all representatives even know AA’s policy, since several reps assured me no nuts whatsoever are served on their planes. Regardless, AA’s policy clearly excludes anyone with a severe allergy and those traveling with them – a fact that would be considered reprehensible and illegal in many other establishments. The hope is that my story will warn and inform others (AA included) of their discriminatory policy and poor customer service even if American Airlines refuses to edit either practice.
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