I recently flew on American airlines. As I wiped down the seat for my daughter, the flight attendant looked over and I said she has a severe peanut allergy. She was extremely sweet and said to let her know if we needed anything. She asked me if there was anything they needed to do in case of emergency. I told her I had Epi Pens in case of emergency and she let me know there was no nuts served on this flight.
What I found interesting is when I asked her if they had Epi Pens in the plane for someone who may not know they had an allergy. She said they do but that they’re locked up and they’re not allowed to touch them only a doctor is, and she said if the on ground on call doctor they call says to use the epipens then they’re only allowed to access it with a doctor on the plane, and there always seems to be one on the planes. This surprised me because they’re depending on the odds of a doctor on the plane, and it is a simple thing to train flight attendants to use them! At my daughter’s school the entire staff learned how to use them based on these concerns. There really needs to be across the board guidelines. I signed the petition and shared with my friends, I just wish there was more I could do.
Note from Lianne No Nut Traveler: there are no Epi Pens on American Airlines- just vials of Epinephrine that are not labeled and are in the EMK (emergency medical kit) and are only to be used by a physician or in the event of an emergency- via med link- possibly a crew member. The lack of knowledge by the above flight attendant and the inconsistency of American Air flight crews in how they treat food allergy customers is what concerns me.
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