May 2024- On one of my many flights back from Mexico, I was seated in First Class with an empty seat next to me. A woman from the back of the plane was upgraded into that seat. Before I even had a chance to mention my nut allergy, she immediately pulled out a bag of mixed nuts and was about to open it.
I politely asked her not to, explaining my allergy. She began arguing with me and didn’t believe that I actually had an allergy. We were seated in the first row, so the flight attendants heard the exchange—and I had already informed them of my allergy when I boarded.
They quickly stepped in and told her she could not eat nuts around me. She continued arguing with them, so one of the flight attendants brought the captain over. He made it very clear that if she did not comply, she would either be moved back to her original seat or removed from the flight entirely.
She finally put the nuts away but remained hostile for the rest of the flight. I was in the window seat, and every time I needed to get up to use the bathroom, she refused to move her legs, keeping them propped up against the wall. I ended up having to push past her each time.
The flight attendants were visibly frustrated with her behavior and treated her accordingly after witnessing how she was acting toward me. This was a woman probably in her seventies, acting like a toddler having a tantrum over a bag of nuts.
At one point, she complained that she was being inconvenienced because she couldn’t have her snack, even though the flight attendants offered her multiple alternatives. I responded that it would be far more inconvenient for everyone if the plane had to make an emergency landing in the middle of nowhere.
When we landed and I retrieved my heavy bag from the overhead bin, I’ll admit I took some satisfaction in not being particularly careful as it came down.
Honestly—what is wrong with people?
That said, this experience reinforced why I only fly United Airlines. I’ve shared before that they have consistently been excellent when it comes to handling my allergies, and this flight was no exception.
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