One of my friends is very allergic to peanuts. If he eats anything with peanuts in it he has about 2-5 minutes to take a pill or he will die. I have often seen him having trouble at parties where people eat peanuts or products made with them. The guy on the airplane was probably just as allergic as my friend. BTW, he hates to fly because so many airlines serve peanuts as a snack.