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Preboarding policy (for passengers with nut / peanut allergies as of 12/12/18)

Old Nov 10, 2018, 12:33 pm
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AA nut allergic Passenger policy as of 12/12/18.

American Airlines nut allergy policy, aa.com
link

Although we dont serve peanuts, we do serve other nut products (such as warmed nuts) and there may be trace elements of unspecified nut ingredient, including peanut oils, in meals and snacks. Additionally, other customers can bring peanuts or other tree nuts on board.

We cant accommodate requests to not serve certain foods, provide nut buffer zones, or allow you to board early to clean your area (changes 12/12/2018). Our planes are cleaned regularly, but cant guarantee the removal of nut allergens on surfaces or in the air filters. Because of this, cant guarantee you wont be exposed to peanuts or other tree nuts during flight, and we strongly encourage those with allergies to take all necessary medical precautions before flying.
Additionally, as quoted originally by Bloomberg 9 Nov 2018

American Airlines customers with nut allergies who would like to board our flights early to wipe down surfaces may ask to do so at the gate," said American Airlines spokeswoman Michelle Mohr. The policy was first reported by Bloomberg...

...The new policy was included in a filing with the U.S. Transportation Department on November 6. It comes in response to a complaint filed last year by Food Allergy Research & Education and the mother of a child with a dangerous peanut allergy, Bloomberg reported...

The new policy goes into effect December 12 2018 as flight-service manuals are updated. link
NOTE: this thread is a moderated thread, and jokes or comments derogatory to those with bona fide nut allergies will be summarily removed.

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Preboarding policy (for passengers with nut / peanut allergies as of 12/12/18)

Old Nov 7, 2018, 7:56 am
  #1  
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Preboarding policy (for passengers with nut / peanut allergies as of 12/12/18)

So you don't have the spend to get to CK? You can still be a winner AND help AA keep its planes cleaner.

As noted by
,
, and https://www.dallasnews.com/business/american-airlines/2018/11/06/american-airlines-allow-travelers-nut-allergies-board-early-can-wipe-seats, let's see how quickly the number of passengers with allergies spikes.

PS: Title of post could read "Peanut/tree-nut allergy pax allowed to pre-board and sanitize"
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 8:04 am
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So many puns running through my mind right now...
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Last edited by econometrics; Nov 7, 2018 at 8:54 am
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 8:36 am
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Originally Posted by econometrics
So many "nuts" puns running through my mind right now...
They did say in the article that they don't provide "nut buffer zones." So there's that?
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 8:45 am
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What about deez?
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 9:12 am
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can I bring my emotional support elephant to help?
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 9:12 am
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if the nut people pre-board to wipe down the plane, is there anyone onboard to make sure that they actually do this ? Sure, all the FA's are busy enforcing overhead bin usage, hanging coats, greeting pax with a scowl and making PDBs, but who will enforce the wipe down ? And what if the nut people use a cleaner that causes distress for those with chemical sensitivities ? Should they be pre-boarded too ? And who will monitor them ? And what about the people with emotional support animals ? They should be preboarded. and people with children. And the elderly. and people with limited mobility. And elites. And people with low credit scores. And the Dutch. Pre-boarding for everyone !
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 10:33 am
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To be ultra safe, shouldn't a pax with nut allergies swab every seat on the plane.
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 10:37 am
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This is nuts!
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 10:41 am
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Originally Posted by enpremiere
PS: Title of post could read "Peanut/tree-nut allergy pax allowed to pre-board and sanitize"
One thing I give Delta a big credit is that they make it so easy on your booking that you are allergic to peanuts. If you check that, they won't serve any peanuts during the flight which I appreciate.
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 10:48 am
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This is simply meaningless. Whether nuts are served on the flight and whether a passenger swabs a seat does nothing for the nut-containing wrappers stuffed into the seats and seatback pockets as well as ground into the carpet.
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 11:43 am
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This is so stupid. There are so many service improvements they could make, but they decide to do stuff like this. I give this 6 months max before it gets shut down. This is just screaming to be abused by BE pax with massive 50lb carryons claiming a nut allergy.

Nut allergies are very rare; by comparison, incidences of seafood allergies are four times more common. Where's the wipedown for seafood allergy sufferers? What about Jews and Muslims who follow Kosher and Halal dietary rules? Why can't they pre-board to swap out the tray tables with appropriate trays?

Nut allergies typically require ingestion for severe reactions to occur. What's wiping down the seat realistically going to do, provided one is wearing clothing? If wiping down a seat is pointless, does one really need to pre-board to wipe down a tray table? This is pure theater to placate certain vocal pax.

In those who are severely allergic, reactions to peanuts can occur from ingesting just a trace amount. This can cause anxiety, especially with the parents of peanut allergic children. But did you know that touching, smelling, or inhaling airborne particles from peanuts does not cause a severe reaction. ( Simonte SJ, et al. Relevance of casual contact with peanut butter in children with peanut allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol.. 2003 Jul:112 (1): 180-2.

In one controlled study that looked at this, 30 children with significant peanut allergy were exposed to peanut butter, which was either pressed on the skin for one minute, or the aroma was inhaled. Reddening or flaring of the skin occurred in about one third of the children, but none of the children in the study experienced a reaction either in their lungs or throughout their bodies!
It seems to me that AA is doing this because it costs them nothing (and will probably achieve nothing). Whereas putting a system into place to avoid serving nuts (similar to how DL operates) costs money.
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 12:19 pm
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@swingaling You quoted an article about peanut butter. There are no loose particles to inhale in peanut butter. Whole or halved nuts are a different story because they contain nut dust particles. However, I agree with your last statement regarding the cost of implementation of nut control vs doing something like this that doesn't really do much.
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 12:42 pm
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I think they should offer pre-boarding to customers only with no carry-on ! So if you want to pre-board because of any "condition" you can board with no carry on baggage. Let us see how many take advantage of this ? :-) I think people have issues with pre-boarders because they take up bin space. With this they can be assured of space when the boarding groups are called...
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 12:44 pm
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Originally Posted by nrr
To be ultra safe, shouldn't a pax with nut allergies swab every seat on the plane.
AA would love that...Now they can downsize their cleaning crew ;-)
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Old Nov 7, 2018, 1:04 pm
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My throat is getting a little scratchy....

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