No nuts please!
Apr 12, 2019, 6:17 pm
#196
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,159
The “I don’t worry because there’s always an ambulance” factor is flakey too. Ambulance response tiles vary from 7 min to 45 min even on emergency calls. This does rather suggest that the reason you have never learned to worry about your hand touching a random dropped particle from someone’s hands as they pass your seat, may be because there is nothing to worry about.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45246939
granted in some cases you have an option to get in a car and drive to hospital etc but still
Apr 12, 2019, 6:26 pm
#197
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Either at the shooting range or anywhere good beer can be found...
Posts: 51,030
Does anyone know where I can find the menu for BA285 LHR-SFO next Friday and BA286 SFO-LHR on 3rd May? WT both ways.
kipper, my partner has the same issue you do, severe nausea from a hint of a smell of almonds/peanuts/hazelnuts etc, with vomiting if a hint of nut passes her mouth. Thankfully (or not), she hasn't had anaphylaxis reactions, but that means we cant get an Epi-Pen. I'm dreading the day someone screws up and she has anaphylaxis, last place I want that to happen is in a tube 40,000 feet up.
Needless to say, when I phoned BA after booking, I was expecting a bit more than "oh, just tell the cabin crew when you board". I was expecting something more along the lines of "okay, we'll see if we can do anything to help, like try and take nuts off the menu for that flight, considering it's in 9 months time!" Guess we'll see what happens, but if an announcement is made and someone tries to eat nuts, I'll lose it if they do.
kipper, my partner has the same issue you do, severe nausea from a hint of a smell of almonds/peanuts/hazelnuts etc, with vomiting if a hint of nut passes her mouth. Thankfully (or not), she hasn't had anaphylaxis reactions, but that means we cant get an Epi-Pen. I'm dreading the day someone screws up and she has anaphylaxis, last place I want that to happen is in a tube 40,000 feet up.
Needless to say, when I phoned BA after booking, I was expecting a bit more than "oh, just tell the cabin crew when you board". I was expecting something more along the lines of "okay, we'll see if we can do anything to help, like try and take nuts off the menu for that flight, considering it's in 9 months time!" Guess we'll see what happens, but if an announcement is made and someone tries to eat nuts, I'll lose it if they do.
I’m afraid this isn’t making much sense. You never react to dropped crumbs and casual contact in normal life and see no need to take extreme precautions about what gets on your hands (because, essentially, it’s a scenario that never happens), but as soon as you get on a plane it’s a big worry because if it DID happen (even though it never does) then it would be really bad?
Don’t get me wrong - taking great care over your own meal is obviously right and should be respected. But the argument for why nobody on the plane should touch a nut in case they brush your armrest (even though the previous person in your seat may easily have been stuffing himself with the things an hour previously, and you have never reacted to any such scenario at any altitude) is looking increasingly flakey, if you don’t mind me saying so.
I've not had an allergic reaction from someone else's meal (in the same restaurant), but at the same time, don't go up to them and try to touch their meals or ask them to drop nuts near me to try it. My dinner partners generally refrain from ordering nut items.
I have had reactions to things labeled as "may contain nuts," which is a convenient label for "we don't clean our machines much in between production runs." Likewise, I have had skin reactions to nut oils in bath and body products.
Apr 13, 2019, 7:09 am
#199
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 45
sharplea, other than pine nuts in the pesto sauce ex LHR we do not serve any nuts on your flight in the World Traveller cabin, ask to preboarded so that you can wipe around your seat area.
When you board tell the crew and they will make an announcement to customers in your cabin asking them to refrain for eating and nut based products that they may have brought onboard.
When you board tell the crew and they will make an announcement to customers in your cabin asking them to refrain for eating and nut based products that they may have brought onboard.
Apr 13, 2019, 9:46 am
#200
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None of the starters contain salmon, the only salmon is in one of the canapés, the canapés are served in individual dishes, one of each of the three will be displayed on a serving plate.
You could ask for just the other two but explain your worries about cross contamination and ask if you could you be served before the galley operator serves anyone else or you could refuse the canapés completely and have some more warm nuts.
You could ask for just the other two but explain your worries about cross contamination and ask if you could you be served before the galley operator serves anyone else or you could refuse the canapés completely and have some more warm nuts.
Apr 16, 2019, 11:50 am
#202
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: BA GOLD
Posts: 603
Oh dear - BA Twitter gets it wrong about nuts. Obviously someone in BA Twitter Towers doesn't know that nuts aren't sold on long haul (or they didn't read the tweet correctly).
Tweet - "hi, I’ve tried calling but can’t seem to get through to the right person. I’m flying to Dubai next week, I just want to call to let somebody know that I have a nut allergy, so that nuts aren’t sold on the flight.. is there a certain number I need to call? Thanks"
Answer by BA - "You'll need to advise the gate staff at the airport. They'll let you board early to wipe down your seat. When you board tell the cabin crew and they will make an announcement that they won't be selling nuts and ask people not to eat nuts on board. Hope this helps. Tony"
Tweet - "hi, I’ve tried calling but can’t seem to get through to the right person. I’m flying to Dubai next week, I just want to call to let somebody know that I have a nut allergy, so that nuts aren’t sold on the flight.. is there a certain number I need to call? Thanks"
Answer by BA - "You'll need to advise the gate staff at the airport. They'll let you board early to wipe down your seat. When you board tell the cabin crew and they will make an announcement that they won't be selling nuts and ask people not to eat nuts on board. Hope this helps. Tony"
Apr 16, 2019, 7:03 pm
#203
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Either at the shooting range or anywhere good beer can be found...
Posts: 51,030
I had an allergic reaction to peanuts today. Ate at one of the frozen yogurt shops with 50,239 toppings. Someone must've dropped a piece of peanut in one of the bins I pulled toppings from, as the allergic reaction started not long after. I'm now very drugged up on Benadryl.
Apr 17, 2019, 12:38 am
#204
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,243
Oh dear - BA Twitter gets it wrong about nuts. Obviously someone in BA Twitter Towers doesn't know that nuts aren't sold on long haul (or they didn't read the tweet correctly).
Tweet - "hi, I’ve tried calling but can’t seem to get through to the right person. I’m flying to Dubai next week, I just want to call to let somebody know that I have a nut allergy, so that nuts aren’t sold on the flight.. is there a certain number I need to call? Thanks"
Answer by BA - "You'll need to advise the gate staff at the airport. They'll let you board early to wipe down your seat. When you board tell the cabin crew and they will make an announcement that they won't be selling nuts and ask people not to eat nuts on board. Hope this helps. Tony"
Tweet - "hi, I’ve tried calling but can’t seem to get through to the right person. I’m flying to Dubai next week, I just want to call to let somebody know that I have a nut allergy, so that nuts aren’t sold on the flight.. is there a certain number I need to call? Thanks"
Answer by BA - "You'll need to advise the gate staff at the airport. They'll let you board early to wipe down your seat. When you board tell the cabin crew and they will make an announcement that they won't be selling nuts and ask people not to eat nuts on board. Hope this helps. Tony"
Apr 17, 2019, 2:03 am
#206
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: BA GOLD
Posts: 603
You've got me confused now too. You asked a specific question about the selling of nuts and were provided with a comprehensive answer which should allay your fears regardless of the method of nut distribution. Does it really matter about the minutiae of whether nuts are sold or not?
Apr 17, 2019, 4:32 am
#207
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,197
Jul 16, 2019, 4:16 am
#208
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Posts: 63,736
I report the following more as an example of intersubjectivity rather than pointing any fingers. Looking back though I think BA can be blamed for being slow to resolve the issue, which was just a bit annoying, but in terms of the fundamental problem I am not sure how this could have been sorted out any better given current processes.
I had two flights yesterday and on both services an announcement was made that there was a passenger on board with a severe nut and peanut allergy. For the short domestic hop at breakfast time this was a non issue, I can't believe anyone was greatly inconvenienced.
However I then had BA73 to Abu Dhabi, and this ended up 1 hour 59 minutes late from Heathrow, 1 hour 52 minutes late into AUH. Of that, about 30 minutes at the end was caused by traffic restrictions over Germany (had we left earlier this may have been avoided, but I don't know for sure) and there was a 10 minute technical issue at the start, but that ran alongside the main cause of the delay, namely a passenger with a severe nut and peanut allergy. So instead of arriving at 23:00 hrs, we arrived at 01:00 hrs, with consequent knock-on delays to the return service BA72, though by this stage it was only 26 minutes late back into London.
The issue here was that this passenger was in a family group of 6, in Club World, and it was only once they were on board that (a) the crew were aware of the issue and (b) the lead passenger noticed that the main CW and WTP courses were lamb makbous, with roasted almond flakes listed in the menu. It was also the only ha'lal dish. Moreover there were other items in both the First and World Traveller menus that raised queries, and some special meals (SPML) had things like pesto in them. The lead passenger asked that something be done about this, presumably replacing these items with alternatives. The flight deck then contacted Heathrow control to see if a catering swap could be done, and eventually the answer came back that it wasn't possible. I imagine they also considered whether they could just not serve the lamb but I imagine there simply wasn't enough of the other items to go round, plus it would somewhat difficult to have no ha'lal catering, given the destination. There were at least a few passengers on other restricted diets who would have had little to eat for the 6 to 7 hour flight.
This took about an hour to get to the core decision point, at which stage it became clear that the family group had to be offloaded, along with their 15 checked items of luggage, which as you can imagine led to further 30 minute delay. I don't know what happened to the passengers, I am hoping they were able to continue via Etihad but I imagine it was very distressing for the family concerned. There may well have been people with onward connections from AUH, though apparently there weren't many in this category. Though the delay was annoying, this was going to inevitable once the passengers were onboard the aircraft, given the checked luggage issue.
Now of course the CW menu would have been visible to the passenger group 30 days in advance (approx) and I don't know whether they realised it, or if they did , perhaps they rationalised that the other options could be served instead. I know if they had contacted BA and asked for another menu to be served, that would not have been taken up. It is also the fact that nuts and legumes are a key part of Middle Eastern catering.
There are no easy answers here, and frankly there's no point blaming anyone, but as this issue is becoming more frequent I think the process for travellers with nut allergies particularly needs to reconsidered. It;s not going to go away. I fear that it won't make flying any easier for those with severe allergies.
I had two flights yesterday and on both services an announcement was made that there was a passenger on board with a severe nut and peanut allergy. For the short domestic hop at breakfast time this was a non issue, I can't believe anyone was greatly inconvenienced.
However I then had BA73 to Abu Dhabi, and this ended up 1 hour 59 minutes late from Heathrow, 1 hour 52 minutes late into AUH. Of that, about 30 minutes at the end was caused by traffic restrictions over Germany (had we left earlier this may have been avoided, but I don't know for sure) and there was a 10 minute technical issue at the start, but that ran alongside the main cause of the delay, namely a passenger with a severe nut and peanut allergy. So instead of arriving at 23:00 hrs, we arrived at 01:00 hrs, with consequent knock-on delays to the return service BA72, though by this stage it was only 26 minutes late back into London.
The issue here was that this passenger was in a family group of 6, in Club World, and it was only once they were on board that (a) the crew were aware of the issue and (b) the lead passenger noticed that the main CW and WTP courses were lamb makbous, with roasted almond flakes listed in the menu. It was also the only ha'lal dish. Moreover there were other items in both the First and World Traveller menus that raised queries, and some special meals (SPML) had things like pesto in them. The lead passenger asked that something be done about this, presumably replacing these items with alternatives. The flight deck then contacted Heathrow control to see if a catering swap could be done, and eventually the answer came back that it wasn't possible. I imagine they also considered whether they could just not serve the lamb but I imagine there simply wasn't enough of the other items to go round, plus it would somewhat difficult to have no ha'lal catering, given the destination. There were at least a few passengers on other restricted diets who would have had little to eat for the 6 to 7 hour flight.
This took about an hour to get to the core decision point, at which stage it became clear that the family group had to be offloaded, along with their 15 checked items of luggage, which as you can imagine led to further 30 minute delay. I don't know what happened to the passengers, I am hoping they were able to continue via Etihad but I imagine it was very distressing for the family concerned. There may well have been people with onward connections from AUH, though apparently there weren't many in this category. Though the delay was annoying, this was going to inevitable once the passengers were onboard the aircraft, given the checked luggage issue.
Now of course the CW menu would have been visible to the passenger group 30 days in advance (approx) and I don't know whether they realised it, or if they did , perhaps they rationalised that the other options could be served instead. I know if they had contacted BA and asked for another menu to be served, that would not have been taken up. It is also the fact that nuts and legumes are a key part of Middle Eastern catering.
There are no easy answers here, and frankly there's no point blaming anyone, but as this issue is becoming more frequent I think the process for travellers with nut allergies particularly needs to reconsidered. It;s not going to go away. I fear that it won't make flying any easier for those with severe allergies.
Jul 16, 2019, 4:29 am
#209
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,749
As distressing for the family as it was, surely - surely if someone has such a severe nut allergy as one of the pax, they would be used to informing potential caterers, restaurants - and yes airlines to their issue. To announce it after boarding seems careless at best.
Jul 16, 2019, 5:14 am
#210
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 190
I think this takes us back to the point about whether the idea of the whole plane being decontaminated for one person really makes any sense.
Surely it would make far more sense to have some kind of allergy-safe meal package (appropriate for class - this isn’t about being discriminatory or forcing a cold sandwich onto a CW allergy sufferer) which was sealed, heated with the foil seal still on, etc. etc. so no risk of crumb contamination in galley until opened at seat. This may sound involved but at least you are then taking special measures for the affected person, rather than trying to manage hundreds of orhers
i’m afraid I simply don’t believe that someone opening a packet of nuts 5 seats away makes the slightest difference. Contamination of the actual sufferer’s food is the real risk and this can surely be managed with some proper precautions including dedicated (pre-ordered) food packs, policies and training, rather than voodoo “we will not be selling ...” announcements.
Surely it would make far more sense to have some kind of allergy-safe meal package (appropriate for class - this isn’t about being discriminatory or forcing a cold sandwich onto a CW allergy sufferer) which was sealed, heated with the foil seal still on, etc. etc. so no risk of crumb contamination in galley until opened at seat. This may sound involved but at least you are then taking special measures for the affected person, rather than trying to manage hundreds of orhers
i’m afraid I simply don’t believe that someone opening a packet of nuts 5 seats away makes the slightest difference. Contamination of the actual sufferer’s food is the real risk and this can surely be managed with some proper precautions including dedicated (pre-ordered) food packs, policies and training, rather than voodoo “we will not be selling ...” announcements.
Last edited by GCab; Jul 16, 2019 at 6:10 am