chiefkays

I avoid places that have peanuts as a staple food, such as Five Guys or some bars. And I tend to avoid bakeries and home-baked goods as a precaution. Otherwise, I'm fine being near something that's been cooked with nuts or has nuts sprinkled on top. I just make sure to ask about everthing before I order.

I personally have never had a full anaphylactic reaction, even to accidental ingestion. I've come close, but never actually stopped breathing. I've called the paramedics twice, but never needed to use my Epipen. As far as reactions from other people eating nuts, I really only react to someone eating a product that produces particles in the air, such as a jar or bag of oven roasted peanuts where there's "dust" floating around in the air. But even then, its controllable with Allegra or Benadryl. I just have a tickly throat and nose.

That's just my data point though. I don't know about children with more severe peanut/nut allergies. Mine didn't manifest until I was older, so I have no experience with someone born with an allergy.


Agreed. I have allergies to peanuts AND nuts. Sorry for not making that clear.

KenfromDE

I am disappointed Ti22 has not provided the almost first person details of severe reactions caused by inhaling a few micro grams of peanut dust. Having searched the web, there does not appear to be any available first hand testimonials. A death caused by casual exposure to peanut dust should generate enormous media attention. Airlines should have a firm policy in this regard. Since it is not possible to certify the plane is "clean", they should advise the complainer of this fact and say that rather than accepting any liability while inconveniencing all of the other passengers, they will be happy to refund the price of the ticket(s) so they can a find more suitable mode of travel.

Snidely Whiplash

Good plan!

MR_MAMA

Really, because you having a drink and warn nuts is more important than someones life? Seriously? People die from allergies, I am sure you could survive without a drink. WOW

Snidely Whiplash

Alcohol allergy? Really? So rare, and set off by drinking alcohol, not by proximity to someone else drinking.

People who are so hysterical about their allergies that they want to restrict everyone else ought to get their doctor to prescribe a "pulse" of steroids and antihistamines to protect them during their flight. After all, a life threatening reaction at 35,000 feet over the ocean is nothing to be, er, sneezed at. Better not to take ANY chances.

Anyone who demands to have restrictions placed on an entire aircraft should be required to produce a recent letter from a board-certified allergist attesting to the need for such. Put up or shut up.

I know that there are people with severe allergies who are at risk for anaphylaxis. I even know one, but he does not demand a "peanut-free" travel experience. He knows how to deal with his problem and minimize his risk. I contend that most of these peanut-free demands are made by people who just want to draw attention to themselves.

Snidely Whiplash

Good advice...people who drink are likely to do anything. A warning is in order.

ILovetheReds

I would be very skeptical if hearing about an airbourne alcohol allergy. I wonder if it was someone that is recently sober and didn't want the temptation. If I fly in business international, one of the things I enjoy is the wine. If I am on redeye, at lot of times I will drink water in the skyclub and have a double baileys on the rocks for the PDB and that is enough to knock me out for the flight (something about Baileys will knock me right out for a red eye). In EC on an international flight one of the benefits Delta advertises is free spirits. I could see people requesting a refund since the airline didn't deliver.

How do people with an alcohol allergy deal with the sky club? Do they ask them to put the booze away and make everyone drinking give up their drinks?

How can they handle even being in a restaurant. Every chain I know of, outside of fast food type places has a bar. If they can't be exposed to alcohol on a plane, how can they handle it in a resaurant. Or for that matter an airport concourse, I have been in some airports where I have seen people leave a bar with beer in a plastic cup. Do they ask ballparks and concerts to not serve beer since they can't be exposed to it?

I understand a peanut and while I enjoy the warm nuts in J, I can live without them (just don't take away my hot choc. chip cookies LOL), but don't understand why an airline wouldn't serve alcohol. On a long flight to a place like Vegas, that can be a lot of lost revenue.

iflyalexair

No. It means that if you are eating an egg. And then you drink out of your cup. And then I drink out of the same cup, I could get sick. It depends on how much egg protein was in your mouth and how much makes it into mine.

DMIrishFlyer

A lot of it is hypochondria, some of it is Doctors feeding little hypochondriacs and turning them into BIG HYPOCHONDRIACS

When my daughter was 2 years old or so, she developed a rash on her neck and it was swollen, quick trip to the doctors and we were informed after a few tests that she was allergic to eggs and never ever ever ever give them to her again.

Fast forward a few months and she is sitting with her cousin who is eating eggs, she reaches over a grabs a handful and shoves them in her mouth... move to the doctors office (different one), and sit waiting for something to happen, never did. She has been eating eggs ever since... loves em.

Johnny Cache

I don't expect a lot of folks to agree but I have a different point of view. I've been on such flights, occasionally, where the FA announces that the cabin crew is not going to serve peanuts and asking passengers who've brought their own, not to open the packages.

I'm glad that so many here have written that doing without peanuts for a few hours wouldn't be a problem, for them. And that's all well and good for the allergic person but those two groups are not the only ones on the aircraft.

Let's say I'm diabetic on a carb-restricted diet (which I am) and that I brought my own snacks (which I do) and that some of these contain peanuts (which they do) and that I'm flying between DTW and LAX (which I also do more than any other route).

So what about me -- not eating for five hours would be a problem. The airline's "other" snacks, pretzels, chips, or the like -- no thanks! I've been pretty fortunate, usually carrying a variety of low carb bars but someday . . . .

Try this instead . . . . I understand that it be inconvenient and uncomfortable but I've visited a peanute allergy blog and some of the posters talk about wearing full face respirators to protect themselves for aerosol peanut "dust."

I like that better -- the person with the problem, who decides to fly with their problem, takes care of their problem.

Anyway, that's what I think.

RoadGame

And all this talk about peanuts and not hearing about it in years, the flight I am on now is on a total lock down of any peanut products. Are we feeding the monster so to speak (of course not feeding them anything with peanuts)?

twtrvl

Yes. This was odd.

fattieonboard

What about those with a severe allergy to (those fake "service") dogs??

Howste

When I was a kid I had all kinds of food allergies (fortunately not peanuts). For years I had to have daily Benadryl shots. Today I still have some food allergies, but not to the extent I did when I was younger. Most of the ones I still have are raw fruits (melons, bananas, etc.) and vegetables (carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, etc.). When I do eat them it's uncomfortable, but not life threatening. It would be nice to have a meal without any of those, but almost every in-flight meal does have something I'm allergic to. I've never mentioned it to anyone on a flight, and generally removing the offending items has been enough to prevent a bad reaction. I usually keep a few snacks in my bag just in case there's nothing else for me to eat. I certainly don't expect anyone else to make accommodations for me.

I've never heard a peanut announcement in the gate area, only on board. I think they should make announcements before boarding so that people can plan ahead. When they make the peanut announcement on the flight I comply because I think it's the right thing to do, and I really don't know how severe the person's reaction may be. I've seen some people "sneak eat" peanut products on those flights. I don't think highly of them, but I think I partly understand what they may be thinking. I suspect that there may be many of those with peanut allergies who don't have a severe reaction, but a minor one like mine. They may overreact or, in the case of kids, their parents may overreact and call in the in-flight ban.

Peanut Buffer?

I've seen more nuts in F than in coach. Mostly DYKWIAs.

Indelaware

I concur, generally. However, but the difficulty of doing the required study would be great. Get a bunch of people with peanut allergies and fly them arround on peanut filled planes and another bunch on clean planes? Oh, and a medical staff to observe both?

I suspect that the existing science on passive contact with peanut dust would be sufficent to convince a fair minded person that the chances of adverse reaction are reasonable.

The orginal proposal to ban peanuts included a requirement that the passenger notify the airline in advance (I seem to recall one week, but I might be mistaken). In any event, a week would be a reasonable lead time for the airline to have another snack on board. Surely, there must be a pretzel factory that doesn't make peanut products.

The only spending I can imagine being necesscary to have a regulation is the writing of it (and it had already been drafted) and the publishing of it in the CFR. These are not significant costs, so I don't think that the motivation behind the law preventing the regulation from going into effect was to save the government money.