Severe Peanut Allergy
Mar 14, 2013, 5:42 am
#61
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Austin, TX
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You can have all of the great science in the world, but a noisy neurotic hypochondriac can get a lot of mileage by raising a ruckus.
Mar 14, 2013, 7:16 am
#62
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 436
I'm allergic to people who are allergic to peanuts, so I have them thrown off my flight.
Mar 14, 2013, 7:52 am
#63
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: OMA
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Mar 14, 2013, 8:11 am
#64
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Kingdom of the Sun
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Posts: 3,708
It's a non-issue as mitigation should be easy: simply don't drink someone else's coffee, regardless of what else they are consuming. That would also probably save the pain of a punch in the nose.
Mar 14, 2013, 12:16 pm
#65
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According to my allergist, its partially related to the prevalence of peanuts and other nuts in the US. Having tons of nuts in candies and desserts can cause people to become sensitized over time. My nut allergy didn't start until I was in college, and every time I accidentally ingest one, the reaction is stronger and more dangerous. On the other hand, most nut allergies occur in children and will eventually go away as the body figures out how to desensitize itself.
Mar 14, 2013, 12:19 pm
#66
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A lot of the research done in our lab involves the hygiene hypothesis - that is, if you are exposed to fewer microbes as a child, you develop immune dysfunction later in life, so you are more likely to develop allergies. Microbe exposure is essential for proper immune system development and immunotolerance, so the "cleaner" we get as a society, the more prevalent allergies become.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene_hypothesis
Some peer-reviewed information:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14965304
Pretty interesting stuff (although I may be biased)!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene_hypothesis
Some peer-reviewed information:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14965304
Pretty interesting stuff (although I may be biased)!
Mar 14, 2013, 12:26 pm
#67
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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.
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.
Mar 14, 2013, 12:35 pm
#68
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
I'm quite familiar with the hygiene hypothesis and I agree that it is partly to blame for various immune dysfunctions. But I don't understand why there is such a difference in the frequency of allergy to nuts (and gluten for that matter) in the US compared to Europe, which is quite clean, and Japan, which is obsessively clean. Japanese are fastidiously clean and yet in the time I've spent there it doesn't seem that allergies are very common.
It may be a different approach and reaction to the problem, combined with lower rates of incidence.
On the LH flight I mentioned earlier, I was sitting in the waiting area and the crew did their briefing next to me. Purser said 'we have a nut. Allergy on board' and several FA's said 'A WHAT? What is a peanut allergy?' When it was explained, the next question was why on earth that person with an allergy to a legume would demand that all nuts be banned on board.
Mar 14, 2013, 6:50 pm
#69
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Flew ORD EWR on an EXP upgrade yesterday. Snack flight, chicken wrap or salmon salad. I am a vegetarian. Only thing offered were nuts...if the "alergy police were out, I would have gone hungry !
Mar 15, 2013, 11:16 am
#70
Join Date: May 2011
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Does Delta pull the snack boxes on flights if someone has a nut allergy or do they simply ask people not to open the products containg peanuts?
If it's a long flight I am not upgraded on, the snack boxes are the most substantial thing you can use your boarding pass coupons on. I have no problems not eating the trail mix, but would still like to be able to eat the other items and sometimes I will use the coupon on one and take it to my hotel to eat later.
Sounds like Delta would be out a lot of revenue as well if they pulled those on flights with allergies.
If it's a long flight I am not upgraded on, the snack boxes are the most substantial thing you can use your boarding pass coupons on. I have no problems not eating the trail mix, but would still like to be able to eat the other items and sometimes I will use the coupon on one and take it to my hotel to eat later.
Sounds like Delta would be out a lot of revenue as well if they pulled those on flights with allergies.
Mar 15, 2013, 12:15 pm
#71
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: LA
Programs: DL GM
Posts: 225
Does Delta pull the snack boxes on flights if someone has a nut allergy or do they simply ask people not to open the products containg peanuts?
If it's a long flight I am not upgraded on, the snack boxes are the most substantial thing you can use your boarding pass coupons on. I have no problems not eating the trail mix, but would still like to be able to eat the other items and sometimes I will use the coupon on one and take it to my hotel to eat later.
Sounds like Delta would be out a lot of revenue as well if they pulled those on flights with allergies.
If it's a long flight I am not upgraded on, the snack boxes are the most substantial thing you can use your boarding pass coupons on. I have no problems not eating the trail mix, but would still like to be able to eat the other items and sometimes I will use the coupon on one and take it to my hotel to eat later.
Sounds like Delta would be out a lot of revenue as well if they pulled those on flights with allergies.
Effective on flights operating June 1, 2012 and beyond, when you notify us that you have a peanut allergy, we’ll refrain from serving peanuts and peanut products onboard your flight. We'll also advise cabin service to board additional non-peanut snacks, which will allow our flight attendants to serve these snack items to everyone within this area.
Mar 15, 2013, 12:50 pm
#72
Join Date: Jul 2007
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The policy will only work if they have advance notice of the peanut allergy so that they can stock additional non-peanut snacks. They should also notify all pax by email (to the extent that they have email addresses for them) in advance and offer them the opportunity to change their flight.
I think the policy is stupid, but if they are going to have it, they should also require that the peanut allergic person notify DL at the time of booking if they expect to have such a policy enforced. None of this "oh by the way" to the GA during boarding.
I think the policy is stupid, but if they are going to have it, they should also require that the peanut allergic person notify DL at the time of booking if they expect to have such a policy enforced. None of this "oh by the way" to the GA during boarding.
Mar 15, 2013, 5:38 pm
#73
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,967
The policy will only work if they have advance notice of the peanut allergy so that they can stock additional non-peanut snacks. They should also notify all pax by email (to the extent that they have email addresses for them) in advance and offer them the opportunity to change their flight.
I think the policy is stupid, but if they are going to have it, they should also require that the peanut allergic person notify DL at the time of booking if they expect to have such a policy enforced. None of this "oh by the way" to the GA during boarding.
I think the policy is stupid, but if they are going to have it, they should also require that the peanut allergic person notify DL at the time of booking if they expect to have such a policy enforced. None of this "oh by the way" to the GA during boarding.
And if the passenger fails to advise the airline until boarding, they should be deplaned, as LH did, and other carriers have done.
And if the passenger fails to advise the airline until after takeoff, they should be ...
Mar 15, 2013, 7:30 pm
#74
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: VPS
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Posts: 2,352
exposed to peanut dust, and lots of it!
Mar 16, 2013, 7:16 pm
#75
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 3
Once took a four hour flight with 2 year old, 4 year old and 6 year old. I had snacks in my bag for the kids including peanut m&ms, peanut butter crackers and trail mix. Then FA announced no nuts allowed to be opened on the plane! Horrible! With warning, I could have easily purchased food in the airport, but there was NOTHING kid friendly for sale on the plane besides pretzels which my kids hated.
My kids cried so much that the person with the allergy gave me all her own snacks. She told me she always packs extras for people like me and my kids. She should have brought enough for the whole plane.
My kids cried so much that the person with the allergy gave me all her own snacks. She told me she always packs extras for people like me and my kids. She should have brought enough for the whole plane.