davetravels

Obviously, some people luv attention more than others, but, why in the world would somebody on a plane want to claim they have a peanut allergy, if they don't have one - - JUST for the purpose of getting attention?

LaserSailor

Similar reasons why people will fly to IST over a weekend chasing airline status, just a different kind of attention.

sethb

Except that airline status is worth actual money to me. Not enough to pay for a flight to IST, but some.

davetravels

There's a ton I could reply about this remark - WAY too much to type, so, I'll just settle for:

Oyy!!!

miraclebear2003

Had read this thread yesterday and guess what - last night on MCO-LAX announcement is made that no peanuts will be served on the plane (of course, it's not made until the door is closed). FA later mentioned to someone that person was in last row.

My preference is peanuts, but I can live with that. It was worse that wife and I were 1 and 2 for the last seat which would have been nice for the 5hr flight. At least we had nice guy in the aisle seat with us.

FitTraveler

Can someone provide more info?

- Don't people with severe peanut allergies carry some sort of medicine?
- What is the risk of exposure and how does it occur? Peanut dust? How likely is that to occur?
- Is it really necessary for the whole aircraft vs just a couple of rows around the passenger?
- Are there recorded incidents where medical emergencies have occurred due to an airline serving peanuts?
- When these folks go to a baseball game do they ask the whole stadium to not serve/eat peanuts? Or is recirculated air on the aircraft in question?

stils

Hopefully.

Father-of-3

These allergies are crazy. The smallest spec can do serious damage. A few notes:

People with these allergies never go anywhere without an Epipen and appropriate medecine, but still sometimes they need to go to the ER. They don't have a ton of time when something bad happens.

Yes, the best approach is no peanuts on the plane. There are schools that are peanut free because sometimes one classroom isn't enough.

These people do not go to sporting events, they simply can't - it's like entering an active war zone for them.

I don't have these allergies and thank god my kids don't either. I do prefer the peanuts to pretzels and I usually carry a payday (candy withe peanuts) as a snack for onboard so I'm not someone who benefits from these bans but I honor them.

puddinhead

Saw a report about a child with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease - hypersensitivity to ultra-violet light. Mother was trying to get Xenon headlights banned because daughter could only play outside at night and Xenon produces more UV than incandescent.

Sad but fatal by early teens. The body reacts to UV like normal people do to X-rays. But expecting the entire world to adjust to the lowest common denominator doesn't seem fair either. If we blacked out the sun the daughter could live a normal life.

I don't know why people with peanut allergies don't wear a face mask. People with compromised immune systems wear a face mask to reduce the change contacting pathogens - they don't expect everyone around them to wear CD. level 4 suits. I went through that with the first Ms. Puddinhead.

yohanson

I did that last year to reach DM. It wasn't for attention, it was for the upgrades that I normally get when traveling for business (and a lot of them are at the gate because I purchase within 5 days frequently). I mostly buy expensive flights close in but I take 1-3 cheap vacation runs overseas every year to get the MQMs I need to reach DM. My business travel gives me the MQD that I need but not the MQMs.

HDQDD

Not to mention the planet would freeze and we'd all die.

+1

kipper

Those with severe peanut allergies usually do carry an Epi-Pen. However, it is simply 1 dose of epinephrine, which doesn't always help, and if it does help, can have a short time span. As such, if someone has an allergic reaction in the air, they may not have the time to reach medical facilities.

Risk of exposure depends on severity of the allergy. Peanut dust/peanuts/peanut oil can all cause allergic reactions, depending on severity.

I think the issue is in part recirculated air, so I don't think that sporting events are as much of an issue.

StayingHomeIsBetter

I have often wondered, what about the peanut detritus that must linger from prior flights?

After all, you don't see the cleaning crews going onto the planes between flights and decontaminating them with HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaners.

Burj

Yes and this is actually a good way of distinguishing people with genuine severe allergies versus those who don't....

I always wonder why airlines don't have a policy that anyone requesting a peanut free flight must also show the gate agent or pilot that they are carrying an Epi-Pen before being allowed to fly.

There are no guarantees that a flight will actually be peanut free and if someone does have a severe allergic reaction it will still take significant time to land and get them medical attention even if the pilot declares a medical emergency and diverts immediately.

relangford

I have mixed emotions: I symphatize for those people truly suffering from a peanut allergy, but dislike those who THINK they have a peanut allergy. Although I love peanuts, I can wait a few hours to get a peanut fix if there is someone hypersensitive on board. A little OT, but I recently purchased a bag of milk chocolate covered peanuts with a LARGE WARNING: "CAUTION, contains milk products and peanuts". DUH! Would a sensitive person ever buy a bag of milk chocolate peanuts?