We carry a pack of disinfecting wipes and clean down every part of the armrests and tray tables for every seat we're occupying.

Unfortunately, you won't find too many sympathetic ears on this board.

You don't carry two? When you get your EpiPen rx, the box comes with two, so we figured we had to carry both (as you saw, just in case it wears off before you can get medical attention). We received a free EpiPen carry case, and it has room for two pens.

people allergic to nuts CAN DIE from an "airborne" attack. it happens.

if you can smell them, well, those same molecules your nose is picking up can kill people.

and if you can't smell them, well, they could still be in the air in a lethal dose to a person with allergies.

your almond excuse is silly... just because that particular nut that you didn't do anything doesn't mean it's not entirely possible (and in fact, it is entirely possible).

but i tell you something, if i knew there was a person around with a nut allergy, i wouldn't have pulled out my almond cookie to test it. what kind of ....... would risk another person's life just to eat some almonds?

Not perfectly on topic with flying issues, but this piqued my medical ears and I couldn't resist the urge to put in my own $0.02 as a person in med school, soon to be treating things just like this.

No, it is no guarantee. While resistance buildup to epinephrine (EpiPen) is not as simple as, say, the resistance to antibiotics, which is a whole different mechanism completely, it could possibly occur. Furthermore, epinephrine more than 12 months old or less than 12 months old but having been exposed to extreme temperatures is completely ineffective.


No one knows the answer to this question, but one of the theories with a good bit of evidence behind it, and that I personally subscribe to, is that we are "too clean" nowadays. As a result, children's immune systems are not developing correctly. This can lead to anything from an immunosuppressed condition later in life to a hyperactive immune system and autoimmune disorders. (Allergies, just as an FYI aside, are the body's immune response to something that it shouldn't respond to. Anaphylaxis, which can result in people allergic to peanut,s among other things, is a rapid-onset and life-threatening condition stemming from the body's own immune response.)

Nicely put. Thanks for contributing to society's civility. ^

[Mod Hat On]

This discussion is really not about UA so much as it is about what could happen on any airline (or off the airline, for that matter).

So moving to Travel Buzz.

cblaisd
Moderator, United

Hey, considering, I was eating them on the plane before taking off, and considering the cabin crew didn't tell us until the alledged meal service, I didn't see it as a problem. And considering I continued to eat them, and the cabin crew didn't ask me to stop... I figured that it just wasn't a huge issue. It is not my responsibility or obligation to change my lifestyle because someone is allergic to nuts, nut molecules, nut grease, nut oil, nut smells and anything nuts.

Now that this thread is over on TravelBuzz I just want to remind folks to please keep the discussion civil. Clearly, there are some who feel quite passionate about this issue. Any hint of a personal attack or offensive language will be immediately deleted.
Thanks for your cooperation
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

I thought nuts were banned from most airlines already?
I enjoy peanuts, but am fine with not having them if someone on the plane had an allergy. There have been several cases of people with severe peanut allergies dying from coming in contact and I would not want to risk someone else's life so i could have a peanut snack that day.

And I suppose I shouldn't stop at a stop sign just because I'm more important than you and you happen to be driving through the intersection?

Sorry for such a rude and sarcastic response but I honestly can't believe that you're so cavelier to think that you shouldn't be mildly inconvenienced when it comes to someone's health and well-being.

If the rest of the posts on the board haven't made it perfectly clear I'll try one more time. We're not talking allergic reaction as in sniffles and a little rash. We're talking swelling of the airway which prevents 02 exchange which leads to brain damage and death. Death. D - E - A - T - H.

Okay, I'm done with this topic. If you choose to continue to disregard people's lives for a snack, then that's your perogative. And it's your conscioussness that you'll have to live with.

Change your lifestyle? Hmmm... I am grateful for the contribution that warm nuts make to my quality of life, but a flight without nuts would barely register as a change in my lifestyle.

Here's another "peanut allergy" story for this thread - IIRC, there was an olympic athlete in Scotland who died a few years ago from a sandwich that contained a trace of peanut oil in the mayonnaise. Peanut oil was not the main oil used in the mayo and it wasn't even listed as an ingredient. This incident really brought the severity of peanut allergy home to me.

I had this happen recently to me as well on a DL flight SFO - ATL, I was in the forward Y cabin, and the FA said that peanuts were not going to be served in our cabin due to an allergy and airborne potential. I didn't see the restriction in F, and I didn't look back to the rear Y cabin to see. I only know that they were served in F because I was in the bulkhead and watched the FA's with the snack basket with peanuts in it. It didn't really make sense to me that the last passenger in F eating peanuts would make a difference to me in the bulkhead eating peanuts, but what do I know? I'm a consultant not an MD.

I'll watch the expiration date on my Epi pens. They are so expensive, I tend to hang on to them for as long as possible. I've often wondered what I would do if someone else on board needed one, but didn't have one. Would I share? Should I share?

I'm allergic to shell fish which put both meals served on a BA flight LGW-DFW out of the question for me. Both offerings had shell fish in them. Is that a wise decision?

A sympathic FA brough me a basket of hard rolls and some packets of cheese. My Business Class dinner!

I never had a problem with shell fish, but one night had some shrimp and had a bad reaction. I have no idea what made the difference.

Peanut allergies are particularly awful but peanut products are used in many other foods.

Thanks again for the 'heads up' on the expiration date.

Some airlines have. Wonder why NZ serves vege crisps instead of nuts? Well now you know.

Others, like SQ frequently will announce before pushback that there are nut-allergic pax on board and therefore these have been removed from catering, plus please do not open anything with nuts you have brought on board. Since I like the SQ satay I do a wee groan, but then am thankful that my allergies are not as severe that my life is in danger every time I fly.

From what I have read over the years there are no documented cases of death by inhallation because someone nearby was eating peanuts. It's always by ingestion or by touch. Soemone who ate a peanut gives the person a kiss, or shakes their hand, or the allergic person touches a surface with peanut residue on it and then touches their lips or eyes.

I am very sensitve to allergic issues, my mother has been to the hospital several times due to her allergies to aspirin and to corn combined with asthma and a severe cat allergy. Every time she's had an attack it is because a restaurant employee or well intentioned but uniformed friend told her an item was corn free and it was not. She does not go thru life expecting the world to be corn free but she rarely eats anything now that wasn't prepared in her home or by someone very aware of her situation.

i know of a young girl who died from the smell of food being cooked. the food had nuts in it. it wasn't on a plane, but does that really matter? the point is that it is not ALWAYS by touch or ingestion, and it does not need to be by touch or ingestion.

i don't know of other cases, but i'm willing to bet a quick internet search would turn up many.

if it were my kid, and i made it clear that she had nut allergies, and then somebody nearby opened up a bag of nuts, whatever happened to my kid, i guarantee you that guy would go first.

if just the smell of corn were likely to kill your mother, she would look differently on the situation, and she would go through life expecting people to keep her environment corn-free once she let them know.

If people have such a serious allergy then they should be driving, not flying. Someone could very easily have a brought fish/peanuts/whatever on board with them and off you go. People who only notify the carrier, especially if they are serving food, should either not get on the plane or go hungry. Also, the last time I checked, a smell of fish doesn't cause anaphlactic shock. In the case where it does, as mentioned before, the person should drive.