PhillyPhlyer40

Got a weird one.

Not a total complaint, more of an irritant.

PS flight yesterday. Ended up with a new (VERY) FA non-rev next to me. (Think she was express).

Anyway, nuts came, and the FA put hers down first. (I was in window). She jumped like the FA just threw a copperhead on her tray table, and said I'm highly allergic and can't have any near me.

Well, he went to hand ME the nuts nuts, and she said again, "that's too close, none there either".

Now, we left with open Y space. I was on a PAID bf seat. Am I wrong to feel that she shouldn't inconvenience paying pax over herself? Don't think they serve nuts in Y, and maybe that is better suited to her needs?

Not sure if I should write in. Feel that maybe UA should tell her she can't tell paying pax to "cut the nuts"! Or, ride jump seat? Or y?

zrs70

I thought the nut allergy was about peanuts (as opposed to the other nuts that UA serves).

Hammer0425

How do you know she was new, how do you know she was express, how do you know she was a standby (over positive space), etc?

I'm sure there's some written policy about it somewhere but in the big picture of life, did that really affect much? Whole meal, yeah, that'd be a big deal. If it was me, rather than risking getting someone in trouble and possibly facing job action without being totally sure of the situation, next time (and hopefully it doesn't happen again!) maybe just sarcastically say something to your seat mate like "gee I paid a lot of money for this seat, hopefully there's nothing else on the flight I'll have to skip. Are there any other allergies we should tell the flight attendant about now?" If she's actually a standby, she'll probably get the hint to not do it again.

CappuccinoAddict

Get the hint not to do it again? You do realize some people are deathly allergic to nuts and trace amounts could kill them? Or apparently not. It is so insensitive to place blame on this person. It doesn't matter how or why she got in the seat; she was either entitled to be there by company policy or she paid to be there. That is an irrelevant matter.

LukasVIE

Hmm, a flight attendant that's extremely allergic to nuts, a problem should she ever work in a premium cabin...

I understand where you are coming from and I think that the FA seated next to you should have handled it better - something like " I am sorry to inconvenience you but I am allergic to nuts" etc...

dmurphynj

Are we really threatening to put someone's job at risk because they have a nut allergy?

If missing out on some broken cashews is the worst thing that happens in your day, I'm quite jealous.

I don't have a nut allergy but one of my son's friends has a severe airborne nut allergy. There's nothing I wouldn't do to accommodate him -- or anyone else in the same situation. In the grand scheme, what's a little (admittedly tasty) ramekin to me is genuinely a life and death for others.

Be thankful for your health and move on. Just my $0.02 .....

SPLITTERZ

I was in the wrong.

Hammer0425

Not blaming the person but if they are an airline employee flying standby I imagine that there's a provision to sitting in any cabin that you can't request special accommodations that as a result reduce the service that paying passengers get.

mauld

Wow, am I the only person who thinks the FA was out of line? If I was the poster, I would have said "I'll take the nuts" and remained in my paid sear. If she had a problem, she could change her seat. Sorry, but no sympathy here for her allergies. This seems similar to the religious men who can't/won't sit next to females.

davie355

She should have requested, before takeoff, suspension of all nut service on this flight. That would have been fair.

From the customer service angle, something is definitely not right with the way OP described the situation.

fastair

I'm going to guess you don't operate a business that the ADA covers (airlines aren't regulated by the ADA, but a very similar piece of legislation called the ACAA.). If you did, I would ask your council about food allergies and the ADA and suits that have been settled over alleged violations. A 5 second google will provide you enough data to know that you are very wrong on your interpretation of what accommodations must be made for people with food allergies

mauld

What!!!!! Are you kidding me? Because she has an allergy, she gets to inconvince everyone on that flight?? What happens when she is working a flight, will catering have to get her approval for all meals?? No, SHE was out of line. She could have quietly said, "I am very allergic and I would you mind passing on the nuts", or she could have moved to an open seat.

fastair

No such provision. If a wheelchair is needed for NRSA, it's handled the same way it would be for ANY customer, be it on a revenue ticket, a free ticket due to loyalty, or a discounted ticket due to employment benefit Discrimination based on any protected characteristics exist regardless of how you became a customer/passenger. In some cases, the law may not have developed to regulate it, but the concept still applies.

On nuts, UA's policy is quite undefined. https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...allergies.aspx

Most severe nut allergies are to peanuts, but people are allergic to other nuts too, and as you see on menus and packaging, they are often packaged in facilities with cross-contamination. I'm betting that heating them up makes the aresolization more intense too.

atword

I understand the irritant and enjoy the nuts myself. But I work with someone that has a peanut allergy and it's a serious matter. I also have a non life threatening food allergy. Sorry for the inconvenience OP. Some of us with food allergies have a bad day once In a while, like anyone, and get tired of explaining repeatedly.

Most on this thread would stick up for themselves. Why is the person with an allergy not allowed to do so?

mauld

You meant that statement as a joke, right... too funny 😄😅