Almost kicked off FLIGHT! Please help

[crashbb]

And herein lies the problem. YOU should'nt have told JUST the flight attendant...what are we THE MEANIES WITH THE NUTS, supposed to do AFTER THE FACT?

Exactly, as I posted to edk35 they've put me in a difficult position. I'm happy to help you (I don't want to see you child ill), but you've got to work with us as well. Telling me once on the plane is not good enough.

 

[Nicoleclaw]

Sure but are you willing to see the other side? Your flight has no meal service available so you prepare for that by bring a snack. After boarding the flight your are informed that you are not to eat that snack. That's maddening as well.

I don't a have an issue with airlines changes their policies in an across the board, blanket manner because then we can bring a snack that fits their guidelines.

Yes, I certainly do understand the other side. I have agreed in previous posts that you should be notified BEFORE you board the plane, as early as possible. If you look back to my previous posts, which I am too lazy to find and quote right now...lol, I did state that in an instance where all you had to eat was something with pb (we had a specific one on this thread like that with a few kids and their lunch) that I would hope a compromise would be worked out that would suit both parties.

It would be fantastic for me if they had a policy...but I am not sure if that will ever happen because people will then want x,y, and z banned as well. Although I think peanuts is the worst offender.

 

[robinb]

My post concerned my opinion that a certain type of medically recognized mental syndrome is on the rise. Again, people so afflicted are seeking attention from others by claiming their child is ill, has allergies, etc. In some cases, no doubt, the child does have an allergy, but the parent then exaggerates it.

I agree with you that some parents exaggerate their child's allergy but I think there is another reason: "better safe than sorry" parenting. Little Johnny is known to be allergic to eating peanuts so we won't let him touch them, or inhale the dust, or sit next to a child who is eating PB in the lunchroom, or fly on a plane that had peanuts, etc, etc ... all because it's better to be safe than sorry. Instead of admitting that the known allergy is only for ingested peanuts the parents make up wild exaggerated claims of deadly allergies to make everyone else come in line with their thinking. In my last "peanuts on a airplane" discussion there was a poster who said that her child was so allergic that she had a severe reaction from someone opening and eating a bag of peanuts at a baseball game 6-7 rows behind them! When pressed on it, it turns out that the child had a reaction from peanut residue on the seat ... not from what someone did 25 feet away. There is an element to the boy crying wolf, if you KWIM.

I don't mean to discount peanut allergies. Some can be quite severe and I feel for the parents of the children. It must be terrifying . My kid is a PB lover but we try not to pack peanut products when we fly just in case we can't eat them. Better safe than sorry (just kidding, I had to say that!) It's not a big deal as long as I think in advance. On the same note, I also think that the parents of PA kids need to think in advance too. If my kid was allergic I wouldn't consider flying with an airline that routinely serves peanuts ... no matter how many FF miles I had, how cheap the flight was or if I had to take multiple connections. My child's heath and well being is worth it.

 

[Doe]

And herein lies the problem. YOU should'nt have told JUST the flight attendant...what are we THE MEANIES WITH THE NUTS, supposed to do AFTER THE FACT?

I booked with an airline that didn't serve peanuts. When booking the flight I alerted them we had a daughter with allergies and was told they didn't server bags of peanuts/tree nuts but served Sun Chips and sometimes an item that was a "may contain". Fine with me, lets book it. Double checked at the gate, told same thing, that they were serving Sun Chips. Now, when I said I was "alerting" the flight attendant I was just double checking (maybe triple checking) that indeed they were not serving peanuts/tree nuts and again was reassured they were not. End of conversation. We never asked them to make an announcement at the beginning of our flight. This was completely the flight attendant/airlines choice. This wasn't a case of me taking a flight that serves peanuts/nuts and waiting until boarding to say "hey, put them away, my daughters allergic!".

So in our situation you tell me what I did wrong?

 

[Momvic5]

I agree with you that some parents exaggerate their child's allergy but I think there is another reason: "better safe than sorry" parenting. Little Johnny is known to be allergic to eating peanuts so we won't let him touch them, or inhale the dust, or sit next to a child who is eating PB in the lunchroom, or fly on a plane that had peanuts, etc, etc ... all because it's better to be safe than sorry. Instead of admitting that the known allergy is only for ingested peanuts the parents make up wild exaggerated claims of deadly allergies to make everyone else come in line with their thinking. In my last "peanuts on a airplane" discussion there was a poster who said that her child was so allergic that she had a severe reaction from someone opening and eating a bag of peanuts at a baseball game 6-7 rows behind them! When pressed on it, it turns out that the child had a reaction from peanut residue on the seat ... not from what someone did 25 feet away. There is an element to the boy crying wolf, if you KWIM.

I don't mean to discount peanut allergies. Some can be quite severe and I feel for the parents of the children. It must be terrifying . My kid is a PB lover but we try not to pack peanut products when we fly just in case we can't eat them. Better safe than sorry (just kidding, I had to say that!) It's not a big deal as long as I think in advance. On the same note, I also think that the parents of PA kids need to think in advance too. If my kid was allergic I wouldn't consider flying with an airline that routinely serves peanuts ... no matter how many FF miles I had, how cheap the flight was or if I had to take multiple connections. My child's heath and well being is worth it.

I totally agree that many parents exaggerate their children's allergies, but many times, those exaggerations are from the fear that the allergists/doctors put into parents. I know that when we were first told of our DS's peanut allergy eight years ago, the allergist put the fear of God into us. He told us that peanut allergies have the potential to kill and to get progressively worse with each exposure. We were even told that just smelling peanuts in the air could trigger a reaction. The allergist handed us an Epipen, showed us how to use it, and told us that we had just met our best friend and never to leave home without it. We were told that he was not trying to scare us, but that he was ony trying to make us understand the seriousness of the allergy. Peanut allergies can range from mild to severe, but they are unpredictable. They can go from mild to severe quickly so we were to be prepared for the worst with each exposure. We left his office feeling so overwhelmed and only equipped with an Epipen. My son was 5yrs old at the time. He is now 13yrs old and seems to be outgrowing his allergy. However, I still remember how defenseless and overwhelmed we felt after leaving our allergist that day. Many parents exaggerate because many are unsure and even fearful of what the next exposure might bring on for their child. I know that I was excessive sometimes with my son because the unknown exaggerated my fear.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Until that changes I believe your frustration would be more productively directed at getting the airlines to change their policies.

Even MORE effective would be to direct the frustration, energy, etc, at science - to find a remedy for peanut allergies. If the frustration and energy are directed at the airline, all that's going to happen - if anything - is 1.3% of the flying population having a degree of control over the other 98.7%, with no reciprocation.

But you have to admit, someone outright saying that even if the passengers are asked not to eat nut product for the safety of a passenger, they still will do so because it is their right, is a bit maddening, no?

Conversely, it is entirely reasonable for the majority of the population to expect that someone with any allergy so severe that the allergen anywhere in the location (plane, in this case), to find some alternate means of transportation.

 

[Christine]

Conversely, it is entirely reasonable for the majority of the population to expect that someone with any allergy so severe that the allergen anywhere in the location (plane, in this case), to find some alternate means of transportation.

It really boils down to the decision made by the airline.

Many of the airlines have decided to come up with a policy. They do not have to. They can just say "Hey, we're serving peanuts, we're not going to do anything about it, the onus of managing your allergy on our airline is all on you." By them doing that, the airline has sided with the 98% of the population and will have left the management of the allergy in the hands of the allergic person. In those case, most likely, the allergic person would choose a different mode of travel. But for some reason, airlines have gotten on board with either no peanuts served or accommodations on requested flights. I do have to wonder why they choose to accommodate. If the population of allergic flyers is so low, why do they even bother with it? It really can't be worth their time? I have to believe they've gotten far more requests than we think. Honestly, I just don't know, I'm just throwing things out there now.

Truly, they could elect to have NO policy about this and I doubt they'd even be liable for anything should a situation occur on their plane.

 

[NotUrsula]

I booked with an airline that didn't serve peanuts. When booking the flight I alerted them we had a daughter with allergies and was told they didn't server bags of peanuts/tree nuts but served Sun Chips and sometimes an item that was a "may contain". Fine with me, lets book it. Double checked at the gate, told same thing, that they were serving Sun Chips. Now, when I said I was "alerting" the flight attendant I was just double checking (maybe triple checking) that indeed they were not serving peanuts/tree nuts and again was reassured they were not. End of conversation. We never asked them to make an announcement at the beginning of our flight. This was completely the flight attendant/airlines choice. This wasn't a case of me taking a flight that serves peanuts/nuts and waiting until boarding to say "hey, put them away, my daughters allergic!".

So in our situation you tell me what I did wrong?

You assumed that the only things other passengers would be eating would be edibles given to them by the airline. Very mistaken assumption.

These days, probably at least half the passengers on any given domestic flight carry aboard some kind of outside food, especially if they are travelling with children. Most of the time it will be snack foods, but depending on the time of day, it may be full meals, either packed from home or purchased in the terminal.

To be safest, and also to be fair to your fellow passengers, the best thing to do would have been to have asked the gate agent to make an announcement about 30 minutes prior to boarding, warning the other passengers that a severely allergic person would be on the flight, and that as a precaution, they were asking that personal food containing peanut products not be consumed on board. That would give other passengers who had been planning to eat a PB&J from their carryon the chance to go to the deli to buy something else before boarding.

PS, for another poster:

But for some reason, airlines have gotten on board with either no peanuts served or accommodations on requested flights. I do have to wonder why they choose to accommodate.

Money. An emergency diversion costs the earth and can disrupt a big chunk of the flight schedule, especially if it is a hub-and-spoke routing airline. If it even happens twice a year, it puts a significant dent in revenues.

 

[Nicoleclaw]

Conversely, it is entirely reasonable for the majority of the population to expect that someone with any allergy so severe that the allergen anywhere in the location (plane, in this case), to find some alternate means of transportation.

But it is not a majority of the population that has to change what they are doing. ONLY the people on the plane with peanuts. I am sure the rest of the plane does not have peanuts with them. Again this is not asking the US to ban peanut products.

Of course there are alternate forms of transportation, IF it is reasonable. I am certainly not driving from NJ to France.

 

[Nicoleclaw]

It really boils down to the decision made by the airline.

Many of the airlines have decided to come up with a policy. They do not have to. They can just say "Hey, we're serving peanuts, we're not going to do anything about it, the onus of managing your allergy on our airline is all on you." By them doing that, the airline has sided with the 98% of the population and will have left the management of the allergy in the hands of the allergic person. In those case, most likely, the allergic person would choose a different mode of travel. But for some reason, airlines have gotten on board with either no peanuts served or accommodations on requested flights. I do have to wonder why they choose to accommodate. If the population of allergic flyers is so low, why do they even bother with it? It really can't be worth their time? I have to believe they've gotten far more requests than we think. Honestly, I just don't know, I'm just throwing things out there now.

Truly, they could elect to have NO policy about this and I doubt they'd even be liable for anything should a situation occur on their plane.

'I think part of the reason they may not serve them is because the amount of peanut dust in the air would be very high if every passenger were to open their bags. But allowing apssengers to POSSIBLY bring peanuts on the plane is less harmful.

 

[Doe]

You assumed that the only things other passengers would be eating would be edibles given to them by the airline. Very mistaken assumption.

These days, probably at least half the passengers on any given domestic flight carry aboard some kind of outside food, especially if they are travelling with children. Most of the time it will be snack foods, but depending on the time of day, it may be full meals, either packed from home or purchased in the terminal.

To be safest, and also to be fair to your fellow passengers, the best thing to do would have been to have asked the gate agent to make an announcement about 30 minutes prior to boarding, warning the other passengers that a severely allergic person would be on the flight, and that as a precaution, they were asking that personal food containing peanut products not be consumed on board. That would give other passengers who had been planning to eat a PB&J from their carryon the chance to go to the deli to buy something else before boarding.

lol, I assumed no such thing. I am quite aware that many passengers bring their own food, including my family. But the chances of the majority of people bringing their own bags of nuts is very slim. If you reread my post I stated that we didn't even ask the flight attendant to make an announcement because we were comfortable with the fact that the airline wasn't serving bags of peanuts/tree nuts. 100 bags of peanuts being opened would have been of big concern to us.

As far as asking the airlines to make an announcement prior to boarding and again for OUR family....we were comfortable enough with the fact this airline wasn't serving peanuts/tree nuts and also knowing that there may be a few people who brought their own food that my daughter may be allergic to. Sorry I didn't cover every base as you would have. Maybe you can take the time and contact all the airlines about putting a policy in place for this kind of thing. I did my part (prior to booking, at the gate, talk with flight attendant). Now if I had asked them to make an announcement you could make the argument that I should have asked them to make the announcement prior to booking. But, I never asked for an announcement on the plane because for our comfort level we were not that concerned about a very small percentage that may bring pb on board. If I were we would never fly. However, I will and do make sure we don't fly an airline that serves peanuts/tree nuts.

 

[crashbb]

lol, I assumed no such thing. I am quite aware that many passengers bring their own food, including my family. But the chances of the majority of people bringing their own bags of nuts is very slim. If you reread my post I stated that we didn't even ask the flight attendant to make an announcement because we were comfortable with the fact that the airline wasn't serving bags of peanuts/tree nuts. 100 bags of peanuts being opened would have been of big concern to us.

As far as asking the airlines to make an announcement prior to boarding and again for OUR family....we were comfortable enough with the fact this airline wasn't serving peanuts/tree nuts and also knowing that there may be a few people who brought their own food that my daughter may be allergic to. Sorry I didn't cover every base as you would have. Maybe you can take the time and contact all the airlines about putting a policy in place for this kind of thing. I did my part (prior to booking, at the gate, talk with flight attendant). Now if I had asked them to make an announcement you could make the argument that I should have asked them to make the announcement prior to booking. But, I never asked for an announcement on the plane because for our comfort level we were not that concerned about a very small percentage that may bring pb on board. If I were we would never fly. However, I will and do make sure we don't fly an airline that serves peanuts/tree nuts.

If the person seated next to your daughter brought (and opened/consumed) peanuts, would that have been an issue?

 

[Mouse House Mama]

It's a shame that this thread has turned into a discussion about someones right to choose being more important than the health of a child...any child.

No, I do not have a child with a peanut allergy or any other allergy.

Regardless of how the parent behaves (good or bad), the bottom line is the child's health and safety.

What really is ashame is that someone's allergy trumps somebody else's need to eat. There are plenty of conditions that require a person to eat a steady diet. I personally will try my best to accomodate any person who is allergic to something but not at the expense of my own children or health. There has to be a middle ground and the allergic person does need to take some repsonsibility to make sure they do not put themselves in a position that will compromise them as well.

 

[Iott Family]

Can you son get sick from just looking at peanuts? If they were on the floor and he wasn't eating them how would he have got sick

My cousins youngest son gets very ill if he smells peanuts/nuts/PB on your breath, touches them or ingests them. Cross contamination and such........

Peanut and shellfish allergies can be highly life threatening

 

[Nicoleclaw]

What really is ashame is that someone's allergy trumps somebody else's need to eat. There are plenty of conditions that require a person to eat a steady diet. I personally will try my best to accomodate any person who is allergic to something but not at the expense of my own children or health. There has to be a middle ground and the allergic person does need to take some repsonsibility to make sure they do not put themselves in a position that will compromise them as well.

I can't speak for anyone else, but if I were in the position where I felt my son's allergy that severe, it wouldn't be so cut and dry - a you can't eat type of thing. I definitely think there is a middle ground. Not everyone who will have to eat will only have nut products with them. I really feel that if there was a situation where someone was severely allergic, and someone needed to eat and only had a product with nuts in it, that a compromise could be met. Hoping the flight attendants help out as well - moving seats, etc. Please those of you who are reading this, don't think that parents of children with allergies WANT anyone else's health or well being to be affected. It isn't like we are walking on the plane cackling like an evil witch and saying "You can't eat! We are just looking for a little help, a little compassion. We all as humans help each other out on a daily basis.

 

[JessicaR]

What really is ashame is that someone's allergy trumps somebody else's need to eat. There are plenty of conditions that require a person to eat a steady diet. I personally will try my best to accomodate any person who is allergic to something but not at the expense of my own children or health. There has to be a middle ground and the allergic person does need to take some repsonsibility to make sure they do not put themselves in a position that will compromise them as well.

The problem with this statement is if you or your child misses a snack heck even a meal will it likely result in death OR a life threatening situation? This comment isn't just directed to you it could pertain to many comments on this thread.

I do want to say that personal responsibility has to count for something in this situation. Actually it should be first and foremost. If my child has an allergy that is LIFE THREATENING I will make make sure that I make the BEST possible choices to AVOID that allergen. That includes making travel arrangements that suite my child best. In this case flying an airline that serves peanuts wasn't my best effort to protect my child.

If I did see the need to travel on an airline that could be a problem I would make sure my child is prophylactically protected as best as possible should an issue arise. Just as in everyday life where these same situations could present themselves.

This thread seems to have come down to my rights are more important than yours.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I can't speak for anyone else, but if I were in the position where I felt my son's allergy that severe, it wouldn't be so cut and dry - a you can't eat type of thing. I definitely think there is a middle ground. Not everyone who will have to eat will only have nut products with them. I really feel that if there was a situation where someone was severely allergic, and someone needed to eat and only had a product with nuts in it, that a compromise could be met. Hoping the flight attendants help out as well - moving seats, etc. Please those of you who are reading this, don't think that parents of children with allergies WANT anyone else's health or well being to be affected. It isn't like we are walking on the plane cackling like an evil witch and saying "You can't eat! We are just looking for a little help, a little compassion. We all as humans help each other out on a daily basis.

I absolutely agree. I would hope that there would be a compromise so neither has to suffer.

The problem with this statement is if you or your child misses a snack heck even a meal will it likely result in death OR a life threatening situation? This comment isn't just directed to you it could pertain to many comments on this thread.

I do want to say that personal responsibility has to count for something in this situation. Actually it should be first and foremost. If my child has an allergy that is LIFE THREATENING I will make make sure that I make the BEST possible choices to AVOID that allergen. That includes making travel arrangements that suite my child best. In this case flying an airline that serves peanuts wasn't my best effort to protect my child.

If I did see the need to travel on an airline that could be a problem I would make sure my child is prophylactically protected as best as possible should an issue arise. Just as in everyday life where these same situations could present themselves.

This thread seems to have come down to my rights are more important than yours.

I bolded because yes, there are medical issues where missing a snack or meal can be life threatening and have severe health consequences. Ask anyone who is an insulin dependent diabetic. They can't miss meals etc. It will put their health at risk and it can be very life threatening. There are a host of other medical problems that require a person to eat to avoid illness.
I personally don't travel with peanut products simply because I know that there are so many people that are allergic nowadays. I just think that while I will try to accomodate anyone the best way I can, you can't assume that it is no big deal for someone to miss a meal or snack. It can be. JMHO.

 

[JessicaR]

I absolutely agree. I would hope that there would be a compromise so neither has to suffer.




I bolded because yes, there are medical issues where missing a snack or meal can be life threatening and have severe health consequences. Ask anyone who is an insulin dependent diabetic. They can't miss meals etc. It will put their health at risk and it can be very life threatening. There are a host of other medical problems that require a person to eat to avoid illness.
I personally don't travel with peanut products simply because I know that there are so many people that are allergic nowadays. I just think that while I will try to accomodate anyone the best way I can, you can't assume that it is no big deal for someone to miss a meal or snack. It can be. JMHO.

I am aware that some people must eat due to certain illnesses and diseases. I'm sure they are as versed as you are that if you fly you may be asked to not eat peanuts or related foods. I would think those limited individuals could easily be separated on an airplane should this scenario ever play out.

 

[dismom2]

You assumed that the only things other passengers would be eating would be edibles given to them by the airline. Very mistaken assumption.

These days, probably at least half the passengers on any given domestic flight carry aboard some kind of outside food, especially if they are travelling with children. Most of the time it will be snack foods, but depending on the time of day, it may be full meals, either packed from home or purchased in the terminal.

To be safest, and also to be fair to your fellow passengers, the best thing to do would have been to have asked the gate agent to make an announcement about 30 minutes prior to boarding, warning the other passengers that a severely allergic person would be on the flight, and that as a precaution, they were asking that personal food containing peanut products not be consumed on board. That would give other passengers who had been planning to eat a PB&J from their carryon the chance to go to the deli to buy something else before boarding.



PS, for another poster:



Money. An emergency diversion costs the earth and can disrupt a big chunk of the flight schedule, especially if it is a hub-and-spoke routing airline. If it even happens twice a year, it puts a significant dent in revenues.

re: The bolded part above:

I would probably never hear that announcement. When I travel with the whole family, we are often running late, or I'm browsing in a gift shop, or in the bathroom. Or have an ipod in my ears, LOL.

As I said before, I have a child with a PA. Our allergist didn't make us totally paranoid, as another poster implied hers did. He did tell us that she could have a deadly reaction, but did not tell us we had to go to extremes in every area of our lives. We got to the movies, people around her at school have eaten things with nuts, we've gone to lot's of places to eat (we do make sure she doesn't eat anything w/peanuts), we don't wipe down everything she touches, we fly on a lot of flights that serve peanuts (she's been on many flights, and my DH and I eat our peanuts---we just don't let them give her any), I even eat PB here at home myself occassionally. She obviously doesn't seem to have issues with airbourne peanut dust, or smelling it on someone else's breath....so far (thank God). I am careful about her not eating anything with peanuts, or touching them, and I wash up after I touch PB, but I have not gone to some of the extremes that other people have. It's been years now.... maybe we're just lucky. I have to wonder if some of these parents just assume that the possiblility of airbourne peanut dust, or the mere smell of it on someone will kill their child, or have they had real past experience with their child having a "life threatening" reaction in those circumstances? Just curious. Is it based on fact, or fear?


I'm also curious about the diabetic comments... some PP have used the example that a diabetic person has to have peanut butter crackers (or something with PB) to save their lives if their BS drops too low. My diabetic Aunt takes candy bars and drinks sugary soda's in those situations... not peanut butter, in particular. Just something w/sugar. Do some peoples' doctors specifically tell them only PB? And why?

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Can you son get sick from just looking at peanuts? If they were on the floor and he wasn't eating them how would he have got sick

classrooms at our school are peanut free because some kids who are allergic can get super sick just by breathing them or touching them.