Flying with peanut allergies

[Selket]

Seems like we've flown United and they didn't serve peanuts as part of their snacks - but had mixed nuts. We try to fly Jet Blue if we can.

Of course you have to check with the airlines at the time you plan to fly in case things have changed from one year (or one month) to the next.

I have always avoided SW but it is interesting to see so many people recommending it. I tried to avoid any airline that routinely served peanuts. I'm more concerned if peanuts have been served on the plane that day before we got on and there are peanuts somewhere (in the seat, tray table, pockets, or whatever). I'm not worried about the vent system. I realize anyone could have sat in that seat and brought a PB sandwich but I'm more concerned over airlines that definitely serve the peanuts so I know they were on the plane.

I usually have at least 3-5 epipens and sometimes some recently expired ones just to throw in the bag in case. I don't particularly like to fly - LOL! We took the auto-train for the first time in March and that was great!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Seems like we've flown United and they didn't serve peanuts as part of their snacks - but had mixed nuts.

United does not serve packaged peanuts on their flights:

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/co...camp=virtual_expert#ctl00_ContentInfo_peanuts

United is committed to the safety of its customers, including customers with nut allergies. United does not board pre-packaged peanuts, but unfortunately we cannot guarantee that a flight will be free of nuts, including peanuts. Some inflight food offerings may include nuts or contain trace amounts of nut ingredients (including traces of peanuts), or may have been processed in facilities that handle nuts, including peanuts. It's not possible to ensure that customers will not bring food items onboard that contain nuts, and for a variety of operational reasons, we cannot guarantee nut-free flights, offer nut-free zones, or remove any onboard products based on individual customer requests. We encourage all passengers to review any health concerns with their physicians prior to flying.

 

[Alexsandra]

My son is severely allergic to nuts and we have flown multiple times with him. We advise the airline before hand by phone. Then we advise the person checking us in and the stewardess when we sit down. Usually they warn the 2 front, 2 back rows and the side rows to please refrain from eating anything with peanuts or nuts. In my experience (for the last 5 years) everyone is happy to oblige. Also they do not serve nuts on the flights I have taken so there has never been a problem. I also take a disinfectant wipe and wipe down all our chair handles, the tray tables and the movie screens before my child sits down.
This has always worked for me. I also have food allergies and do the same for myself and have never had an allergy on a plane (I fly 4-5 times a year, every year). I carry 2 Epipens at all times and benedryl pills. I have a prescription for my son's liquid benedryl with a doctors note so I carry that on the plane also. If anything does happen on the plane, don't hesitate to give the Epipen and also use the Benedryl. If you see the anaphalaxis symptoms return give a second injection. I have never had a problem with an airline or a stewardess or a passenger who was not willing to accommodate us in our allergy needs and I would not limit myself from flying because of it. The key is to be prepared. The allergy will never go away so you have to learn to live with it and to find solutions around it.

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

it would not just be the flight I would be worried about. had a grandson react while at a park, not Disney. only food we had was a picnic lunch. he reacted while we were in line after talking with another child. the guess was other child had eaten something with peanut butter and had not washed hands afterwards. or something in the line had been touched by a child with peanut butter on hands. we saw nothing at the time but it turned a fun day bad in a hurry. most parks sell some kind of peanut butter snack or sandwich.

 

[novajet]

I have always avoided SW but it is interesting to see so many people recommending it.

Same here. We've always avoided SW because they serve peanuts on their flights. Seems like the risk of a reaction by touching anything at all on a plane that serves peanuts to every single customer on most flights would be great. I have two daughters with severe peanut allergies, so we've never flown SW. They seem like added risk to me, over an airline that does not serve peanuts.

 

[castleri]

Same here. We've always avoided SW because they serve peanuts on their flights. Seems like the risk of a reaction by touching anything at all on a plane that serves peanuts to every single customer on most flights would be great. I have two daughters with severe peanut allergies, so we've never flown SW. They seem like added risk to me, over an airline that does not serve peanuts.

On one of our last SW flights the flight attendant made the announcement first thing even before the safety talk that there was a person with a severe peanut allergy and that they would not be serving peanuts that flight. No one seemed to care and they just offered other types of snacks. We have people in the family with other types of allergies so could completely understand the need to do this. For us SW is the only airline with direct flights to Orlando but if I had a child with allergies that severe I would probably also opt for a carrier that does not serve peanuts.

it would not just be the flight I would be worried about. had a grandson react while at a park, not Disney. only food we had was a picnic lunch. he reacted while we were in line after talking with another child. the guess was other child had eaten something with peanut butter and had not washed hands afterwards. or something in the line had been touched by a child with peanut butter on hands. we saw nothing at the time but it turned a fun day bad in a hurry. most parks sell some kind of peanut butter snack or sandwich.

I would say that your chances of coming in contact with some type of peanut residue is very great a WDW between children choosing that for counter service meals and people who bring food into the park choosing pb&j for sandwiches since they keep better that meat options unless you have a cooler with ice. Trying to keep a child from touching just about everything they see, especially the handrails and chain dividers in line is almost impossible and certainly a challenge. We fortunately only have to deal with shellfish allergies and the Disney restaurants have been great about about that and also the time we travelled with someone with a gluten allergy.

May you have good trips with no serious medical issues.