Nut allergy on planes...very nervous.

[laughinplace199]

OP - you've received some great advice. Call the airline now so that they can be prepared. They need to know in advance so that they can make sure they have a non-peanut snack for the passengers.

My DD is also allergic to nuts. I take as many precautions as possible when we fly. We always bring Clorox wipes to wipe down seats, tray table, arm rests, etc. I also bring tons of snacks for my kids so that we know that they have something safe to eat. I bring a fitted sheet which I put on the airline seat so that DD is sitting on a clean surface. I also make sure to bring plenty of hand wipes so that she can clean her hands well before eating. I bring 6 Epi Pens, as well as Benadryl, asthma meds, and Cortaid.

As for giving Benadryl before a flight, please check with your allergist first. I asked DD's allergist about this and he advised against it. He said that it could mask the symptoms of anaphylaxis, which would make it harder for us to recognize if there was a problem.

Have a safe and wonderful trip!

 

[Lewisc]

SW serves peanuts. There will be peanuts served on earlier flights. There will be peanut dust in the air. SW, and posters on DIS, tell passengers with peanut allergies to take the first flight of the day. You can take another airline. You can drive. You can skip your vacation. You can adjust your schedule to take the first flight of the day. You asked a question, what's worse is a parent that knowingly puts their child in a dangerous situation. SW also tells you they won't stop another passenger from consuming food they bring on board.

There is a big difference between getting an allergic reaction touching a peanut butter sandwich and being so sensitive you get a reaction when a person several rows away opens a sandwich.

Some passengers won't hear the announcement. Some passengers won't realize their granola bar contains nuts. Some passengers may have a health condition that requires food, and the food they brought contains peanuts.

I don't want to sound rude but parent that intentionally brings an allergic child on a flight that will have peanut dust on board has no right to ask other passengers to do anything. A trip to Disney isn't worth risking your child's health.

Some kids only get an allergic reaction if the eat peanuts, some if they touch it, some if the breath peanut dust and a few are so allergic opening a peanut product anywhere on the plane can be an issue. The extent of your child's allergy dictates how careful you have to be.

edited to add I don't want to sound mean but any child that can handle the peanut dust blowing around from an earlier SW flight can also handle a passenger who consumes a PB&J sandwich or a granola bar.

WE are flying Southwest in Sept. and my son has a severe peanut and treenut allergy. We are unable to fly out first thing in the morning but I will take all the necessary precautions I can other than the first flight. I never thought about the antihistamine before the flight (Thanks for the heads up.) I also knew about carrying 2 epi pens but wasn't aware that I may need more than that... I will make sure I take a backup. (Thanks again.)

I speak for myself when I say this, but its the people who feel PUT OUT by the fact that they are asked to refrain from eating or opening a peanut product that scare me. I have witnessed my son pick up a peanut butter sandwich and not even put it close to his mouth (this happened prior to him being diagnosed with an allergy) and immediately break out in hives, swell up and get all itchy on his face. I don't think it is asking too much for some compasion from other people when it comes to the health of a person with an allergy especially one that is severe enough to warrant an overhead announcement to refrain from use. I mean what is worse? Being asked to not open or eat a peanut or nut product or having to make an emergency landing because you did and now the person sitting next to you cant breathe??


Best of luck on your trip. I hope you have an uneventful flight.

 

[Lewisc]

From SW's website:

Southwest Airlines is unable to guarantee a peanut-free or allergen-free flight

As some of our other snack items may contain peanut particles, peanut oil, or have been packaged in a peanut facility

Southwest cannot prevent other Customers from bringing peanuts or products containing peanuts onboard our flights. In addition, Southwest cannot give assurances that remnants of peanuts and/or peanut dust/oil will not remain on the aircraft floor, seats, or tray tables from flights earlier in the aircraft’s routing.

I suspect most kids with allergies are OK if they don't eat peanuts, don't touch peanuts and there isn't dust from peanuts served to all passengers in the air. but

There may be some kids with allergies so severe that flying SW, and possibly other airlines, isn't worth the risk.

 

[robinb]

I'm just curious why so many families with kids who are severely allergic to nuts even consider flying Southwest. Why not take another carrier? For instance I know that neither American nor United serves peanut snacks. I know that other PAX may have eaten a nut product on board so you can not totally relax on those carriers, but why take the added risk of flying on a plane where peanuts are routinely served ? I just don't get it.

 

[Sleepy]

There may be some kids with allergies so severe that flying SW, and possibly other airlines, isn't worth the risk.

This would be my son's #1 advice.....avoidance! He was 7 years old the first time we lived in a place that had carpets. Unfortunately, the first time I cleaned them, it threw him in a severe asthma attack and we had a lengthy ER visit. I was the one who put him in the attack. I was the one who felt the guilt as I watched his terrified face gasping for air. After that, he became sensitive to harsh cleaning fluids of all kinds.

Since that first asthma attack 10 years ago, I never heard him say "I sure hope nobody intends to use a strong floor cleaner or clean the carpets while I am here." Instead, if he knows a place intends to use these products during his stay he will leave. If he opens the door to enter a business and the air smells "strong", he leaves. He remembers how terrified he was when he could not breathe. He says he will do everything he can to AVOID it. If I pull out the carpet cleaner I see that look on his face and he asks when I am cleaning the carpets and where he will be staying for the next 24 hours.

We all have been very active in avoiding contact with these sort of cleaning products. If we were about to enter a plane and discovered the carpets had just been cleaned, we would exit and find alternate transportation. Being trapped in a room unable to get away and eventually suffocating is not my son's idea of starting a vacation or starting any travel plans. If my son were just as equally allergic to peanuts, he would feel the same way. It is not worth getting on the plane if just the dust will make him suffer.

 

[Lewisc]

I'm just curious why so many families with kids who are severely allergic to nuts even consider flying Southwest. Why not take another carrier? For instance I know that neither American nor United serves peanut snacks. I know that other PAX may have eaten a nut product on board so you can not totally relax on those carriers, but why take the added risk of flying on a plane where peanuts are routinely served ? I just don't get it.

I suspect at least some of the posters, not anyone in this thread, exaggerate the extent of their kids allergy. A poster in a past thread said their child would die if any passenger on the flight so much as opened a candy bar that contains a nut product. In the unlikely event the poster was correct that child can't risk flying on any airline.

I agree, it makes no sense to fly SW if your child has a significant allergy to peanuts.

 

[prncess674]

For instance I know that neither American nor United serves peanut snacks.

Not true, both AA and UA both serve nuts with cocktails in F class, once again no airline can guarantee that the plane is nut free.

 

[NotUrsula]

... We had no idea that she wouldn't be allowed to eat her peanut butter so hadn't been concerned about not getting anything at the airport. So that child went without food from 4:30am until 11am....a long time for a little girl, especially after eating a very small bowl of Corn Pops for breakfast at 4:20.
But, we wouldn't have wanted to impact another child. So she went hungry. Surely there is something those with severe nut issues can do in order to lessen the danger. Would wearing a mask and gloves help any?

As a mom who travels extensively with kids, both in the US and overseas, I've learned to travel with a LOT of different types of food, and to make sure that I always have something to tide my kids over in case of delay.
I'm not picking on you at all, but due to my experience, I have a suggestion to make for the parents of the allergic child: bring extra food, not only for yourselves, but for others. That way, if someone complains that their children will have to go hungry, you will be able to offer an alternative.

I carry extra (pre-packaged) food every time I fly, and I have given it to upset children on many, many occasions. Not because of a peanut ban, but because they were just upset or hungry, and their own parents had nothing to give them. If I overhear, "I'm sorry, honey, but I don't have any snacks", then I approach the parent and offer to share. Some people turn it down, but most parents gratefully accept.

I think that sitting in the front row and having the child wear a mask is a good idea, especially during boarding. On SWA, especially, people scan the seat rows as they board, and seeing a child wearing a mask might be an image that sticks well enough to make the FA's announcement sink in a bit better.

 

[robinb]

Not true, both AA and UA both serve nuts with cocktails in F class, once again no airline can guarantee that the plane is nut free.

I got my information from the airline websites.

From UA:
http://www.united.com/page/middlepage/0,6823,1057,00.html

[FONT=arial,geneva]Peanut information
United does not serve peanuts as snacks or use peanuts or peanut oils in foods served on our flights. However, we do serve vendor products manufactured in facilities that also produce items containing peanuts or peanut oils, and we do have snack mixes that contain other tree nuts, such as almonds and pistachios. Since we cannot prevent customers from bringing onboard their own peanuts or food items containing peanut products, we cannot guarantee a nut-free environment. When making your travel arrangements, we recommend that you assess the extent of any allergies or other medical conditions to determine if air travel is the right choice for you. [/FONT]

No mention of first v/s coach class.

From AA:
http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/travelInformation/specialAssistance/planningAhead.jsp

American recognizes that some passengers are allergic to peanuts. Although we do not serve peanuts, we do serve other nut products and there may be trace elements of unspecified peanut ingredients, including peanut oils, in meal and snacks. We make no provisions to be peanut-free. Additionally, other customers may bring peanuts on board. Therefore, we cannot guarantee customers will not be exposed to peanuts during flight and strongly encourage customers to take all necessary medical precautions to prepare for the possibility of exposure.

Again, no mention of first v/s coach class.

 

[bavaria]

As a mom who travels extensively with kids, both in the US and overseas, I've learned to travel with a LOT of different types of food, and to make sure that I always have something to tide my kids over in case of delay.

But the problem is that many times on flights in America the announcement is only made after the doors close (or worse, in the air) not to eat any products with peanuts, or with nuts, or manufactured in a facility which handles nuts.

That has happened to me several times. I am veg, avoid dairy, and am part of preclearance programs which forbid any type of food at all to be brought across borders. That means that quite often I have to find food early in the morning at the airport which is appropriate for a flight. Try and find things which meet those criteria, and you may be surprised to see how much has lard, or dairy, or is made in a facility which may process nuts (and I think that due to liability many foods in America carry that warning as a precaution even if there is a very remote chance) Even licorice can carry that warning.

I have been on 5 hour flights on UA where they announced in the air that they would not serve ANY buy on board meals because of a passenger request, nor would they serve the (non-peanut) nuts in F, nor the cookies, nor the ice cream sundae. That meant no meals for the passengers in Economy, and few options for the passengers in F.

I have been the passenger who has ended up with paramedics called much to my mortification, because I could not eat anything on a flight and take my medication and had a reaction. I would never consider eating anything 'banned' if it meant that another person would be impacted, but consider that others on board may have issues too which may be exacerbated by a lack of planning.

I sincerely hope that OP takes the advice given to her here and via PM, and CALLS the airline in advance to make arrangements.

A few years ago, I was privy to a Lufthansa briefing. The crew was told that there was a request not to serve nuts on board and a request to make a 'nut-free' announcement for all passengers for all nuts, nut products, and 'processed in a facility which may have nuts' for the entire flight. They were outraged, and in the end LH told the passenger that she could fly another day, once she had made appropriate arrangements.

It was an 11 hour international flight on an A340, and the passenger only made the request 15 minutes before boarding. She did not call ahead. There was no time to change the catering, and many meals on LH include nuts - the macadamia nuts in C, the veg meals, the desserts, the chocolates, the breads, and even entrees.

The reality is that each person can only be responsible for themselves, and must take the precautions as best they can. Again, I sincerely hopes that the OP takes this advice and does more than she stated, and calls ahead. I also suggested that she ask the GA to make announcements in the gate area before the flight so that others can find food to take on board.

Best of luck.

 

[prncess674]

I got my information from the airline websites.

From UA:
http://www.united.com/page/middlepage/0,6823,1057,00.html


No mention of first v/s coach class.

From AA:
http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/travelInformation/specialAssistance/planningAhead.jsp


Again, no mention of first v/s coach class.

Per your quotes no airline guarantees that they are nut free. If a parent is that worried then flying isn't for them. Also an airline can ask that you not eat peanut products on board but no airline is going to hold another passenger liable for eating peanut products in flight. FAs are not going to go around policing the on board snacks of other passengers. Frankly when flying in coach I rarely see an FA after the drink/meal service is complete. Just this Friday, I flew EWR-SEA and the FA's closed the back curtain and didn't come out for over an hour. I regularly have peanut butter crackers in my carry on and if it were my only food option for 5.5 hour flight, I would eat it. I don't have an allergy and I was not given a prior warning when purchasing my ticket to food restrictions. What if PB&J the only thing my child would eat? Why should your child take priority over mine?

 

[robinb]

Per your quotes no airline guarantees that they are nut free. If a parent is that worried then flying isn't for them.

I never said they were any guarantees . People can and do eat peanuts on planes. What I was saying is that I don't understand why anyone with a severe peanut allergy would fly a carrier where peanuts are routinely served over an carrier where peanuts are not served. The likelihood of encountering the allergen (whole peanuts, fragments, dust, etc) is far more on a SWA flight than a UA flight. If a PAX has a severe allergy, then why take the added chance? It seems like a no-brainer to me.

I don't have an allergy and I was not given a prior warning when purchasing my ticket to food restrictions. What if PB&J the only thing my child would eat? Why should your child take priority over mine?

My DD is a vegetarien and *does* live on PB&J's (actually PB & banana this month). However, while traveling I am mindful of other passengers and I try to pack nut-free snacks for her. I would have to be caught in the situation of her not being able to eat a snack on a long flight!

 

[Sleepy]

For those looking for a peanut butter alternative, there is a product called pea butter. It is found in the section with the peanut butter and looks just like it. I don't eat peanut butter for reasons of a glass jar mishap when i was 5, so I have no idea what this pea butter tastes like in comparison to real peanut butter, but they do advertise it as being a safe alternative.

http://peabutter.ca/

 

[3girls4me05]

There is also Sunbutter.

But really it comes down to taking responsibility for your child's health. Call SW now and tell them about your concerns. Bring wipes and mask, something to put on your child's chair etc.. If you still think this is not enough then don't go on the flight. Other passengers should be told in advance of flying about the peanut allergy so they can buy other food. And honestly..I would still let my child eat a food that says "Manufactured in a facility that also manufactures nuts etc..) simply because so much of that is companies covering their (you know what). I have bought Trader Joe's version of Pirate booty for many years. It use to be fine. One day I pick it up and they have added that warning. Now did the manufacturing change? Probably not..they just had their lawyer say "throw that on there so no one can sue you later if god forbid something happened) and so they did.

 

[bumbershoot]

Many things in this thread I hadn't thought of before, and I know it's going to change how we prepare for flights. Since none of us have problems with nuts, and we're vegetarian, and hubby needs protein as the day goes on AND hubby and son can't have corn syrup products...we tend to be pretty natural-product nut-dependent. But now I'll be sure to pack some things that at minimum don't have nuts in them, just in case the doors close and an announcement comes on about peanuts.

Well, IF I can understand the announcement...I think FAs forget how they sound, and the other FAs know what's being said so no one realizes how incomprehensible they are actually being....

I have been on 5 hour flights on UA where they announced in the air that they would not serve ANY buy on board meals because of a passenger request, nor would they serve the (non-peanut) nuts in F, nor the cookies, nor the ice cream sundae. That meant no meals for the passengers in Economy, and few options for the passengers in F.

It was an 11 hour international flight on an A340, and the passenger only made the request 15 minutes before boarding. She did not call ahead. There was no time to change the catering, and many meals on LH include nuts - the macadamia nuts in C, the veg meals, the desserts, the chocolates, the breads, and even entrees.

Bavaria, it's so good to see you!

Just the thought of hearing such an announcement when it's too late is scary. Hubby going into a blood sugar crank, DS whining the whole flight b/c he's hungry and starving etc etc, and not being able to eat anything served b/c it's likely not veg and/or probably has HFCS in it....

An 11 hour flight and she lets them know 15 minutes before takeoff? Wow.



OP, call Southwest NOW!

 

[NotUrsula]

Hi, Bavaria -- long time, no see! Glad you're back.

That has happened to me several times. I am veg, avoid dairy, and am part of preclearance programs which forbid any type of food at all to be brought across borders. That means that quite often I have to find food early in the morning at the airport which is appropriate for a flight. Try and find things which meet those criteria, and you may be surprised to see how much has lard, or dairy, or is made in a facility which may process nuts (and I think that due to liability many foods in America carry that warning as a precaution even if there is a very remote chance) Even licorice can carry that warning.

I know you have that clearance situation, but with your special diet, if you're in a situation where you are worried (smaller departure airport, etc.), can you just forgo it and go through the standard customs line so that you can carry some food? If I had sugar issues or meds-reaction-on-an-empty-stomach issues, I'd be willing to put up with standing in line with the tourists if using the preclearance line meant not being able to carry some emergency rations.

You are correct about those US label warnings; they are primarily there for CYA reasons. Personally, I don't take precautions over the "facility that may process nuts" warning, as I think that is just as useless as worrying about the person seated behind you having nut residue on his clothing; it's an ungovernable risk situation. (Speaking of which, I was seated next to a man on a flight about a year ago who had a very strange tic about eating peanuts, and they were some that he brought aboard, not airline-provided. He would put his left hand in the bag, eat a peanut, then flick his fingers out to his left to presumably dispose of excess salt. He did this with EVERY SINGLE NUT IN THE BAG, ONE AT A TIME. By the time we landed, I looked like someone had emptied a salt shaker over me, because all of that "flick" landed directly in my lap! Asking him to stop did no good, as he didn't speak English. I don't eat peanuts, but I was a heck of a "residue carrier" that day.)

Travelling with small kids is such a special case, because if they are miserable, everyone on the plane suffers. My eldest son had issues with food in huge way as a small child, and I got to be adept at covering all bases. When I travel with my kids I take an enormous amount of food, all of it prepackaged in small servings for doleing out piecemeal -- normally an entire carryon full. We don't happen to carry peanuts, as DH is the only person in the family who likes them, but we do carry tree nuts. In addition to the almonds or cashews, I usually also have jerky, pretzels, crackers, cookies, and dried fruit, plus a supply of water. That's in addition to the sandwich meals that I take on most flights. I've just been on too many "severe turbulence" flights where the FA's cannot get out of their seats for hours. Little kids don't understand that, and will cry loudly when they are hungry or thirsty, even if there is a good reason why the food and drinks cannot be served.

However, I agree that it really stinks if the "no-nuts" announcement is not given at least 20 minutes prior to boarding, and I think that LH was absolutely correct to tell Last-Minute-Annie that she could not be safely accomodated. I think that in this day and age, especially in Europe and Asia where wireless phones are ubiquitous, it is reasonable to expect that the airline should be able to send you a wireless phone alert 24 hours in advance if a food-allergy restriction were placed on a particular flight.

I think that if you are the person (or the parent of the person) with the allergy, you must be proactive for your own protection. Expecting strangers to accomodate your needs at cost to themselves *without advance notice* is very thoughtless, too.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I think that in this day and age, especially in Europe and Asia where wireless phones are ubiquitous, it is reasonable to expect that the airline should be able to send you a wireless phone alert 24 hours in advance if a food-allergy restriction were placed on a particular flight.

Sure, they probably could...but will it stop someone from actually eating the product on the plane, no, and there is little the airline can do to force and enforce it.

 

[NotUrsula]

But the point is that if we are given advance warning, even if we choose to ignore it, we are spared the *hardship* of not knowing until the last minute. (If you got the notice and ignored it, IMO it isn't a hardship -- you had the chance to spare yourself, and failed to take it.)

I think that MOST people are considerate enough to try to avoid exposing an allergic person to a dangerous substance *if* that person has given sufficient advance warning. It's not being given the notice in advance that tends to tick people off the most, and puts parents in a very awkward position when dealing with a hungry, distressed child.

 

[bavaria]

I know you have that clearance situation, but with your special diet, if you're in a situation where you are worried (smaller departure airport, etc.), can you just forgo it and go through the standard customs line so that you can carry some food? If I had sugar issues or meds-reaction-on-an-empty-stomach issues, I'd be willing to put up with standing in line with the tourists if using the preclearance line meant not being able to carry some emergency rations.

Unfortunately that line can be an hour or more, so it really negates my preclearance. I have asked about emergency food and there is zero tolerance.

Even things like Peek Frean cookies can have lard, believe it or not. I like the Cibo Gourmet places in American airports as they have things like Sahale snacks, but again so much of that is nut product. I like dried fruit or fruit bars but that again causing issues when travelling internationally (in fact I just tossed two Target fruit bars from my carry on today because fruit is one of the most commonly restricted items)

After the last flaming thread on this topic I actually spent a long time reading labels and so much says 'processed in a facility which may contain nuts'. Things which tend to be more safe (but don't list ingredients) are lemon loaf from Starbucks, or other bakery places. But then again, a lot of Starbucks items such as loaves and coffee cake do have nuts. It's a really tough thing to find items when there is limited options at airports, especially early in the morning. And of course my usual standby Laugenbrezl ('pretzel') isn't available. And bumbershoot, I stood in your home airport a few weeks ago at 430am at the only place which way open in that satellite, trying to find something which would meet my needs at at the same time be 'nut-free', just in case. It's really tough sometimes!

I really hope that the OP has come back and read here and will heed the advice and will call in advance. If this thread doesn't prompt her to call, perhaps it will educate a few others in how to best handle the situation.

And before someone calls me a poopyhead, I have often removed myself from a flight at my own time and expense if I think that my situation may cause others to be delayed. I don't think that the majority of readers or posters want to cause anyone harm, but if they don't have time to prepare and make arrangemets, the likelihood of someone doing so increases (whether intentional or inadvertent)

 

[bavaria]

I think that MOST people are considerate enough to try to avoid exposing an allergic person to a dangerous substance *if* that person has given sufficient advance warning. It's not being given the notice in advance that tends to tick people off the most, and puts parents in a very awkward position when dealing with a hungry, distressed child.

I don't think that the majority of readers or posters want to cause anyone harm, but if they don't have time to prepare and make arrangemets, the likelihood of someone doing so increases (whether intentional or inadvertent)

We were posting at the same time, but I think that we had the same thought!