Peanut/Treenut allergies

[Disfreek]

My 3 yo DD has a treenut/peanut allergy.

Have any of your with allergic kids flown? What accomodations do airlines provide for you?

What airlines have you found to be the most friendly?

Thanks

 

[Dis31]

Most airlines no longer serve peanuts. You can ask for a peanut free flight on SW though I know that.

 

[gigi1313]

i have a peanut/tree nut allergic ds as well... we have flown swa w/great success... although they still serve peanuts on most flights, they will offer you a peanut free flight if you alert them at the gate... they will also make announcement to other passengers that they are to refrain from eating/opening any nut products (i.e. pb sandwich, peanut m&ms, etc)... they will not, however, PROMISE that the flight is totally nut free as they cannot control what happened on the flight prior to yours nor can they vouch for their cleaning between flights (they boast of their quick turnaround time)... because of this, i ask to pre-board and usually select a seat halfway back so i have time to clorox wipe down ds' entire area (tray table, seat, armrests, window, etc)... they also serve snacks on the flight that are not peanuts, but some come w/the warning "produced in a facility that manufactures peanut/tree nut products" so just because it's a nut-free flight, be sure to read the package of the snack (or do what i do... bring your own!)

we have also flown alaska air (operated by american i believe) and they were great as well... offering nut free snacks and making an announcement about the allergy, as well as permitting pre-boarding again so i can wipe down ds' area...

 

[DebbieB]

I had peanuts on Delta last night.

 

[ducklite]

As an FYI, while they can tell passengers that there is a peanut allergic passenger, they can't force people to not eat peanut products. What about the family with a tight connection who has packed PB&J for lunch? They aren't going to tell those people their kids need to wait three hours to eat.

IMHO, unless they begin telling people when they book that it will be a peanut free flight and no peanut products will be allowed on the flight, or they begin to supply a suitable alternative to people who are planning on eating with peanut products (and I'm not talking a small snack, I'm talking lunch or dinner where it would mean a family not having a meal or being forced to buy a replacement at the airport) they have no right to say they aren't allowed during a flight.

The best bet is to fly an airline that no longer serves peanuts--I think US Air is now peanut free as far as the carrier, although they don't control what passengers bring on.

Also choose the first flight of the day when the plane has had a good overnight cleaning and people are less likely to be eating peanut products.

Anne

 

[gigi1313]

They aren't going to tell those people their kids need to wait three hours to eat.

actually, yes, they have and they do, although i am not sure they are able to "enforce" it if a passenger refuses not to eat it, although our experience is that most people are kind and compassionate and will refrain when asked, given that a child's life is at stake (literally)... while they do not read the ingredients on every passenger's snacks, i have witnessed a swa flight attendant telling a passenger to close up his bag of mixed nuts and save them for after the flight... and when my friends flew they were told they could not consume their pbj sandwiches on the plane and told them they had to wait...

i agree that the first flight of the day is the safest, but that is not always do-able...

also, now when booking on www.southwest.com there is a place to check off that a passenger has a peanut allergy... which then marks the flight as a nut-free flight for swa's use (it's not visible to others booking the same flight)

 

[ducklite]

actually, yes, they have and they do

Not that I'm not empathetic to the allergic person (I am one myself) but I've got a REAL problem with someone being told they can't feed their kid on a flight without previous warning.

If a family with three kids age 6, 4, and 2 board a flight from Peoria at 10:00am, changing planes in Houston, with the connecting flight leaving at noon and isn't due to land until 3:00pm, it's simply not acceptable for kids to not be fed the PB&J lunch that the parents packed before leaving home, and given no alternative because they haven't been told this until onboard.

That means you've got kids who haven't eaten since probably 7:00am. Totally not acceptable. It's not their fault, the fault lies with the airline for not giving advanced warning.

The alternate should be either notifying every single passenger in advance so they can adequately plan, or putting the peanut allergic kid at one end of the airplane and asking passengers to rearrange as needed to situate the ones who wish to eat PB&J at the other end. Frankly if a child is so nut allergic that they will have a reaction due to peanut butter (not unprocessed peanuts--those are far more likely to cause a reaction) or foods that *might* contain nuts, they probably shouldn't be taking mass transit, as there's no way to guarantee the guy sitting in the seat previously wasn't eating salted peanuts and wiping his hands all over the seat.

Anne

 

[NeedaVacation03]

actually, yes, they have and they do, although i am not sure they are able to "enforce" it if a passenger refuses not to eat it, although our experience is that most people are kind and compassionate and will refrain when asked, given that a child's life is at stake (literally)... while they do not read the ingredients on every passenger's snacks, i have witnessed a swa flight attendant telling a passenger to close up his bag of mixed nuts and save them for after the flight... and when my friends flew they were told they could not consume their pbj sandwiches on the plane and told them they had to wait...



I am the first to admit that I do not totally understand the peanut allergies. I have been very fortunate that all 4 of my children can eat peanut products without issue. Thank God for that.
But would someone mind giving me more info on this issue. I do not remember this being an issue when I was in school or college. Is it something that we were not aware of or is it something that is newer?
I guess I struggle with the issue of regulating what everyone eats. A school near me tried to tell the students that they could not bring PB&J for school lunch due to one childs allergy. Now, this was a very poor school area and I am wondering what they expected these children to eat everyday. They did end up not having to do that this year, due to the child being in kindergarten, but I am wondering how they will handle it with him being in first grade.
I really do want to be more educated on this subject and I am not looking to be flamed or anything. Can anyone help me understand this?

 

[ducklite]

I guess I struggle with the issue of regulating what everyone eats. A school near me tried to tell the students that they could not bring PB&J for school lunch due to one childs allergy. Now, this was a very poor school area and I am wondering what they expected these children to eat everyday.

Exactly. In that case they can make the actual classrooms peanut free, and have a nut free table in the cafeteria, or have all peanut allergic kids eat in one of the classrooms together, but to totally ban peanut products from a school is IMHO going to far.

The ADA (and I don't think this is even covered) expects REASONABLE accomodation. That doesn't mean that the entire earth needs to be turned upside down because of someone's allergy. Segregating the peanut allergic kids so they have a peanut free place to eat and keeping nuts out of the classroom is reasonable. Keeping all nuts and nut products and products manufactured in a factory that may also process nuts out of the entire school is not.

Anne

 

[robinb]

Not that I'm not empathetic to the allergic person (I am one myself) but I've got a REAL problem with someone being told they can't feed their kid on a flight without previous warning.

I think that SWA and parents of allergic kids just do the best that they can. There will always be the exception to the rule as in your case of the family who bright PB&J's for lunch on the plane. I think most people will comply with the request to wait until the end of the flight. Of course, there will be those that don't and that is something that an allergic kid and their family will face as long as the allergy exists. That can happen on SWA or other airlines that no longer serve peanuts.

 

[gigi1313]

Not that I'm not empathetic to the allergic person (I am one myself) but I've got a REAL problem with someone being told they can't feed their kid on a flight without previous warning.

i agree... but swa (which is the airline i have the most experience with) will ASK, not tell, other passengers to refrain from eating/opening peanut products on a flight... and the previous warning thing... swa has recently added a disability column to their online flight booking system that has a spot for that... and prior to packing your lunch, you could call and ask if that flight has been earmarked "peanut free"

If a family with three kids age 6, 4, and 2 board a flight from Peoria at 10:00am, changing planes in Houston, with the connecting flight leaving at noon and isn't due to land until 3:00pm, it's simply not acceptable for kids to not be fed the PB&J lunch that the parents packed before leaving home, and given no alternative because they haven't been told this until onboard.

That means you've got kids who haven't eaten since probably 7:00am. Totally not acceptable. It's not their fault, the fault lies with the airline for not giving advanced warning.

again, i agree... but the airline will go out of it's way to help the family keep the allergic passenger safe by offering the snacks that they have available to the hungry family (more than the usual 1 btw) including fruit/grain bars, pretzels, snack mix, etc... while it's not the best lunch, it's a great compromise... and they can still consume their packed lunch upon landing... and as i said before, they cannot force them not to eat it (they don't confiscate it) but they do ask...

The alternate should be either notifying every single passenger in advance so they can adequately plan, or putting the peanut allergic kid at one end of the airplane and asking passengers to rearrange as needed to situate the ones who wish to eat PB&J at the other end.

in an airplane where the air is recycled, there is no "safe distance" to separate the nut eaters from the nut allergic... just like in the days of old how the "smoking section" never really kept the other passengers from breating second-hand smoke...

Frankly if a child is so nut allergic that they will have a reaction due to peanut butter (not unprocessed peanuts--those are far more likely to cause a reaction) or foods that *might* contain nuts, they probably shouldn't be taking mass transit, as there's no way to guarantee the guy sitting in the seat previously wasn't eating salted peanuts and wiping his hands all over the seat.

Anne

which is why we pre-board and wipe down the entire area that ds will come in contact with... typically foods that "might" contain peanuts and/or tree nuts are harmless unless ingested... it's the mass opening of 100+ bags of peanuts that release nut dust into the air that is the main problem on planes...

 

[gigi1313]

I think that SWA and parents of allergic kids just do the best that they can. There will always be the exception to the rule as in your case of the family who bright PB&J's for lunch on the plane. I think most people will comply with the request to wait until the end of the flight. Of course, there will be those that don't and that is something that an allergic kid and their family will face as long as the allergy exists. That can happen on SWA or other airlines that no longer serve peanuts.

well said, robin

 

[gigi1313]

I am the first to admit that I do not totally understand the peanut allergies. I have been very fortunate that all 4 of my children can eat peanut products without issue. Thank God for that.
But would someone mind giving me more info on this issue. I do not remember this being an issue when I was in school or college. Is it something that we were not aware of or is it something that is newer?
I guess I struggle with the issue of regulating what everyone eats. A school near me tried to tell the students that they could not bring PB&J for school lunch due to one childs allergy. Now, this was a very poor school area and I am wondering what they expected these children to eat everyday. They did end up not having to do that this year, due to the child being in kindergarten, but I am wondering how they will handle it with him being in first grade.
I really do want to be more educated on this subject and I am not looking to be flamed or anything. Can anyone help me understand this?

let's see... nut allergies are life-threatening in some cases... the nuts do not have to be ingested to cause an allergic reaction... why the higher incidence? well, i have my theories but do not know for sure, but it is most definitely becoming more prevalent... it was virtually unheard of when i was a kid...

most nut allergies are also comprehensive in that they get worse as exposure increases... we did not know ds was sensitive to nuts at all 'til he had an anaphylactic episode at 7.5 yo!

our school has nut free tables in the cafe and ask that all snacks supplied for the entire class be safe for the nut allergic students (i.e. birthday cupcakes) but i supply the classroom w/a box of shelf stable cupcakes that we know are safe for ds in the event there is a celebration and the teacher questions the safety of the food...

if you have any other questions, please feel free to pm me

 

[lenshanem]

I flew Delta last month with my DD who is allergic. I called Delta prior and had them make note on the flights. I was told they would make the row in front and behind us peanut free and I could preboard to clean the seats. I was also told to make sure to have a doctor's note for the Epis.

When we got to the airport the self check wouldn't work for us - we had to wait in line and was told it was because of the medical notation.

We weren't stopped going thru security. Never pulled out doctor's note.

At the gate I again mentioned her allergy. (They didn't mention I could preboard.) And again when I boarded to the attendants.

Going they made both the row in front and back of us peanut free, but it was served elsewhere. The attendants kinda acted clueless when I told them what I was told regarding the rows. But, they handled it and the people in front and behind us were kind. (We had been on a flight long ago where a woman FLIPPED cause she couldn't eat her three peanuts in a bag. Another kind family volunteered to switch seats with us after hearing this woman.)

Coming home same deal, BUT the flight attendant told me her son was allergic and she has taken care of everything and it would be a totally peanut free flight.


I was a nervous wreck, but everything went OK. If you can fly an airline that doesn't serve peanuts all the better, but we had miles on Delta. I would also bring plenty of snacks.

 

[ducklite]

i agree... but swa (which is the airline i have the most experience with) will ASK, not tell, other passengers to refrain from eating/opening peanut products on a flight... and the previous warning thing... swa has recently added a disability column to their online flight booking system that has a spot for that... and prior to packing your lunch, you could call and ask if that flight has been earmarked "peanut free"

It should not be the responsibility of the general public to have to think to call an airline to check if their flight is nut free. That should be something that the airline has to be proactive about. The onus is on the airline, NOT the passengers. If they agree to carry passengers with nut allergies and accomodate them, then by that same action they have a responsibility to accomodate all other passengers when they "change the rules." To expect an occasional flyer to think to call to verify if they can bring a particular food on from one flight to the next is absurd.

again, i agree... but the airline will go out of it's way to help the family keep the allergic passenger safe by offering the snacks that they have available to the hungry family (more than the usual 1 btw) including fruit/grain bars, pretzels, snack mix, etc... while it's not the best lunch, it's a great compromise... and they can still consume their packed lunch upon landing... and as i said before, they cannot force them not to eat it (they don't confiscate it) but they do ask...

As long as the airline is providing something suitable as a replacement I think most families would be willing to cooperate, and I certainly think that's reasonable. A bag of potato chips is not suitable. Some fruit, a couple granola bars, and some pretzles is.

in an airplane where the air is recycled, there is no "safe distance" to separate the nut eaters from the nut allergic... just like in the days of old how the "smoking section" never really kept the other passengers from breating second-hand smoke...

On most of the newer planes the air is far less "recycled" and far cleaner.

which is why we pre-board and wipe down the entire area that ds will come in contact with... typically foods that "might" contain peanuts and/or tree nuts are harmless unless ingested... it's the mass opening of 100+ bags of peanuts that release nut dust into the air that is the main problem on planes...

Then how is peanut butter harmful? It's certainly not "dusty" and a few kids eating PB&J 28 rows away aren't like an entire plane opening bags of peanuts...

Anne

 

[shelby2001]

Well Ducklite I will answer that one for you, the child 28 rows in front is going to the bathroom to wash their hands after the PB&J sandwich and just happens to wipe their hands on the seats. My DD gets up touches the peanut butter that's on the seats not knowing it is there and now has a reaction and is not breathing within 1 minute, I administer the epi-pen and all is well for now and we are now landing the plane at the nearest airport. I don't have a problem with the kids being served their PB&J for lunch the parents just have to be aware and make sure their kids don't touch everything on their way to wash their hands, that is all that I am asking them to do, DD has to touch or indest, but as a parent I can tell you I would have alot of guilt if someones child died over a sandwich.

 

[Karenj2]

ducklite - I don't have any peanut allergies, but I do have two dogs that are NUTS (pun intended) about peanut butter, and I can tell you that they can sniff out peanut butter when they're in a completely different room.

I'm no scientist, but whatever is causing the smell that my dogs notice is probably also what could cause an allergic reaction in someone with life-threatening allergies.

And don't forget - this isn't on the same level as someone who gets itchy, or gets irritable when they consume or touch something they're allergic to. This is life threatening. (I have mild allergies to all kinds of things - foods, animals, pollens & molds, but it's nothing that would kill me.)

 

[fanofthemouse]

My cousin has two children with major food allergies. The nut allergy is the most serious. I have just found that people who do not know a young child with a severe food allergy cannot understand the life the child and the family lead. My cousin often starts her day thinking "what can kill my child today".

Kids don't like to be the one that is different. So imagine being the 8 year old kid who:
Eats by himself at a "peanut free table" because no one else in the school has the same allergy
Is teased because of his allergy and has actually been threatened by other children that "i'll touch you after I touch peanut butter" and knowing that that can kill you
Can't play tee-ball because all the parents can't agree to not bring certain snacks for after the game (when did tee ball become about snacks?)
It takes you a full year to plan a vacation at Disney because you have to call on a daily basis regarding your kids allergies.

I just pray that no one has to go thru what I have seen my cousins family go thru. The day to day stress can tear a family apart

i do not buy certain snacks or bring PBJ to parks etc, because of the prevelance of peanut allergies. It has become second nature for those of us with small kids to deal with Peanut Free places as it is the norm. For those of you who have never had to deal with it Thank God for that

 

[ducklite]

Well Ducklite I will answer that one for you, the child 28 rows in front is going to the bathroom to wash their hands after the PB&J sandwich and just happens to wipe their hands on the seats. My DD gets up touches the peanut butter that's on the seats not knowing it is there and now has a reaction and is not breathing within 1 minute, I administer the epi-pen and all is well for now and we are now landing the plane at the nearest airport. I don't have a problem with the kids being served their PB&J for lunch the parents just have to be aware and make sure their kids don't tough everything on their way to wash their hands, cthat is all that I am asking them to do, DD has to touch or indest, but as a parent I can tell you I would have alot of guilt if someones child died over a sandwich.

But the same kid could just have easily eaten the sandwich before boarding and then touched the seat that the peanut allergic kid does. It's a risk. Life is a risk. What's next, all passengers need to strip, besterilized and board in hospital gowns and booties? There comes a point where reasonable accomodation is no longer reasonable.

I agree that a child's welfare is important, but like I said, until the airlines become proactive in notifying customers in advance they simply can't expect them to not feed their kids.

I do agree it's different for a snack of peanuts. But you simply can not expect the family in my earlier post to not feed their kids for eight hours when they weren't notified prior to boarding of the problem.

If an airline is going to take the responsibility of booking people on a "peanut free flight" then they likewise need to be responsible for telling all other passengers IN ADVANCE about the situation.

BTW--I have a life threatening allergy to pine nuts--if I'm within about five feet of them I have a reaction that has in the apst included anaphylaxis, so I certainly understand the issue. I carry an epi-pen with me--actually two when I'm traveling. Fortunately pine nuts are not something you would often find on an airplane. But I wouldn't tell someone they couldn't feed their kids because of my allergy. I would ask that we be seated as far away from each other as possible, and use all other normal precautions. But I wouldn't demand that someone--especially a child--go hungry.

Anne

 

[shelby2001]

Ducklite I would not want a child to be starving for 8 hours which is why I stated I don't care that they eat the PB&J that is why we take the 2 1/2 hour direct flight first thing in the morning and the last flight of the day home. Since it is direct I don't feel any of these children will starve in that time nor will any adult so I have solved that problem. The proactive steps of all airlines should be to go totally peanut free and state that no peanut products are aloud on board then this family would know.