Peanuts on which airlines?

[disykat]

With all the people that fly on this site, I wondered if you could help me identify which airlines still serve peanuts. I usually call and and of course travel with epinephrine for my peanut allergic son, but was just curious what the general trend is currently. If you've flown recently and remember what your snack was, can you let me know what is was and what airline you were on? Thanks!

 

[pbhunt]

Southwest -PEANUTS, and new snack trays with a fruit granola bar, sausage, breadsticks, and cheese, which were rather tasty (only on flights 3 hours and longer).

 

[TravelSheryl]

There is a message board devoted exclusively to discussing peanut allergies with a category specifically for air travel.

http://www.peanutallergy.com/bbpage.htm

 

[pbhunt]

Thanks Sheryl, and I'm sure that will answer her question. I am however, curious as to what the other carriers serve as "snacks" or for meals. If there are no other replys, I may post it as a topic.

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

Us air gave us snack mix (peanut free). It was something like Gardettos.

On our return flight, we got little snack boxes, with Nutra grain bars, crackers, with cheese spread, and a MilkyWay bar.

The flight attendant siad no peanuts on any USAir flights.

We missed the peanuts, so we took our own.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

since there are so many peanut allergies most carriers are switching to pretzels and snack bars and such. plus by switching from peanuts to pretzels or pepperidge farm goldfish etc they are saving millions of dollars!

 

[DDM]

I was recently on a Southwest flight. There was announcement made that they would not be serving peanuts on the flight due to a peanut allergy and crackers would be substituted. On the flight home we were served crackers as well.

 

[disykat]

Thanks guys! I do frequent peanutallergy.com - Everyone there tends to call ahead so "spot checks" aren't very accurate, but it is a great, very informative site. Thanks for posting it, Sheryl.

We always get pretzels on American - but we've always called ahead to have a peanut allergy noted.

 

[disykat]

In case anyone is wondering what the big deal is about peanuts on a airplane:

As a parent of a peanut allergic child I completely understand that it is not my right to take away your food rights and that peanuts are a special treat for many on airlines - I like them myself (or did until I discovered they could kill my child.) However on an airplane with recirculating air - peanuts can travel far. Peanut is an airborne allergy. People with peanut allergies cannot come into skin contact with peanut residue, or breathe or smell peanut particles. They do not have to eat them to suffer a deadly allergic reaction. Nothing ruins a vacation like having the person next to you on the plane die during your flight!

I'm sorry if this sounds accusatory, because I don't mean it to. I just thought you might be wondering why it's such an issue. Thanks for putting up with different snacks for us! (I used to love those Honey Roasted Nuts! Sigh! )

 

[TravelSheryl]

I had never heard of peanut allergies in my life until about 7 years ago when my cousin married a man who is peanut allergic. It was all explained to me at that time. It is certainly a life threatening allergy. And I also didn't realize until my cousin's husband told me about all the food products that have peanut byproducts in them, like non-peanut M&Ms.

As much as I love Southwest Airlines, I probably would not recommend that a peanut allergic fly that carrier because there is peanut residue everywhere on their planes. And as much as I too like peanuts, I would never be upset if an airline didn't serve them because someone on the plane was peanut allergic.

 

[Gillian]

wow! Thanks for filling us in on the scope of peanut allergies! I can't say I miss them anyway, and if it helps save someone, then I'll gladly eat pretzels.

Do epi pens work against peanut reactions, or do you need something stronger?

 

[Bo'sMom]

Thanks for this info. My great nephew...15 months old..was just diagnosed with a peanut allergy. I was just wondering what the effects would be if he travelled by air. Thanks again.

 

[lisapooh]

The trend towards eliminating peanuts as a snack and substituting crackers and candy and other high carb items is really a problem for those of us who are diabetics. The substituted snacks are inapproprite for us to say the least. For me as a diabetic to eat crackers with no protein such as peanut butter is to ask for high blood sugar. And high blood sugar is lack of control and a sure path to complications and a slow and miserable death. I am at the point of being extremely resentful and unsympathetic of people with peanut allergies. Their needs seem to cancel out all concern for mine by the airlines. Who cares if I end up with complications and have to suffer until I die is their attitude. The peanut people are entitled to special care but diabetics can do with whatever. Who cares about us? If we complain we are told too bad you caused yourselves to be diabetic.
Maybe airlines should serve no food and allow each person to bring the food they need. Oh no, that wouldn't work either would it. The peanut people would demand that we could not bring out snacks because even the smell of our peanut butter might bother them.
Guess I can't fly anymore if I want to control my diabetes and not have devastating complications.

 

[Bo'sMom]

There are other forms of protein you can pack and bring on the plane.

 

[TravelSheryl]

Oh, lisapooh, I hope you will reconsider how you feel. We're talking about a situation like a peanut allergy where the afflicted has absolutely no control vs. your situation where you have 100% control because you can bring along your own snacks.

Gosh, I would hope that someone who is unsympathetic to my medical conditions isn't near me should I be in a life threatening situation.

And if someone has told you that you caused yourself to be diabetic, then they too are being unsympathetic. Two wrongs don't make a right.

I hope my comments fall within the posting guidelines of this forum as they are not intended as an attack but rather to let someone know that they are comparing a medical condition that can be controlled to a medical condition that cannot be controlled.

 

[Bo'sMom]

Excellent post Sheryl. Thanks for saying it much better than I could have.

 

[lisapooh]

I can bring my own snacks. My best snack. Is 2 peanut butter crackers. And I do carry them. But on my last flight I was told I could not eat them and would have to substitute an entirely carb snack which is not in my interest because it raises my blood sugar too high to rapidly.
My daughter has a peanut allergy. We keep the peanut crackers in a separate area so she doesn't grab them by mistake. If I fix a peanut butter sandwich she is not in the kitchen. If we fly she doesn't ask that all forego peanuts. She wears a micropore mask.
We deal with both needs.
You really know very little about diabetes if you think it is an easily contollable disease. It isn't. I've lived with it for 23 years and it is a daily struggle to balance and keep the complications at bay. Four shots a day and multiple finger pricks and I still have some complications from it. I truely would prefer a quick death to the slow dying by inches. It isn't fun.

 

[TravelSheryl]

I did not say nor do I think that diabetes is an easily controllable disease. I said that your situation as it pertains to the discussion of this thread is controllable; i.e., you can control what goes into your mouth. A peanut allergic cannot control the air he breathes.

There are non-perishable food items that can be taken on board that meet the needs of both a diabetic and a peanut allergic.

 

[Gillian]

Do people with peanut allergies have problems with other kinds of nuts? I am hypoglycemic & have to worry about controlling my blood sugar also. I can't do all carb snacks or I get low blood sugar/faintness, etc.

I find that almonds work better for me than peanuts. Would that be a problem for the peanut allergic?

And lisapooh, did I understand correctly that you were told you couldn't eat your own food on the plane? That would be bad.

 

[rhiannonwales]

This is getting very nasty and i think it is highly out of place!

From one diabetic to another, ther are plenty of snacks that are high in protien, besides nuts!

When i have had to fly i always bring Choice bars with me as they are high in soy protien, and meet my diatary needs. Is this really a case of you being put at risk or are you just mad cause you couldn't eat your peanuts?

How would you feel if someone on the plane 5 rows back got very ill and died beacause the peanut particles from YOUR snack got on their skin? Some people are so allergic that even skin contact could do them serious harm, and unless you live in a bubble, any peanuts in the air can kill!

This is why airlines schools, and even some restaurants have eliminated nuts from their menus.

Sure, i like nuts as much as the next person, but its a small price to pay to keep someone from getting ill.