Waiting to board our plane and....

[morgan98]

Would you then keep your child locked up at home? That is the only way to be sure of a peanut free environment.

Maybe not locked up. But it would be up to the parents to weigh the risks and determine how safe various situations would be for their child. It is not reasonable (if the allergy was in fact deadly) to rely on the behavior of others to protect your child from life or death. Airplanes are known for being a very cramped space with lots of strangers. That would not be a risk I would take.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

there is no rule where the family must notify the airline that a child/family member has an allergy. It does not even have to be nuts. So you are saying your snacks are more important than a child who has a severe allergy.

For me, I am saying that one child is not more important than another. Mine are just as important as the one with the allergy.

People only think about themselves. I can go a few hrs without eating. Even if the airline notified every single person on the flight that there is a person with an allergy to nuts, they will still brings their snacks with nuts because they don't care. Junior must have their peanut m&m's. But as soon as junior develops an allergy, then they will care.

Yeah...see that's not true. What I would do is handle my own business without imposing on others. If that meant we had to drive then so be it. If it meant we couldn't go to a particular destination then we wouldn't go. Some of my kids do have allergies. Thankfully not life threatening. Still- they cannot be in certain situations or they could/will get sick and it can be really bad. So guess what? We avoid those situations! Voila!

Now of course if it was announced we would comply but if I only brought pb&j I would be annoyed that we didn't have prior notice. I'm sorry but I really don't believe there are that many severely allergic kids simply because if they were that bad they would not be able to go many places. WDW included. We have been on line behind people eating uncrustables, peanut butter crackers etc. How would you (a general you) be able to control all that?

 

[maxiesmom]

I do agree they should notify the other passengers as soon as they know it is going to be a peanut-free flight. And maybe even sell alternate food at the gate and on the plane. However, I also think it is ridiculous for anyone to have a real problem with accommodating a food allergy.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Well, then they should notify everyone if there is going to be a pet in the cabin. Plenty of people are allergic. It could be life threatening if they have an asthma attack.

 

[AddictedtoDoleWhip]

If the family or person who is allergic to peanuts buys everyone snacks that they can eat instead of peanut butter than I would refrain from eating my snacks, but if the only snacks I have are peanut butter crackers or a pb&j i'm going to eat it.

 

[gwynne]

Would you then keep your child locked up at home? That is the only way to be sure of a peanut free environment.

I believe there is an obvious and huge difference between being on the ground and being in a tube, up in the air.
It's far easier to get help quickly on the ground.

 

[bgirldeb]

If the family or person who is allergic to peanuts buys everyone snacks that they can eat instead of peanut butter than I would refrain from eating my snacks,

this would actually be a classy thing to do, especially if it was a last minute type thing.

 

[bcla]

If the family or person who is allergic to peanuts buys everyone snacks that they can eat instead of peanut butter than I would refrain from eating my snacks, but if the only snacks I have are peanut butter crackers or a pb&j i'm going to eat it.

On a plane and against direct orders of the flight crew? You could be detained and/or arrested if previously warned about it. The fact is that there have been cases where a passenger went into shock and could have died, and I could see a reasonable case for a lawsuit should someone be harmed. A plane is a very different environment because the cabin is pressurized and the air is recirculated.

 

[bcla]

I believe there is an obvious and huge difference between being on the ground and being in a tube, up in the air.
It's far easier to get help quickly on the ground.

Not only that, but a large passenger plane is pressurized with recirculating air. It's the perfect storm for nut allergies. A kid almost died when someone opened a bag of nuts against flight crew orders. However, the sense I get from some people is "Not my problem if the kid dies. I'm hungry."

 

[littlejimmy]

If the family or person who is allergic to peanuts buys everyone snacks that they can eat instead of peanut butter than I would refrain from eating my snacks, but if the only snacks I have are peanut butter crackers or a pb&j i'm going to eat it.

unflippingbelievable. that is the only word i can think of that would get by the censors...

 

[undertheradar]

On a plane and against direct orders of the flight crew? You could be detained and/or arrested if previously warned about it. The fact is that there have been cases where a passenger went into shock and could have died, and I could see a reasonable case for a lawsuit should someone be harmed. A plane is a very different environment because the cabin is pressurized and the air is recirculated.

What would the charge be? Attempted manslaughter by pb & j? That would be equal to the case brought by the autistic child's family because she would only eat food that was steaming hot. They didn't book seats in first class but expected to be accommodated with food from first class. Just poor planning on the part of the parents involved.

Do I think that basic human caring says avoid the peanut product if the request is made, yes. Do I think that demands are getting out of hand, yes.

 

[Bec3b1g]

On a plane and against direct orders of the flight crew? You could be detained and/or arrested if previously warned about it. The fact is that there have been cases where a passenger went into shock and could have died, and I could see a reasonable case for a lawsuit should someone be harmed. A plane is a very different environment because the cabin is pressurized and the air is recirculated.

People break laws that risk the lives of others and result in jail time every day. A perfect example would be those who get charged with vehicular manslaughter. Unfortunately, there are people in the world who don't care that they could harm someone else by their actions.

 

[Mkrop]

Who is going to notify every passenger. Airlines do not have time to do this. This is what I think airlines should do. When purchasing the ticket, have a popup/announcement come up asking travelers not to bring snacks containing nuts due to many travelers having allergies

Think of it this way. Last week on my flight back home a lady had her cat on the plane in a small carrier. I am very allergic to cats. Thankfully she was towards the back of the plane and I was up front. No one called/emailed me that someone was traveling with a car. What if I was sitting next to her and the flight was overbooked.

Airlines certainly have time to do that, it could be a computer program that when someone clicks a box on their reservation that they need a peanut free flight it then knows to issue an email, call or text to the other passengers. If they can contact me about a delay they can contact me about this. Anyone not captured via this method would then find out at the gate

there is no rule where the family must notify the airline that a child/family member has an allergy. It does not even have to be nuts. So you are saying your snacks are more important than a child who has a severe allergy.

My snacks...no. But for some else they might be critical.

Well, then they should notify everyone if there is going to be a pet in the cabin. Plenty of people are allergic. It could be life threatening if they have an asthma attack.

I think this notification should be made as well. Another box to click when buying tickets. I am sure if you are traveling with a pet you need to fill info in the process

 

[AddictedtoDoleWhip]

If I had other snacks I would eat those instead, I'm just saying I think that if someone has a peanut allergy that bad they should offer to buy everyone snacks in place of snacks that people may have with them so that people know for sure that there are no peanuts being eaten. I think that would be a good and nice thing to do.

 

[undertheradar]

I can picture it now. LEO, guns drawn,: Keep your hands and the pb & j where we can see them!

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

While I am willing to accommodate a fellow passenger's allergy, I would like more notice. We seem to always be travelling at mealtime, and I pack PB&J for my kids to eat on the flight. While I am in line to board is a little late to let me know that my kid, who already hasn't eaten in 4 hours, is about to have to go another 3.4 hours without a meal. That's a real problem.

Also agree that I wouldn't risk it if it were me. I know lots of parents who would tell their kids to go ahead and eat that sandwich!

 

[AddictedtoDoleWhip]

I guess people couldn't tell I wasn't being serious about eating my peanut snacks lol. I wouldn't eat them, i had a friend who was allergic to peanuts and i know how hard it was for him.

I do believe though that families or people with allergies should bring snacks for everyone, that's what my friends family did because they knew what a lot of go to snacks were.

 

[goofy4tink]

Opening a bag of nuts is very different than eating a peanut butter sandwich. We have a very good friend that has so many food allergies, it would curl your hair....it's a huge deal traveling with her. BUT...she has told us that eating a peanut butter sandwich next to her isn't going to be bad, but having bags of nuts can be. Others may have different needs.
But again, I ask....what kind of risk is a parent taking by taking a severely allergic child on a plane that has not been cleaned properly? It's a much bigger risk to chance sitting in a seat/area that has peanut oil on it! Yes, you can try cleaning it, but man, that's going to take a long time. If it were my child? That child would have gloves on (latex probably) and a face mask. I would not take the chance of my child touching anything!!!
I just wouldn't rely on the 'goodness' of other passengers. Do I care about other kids? Of course I do. But parents have to take responsibility for their kids' welfare....trusting complete strangers to comply just wouldn't get it done for me. I can just imagine the guy two rows back who feels that he is far enough away and eats his peanuts, after shelling them. Talk about a risk!!!!

 

[gwynne]

I'll go out on a limb and say it's never going to happen. Airlines are not going to notify other passengers about a fellow passenger's request for no peanuts ahead of time.
The airlines aren't going to back themselves into a corner, offering so called peanut free flights.
The airline really has no way of verifying the other passengers will 100% comply, even with notification and repeated requests.

They make a polite announcement, at the gate or in the plane, if they have been notified. That is the extent of it.
It's left up to the adult or parent to weigh the advantage of air travel vs the risk of a serious health event for the allergic.

 

[Dawnlight]

Would it be reasonable for me to request that WDW not plant so many flowers, serve only sugar-free drinks and no cotton candy, or make other similar accommodations to reduce the risks for a bee-allergic child? After all, flowers aren't necessary (just as a PB&J isn't) and they attract stinging insects and put those children at risk. Cotton candy and soda attract bees and aren't necessary; there are a myriad of options that wouldn't attract nearly as many bees.

Why is it acceptable to suggest people make accommodations for food allergies but not other environmental allergies?