Waiting to board our plane and....

[aaarcher86]

Seriously. What a horrible statement to make. Not everything is malicious. And believe me, I get it. I grew up with a gluten allergy in a time when NOBODY had EVER heard of a gluten allergy.

You started a trend!

 

[mondragon]

Unrelated to peanuts, but after having my eyes swell shut due to the person next to me wearing what I can only imagine was an oil drum of perfume, I now make sure to have Benadryl with me.

Ugh. That happened to me once. Guy next to me must have swam in patchouli oil. Stunk so bad that a was sneezing the whole flight.

 

[sam_gordon]

Haha. Just put a box and that's it. You have no idea the work involved in changing that program. It would have to map to a database with thousands of allergies listed. From there you will have to identify the adverse reaction from these allergies.

Umm... no. 'Check this box if you have an allergy that needs to be accommodated" (simplifying, pick the wording however you want). If that box is checked, you get an ENTRY box: 'What are you allergic to (ex: pet dander, peanuts, legumes, cats, pollen, etc)?': And they fill out the box. That information is just displayed anywhere it needs to be.

The airline is not going to notify you that someone has an allergy. They will announce it at the gate a few times and maybe after everyone boards. No one told me a cat was going to be on my flight and I am severely allergic to cats.

I'm curious... if you would have been told there was going to be a cat on your flight, what would you have done? I see three options:
1) Ask that the cat not be brought on the flight.
2) Ask to change flights.
3) Deal with it.

Obviously you dealt with it, but what would your choice be (if you were given the choice)?

 

[ashley0139]

You started a trend!

I was diagnosed 25 years ago, so I was way ahead of my time.

 

[mondragon]

Umm... no. 'Check this box if you have an allergy that needs to be accommodated" (simplifying, pick the wording however you want). If that box is checked, you get an ENTRY box: 'What are you allergic to (ex: pet dander, peanuts, legumes, cats, pollen, etc)?': And they fill out the box. That information is just displayed anywhere it needs to be.

I'm curious... if you would have been told there was going to be a cat on your flight, what would you have done? I see three options:
1) Ask that the cat not be brought on the flight.
2) Ask to change flights.
3) Deal with it.

Obviously you dealt with it, but what would your choice be (if you were given the choice)?

I Dealt with it since I was up front and the cat was towards the back but if I was next to it I would have just popped a Benadryl. It's not a life threatening allergy like peanuts.

 

[AddictedtoDoleWhip]

Serious??? Never heard of someone dying from a peanut allergy? Try google or are they in on the conspiracy too.

I don't see how people don't believe that people can die from a peanut allergy, because I have heard stories and I know that's true. I remember when my friend was accidentally given a snack that had peanuts in it and his lips swelled up so bad, and they had to call the paramedics.

 

[sam_gordon]

It's not a life threatening allergy like peanuts.

So everyone with a peanut allergy can die if exposed?

ETA: Again, if the potential of being exposed to ANY allergen could cause death, WHY would you willingly coop yourself up with 150+ strangers (to say nothing of the folks who were on the plane before you), HOPING they "do the right thing"?

 

[Lisaloo]

The people who argue that a kid with allergies shouldn't fly and inconvenience other flyers with a peanut free request, probably don't think parents of children who can't stand in lines at WDW should never take them. Your child is overstimulated, has autism etc and can't stand in a line? Keep him/her away from Disney. Don't expect the rest of us to accommodate your kid.
Yeah, life doesn't work that way.

 

[Shmily1]

So how does my eating peanuts in a different part of the plane injure someone else? I can see if it they are touching me with it on me or if they grab my bag of peanuts if they are falling but just being in the same location? They need a bubble.

 

[Christine]

So everyone with a peanut allergy can die if exposed?

Everyone with a peanut allergy *can* die if exposed. Not everyone with a peanut allergy *will* die if exposed.

There is something about the peanut protein which is the culprit for the allergy that remains fully intact through the digestive process (and most manufacturing) that tends to make the reaction much more severe than other allergens. Not saying that other allergens don't cause awful reactions--they do. But in the peanut-allergic population more people have very strong reactions than mild reactions. It seems to just be the nature of that particular allergy. Couple that with the peanut allergy presenting itself most notably in atopic individuals with asthma and it can be a deadly combination.

That said, I don't think flying with peanuts is as dangerous as it is perceived.

I do think there is a problem with 200 guests opening their little bags of peanuts because that dust starts flying and the plane HVAC is pretty much a closed system while you are in-flight.

I think it's actually fine to have other peanut snacks though, like granola bars, chocolate candy that may have nuts in it, etc. There's no "dust" with these. The peanut allergic individual can remain in their own areas and keep their hands to themselves. They can wash thoroughly if they have to use the restroom.

 

[cabanafrau]

I was diagnosed 25 years ago, so I was way ahead of my time.

According to my BIL you were lied to. It doesn't exist. It's also nonsense for people to be either vegetarian or vegan. (His thinking, not mine.)

Of course he's developed a "condition" over the past several years that has made him "sensitive" to a wide, changeable variety of foods that I am not to serve. When he comes to our home for large gatherings he beelines directly for all of the foods my MIL makes a point to tell me are terrible for him and scarfs down as much as will fit in his gullet without his pants splitting.

 

[aaarcher86]

The people who argue that a kid with allergies shouldn't fly and inconvenience other flyers with a peanut free request, probably don't think parents of children who can't stand in lines at WDW should never take them. Your child is overstimulated, has autism etc and can't stand in a line? Keep him/her away from Disney. Don't expect the rest of us to accommodate your kid.
Yeah, life doesn't work that way.

I definitely thing there are SOME cases where kids shouldn't go, yeah. Real world example: the blogger who has an adult 200lb son who will physically beat her and others up if he has to wait. Mmhmm, yeah. I think they should explore other options.

It's not some strange concept. Just weigh the risks. If your success factor relies on 200 strangers to comply with your request it might be a better idea, for the life of your child apparently, to look at alternatives.

I think life works exactly that way. Everyone can't do everything. It's the people that think it doesn't that seem to cause the most issue, IMO. I'm all for reasonable accommodation. Some things aren't reasonable.

 

[sam_gordon]

The people who argue that a kid with allergies shouldn't fly and inconvenience other flyers with a peanut free request, probably don't think parents of children who can't stand in lines at WDW should never take them. Your child is overstimulated, has autism etc and can't stand in a line? Keep him/her away from Disney. Don't expect the rest of us to accommodate your kid.
Yeah, life doesn't work that way.

To me, a reasonable accommodation for your hypothetical autism child is to issue someone in the party a card. The person with the card can stand in the line while the autism child waits elsewhere. When the card carrying person gets to the front of the line, the child can join them. That doesn't affect anyone. If a person is traveling with just themselves and the child, the CM at the ride entrance issues basically a FP. They have a general idea of how long the line is. The write the 'return time' down and the adult and child can enter from the exit at the appropriate time.

If you'll let me know how you can make that solution work for an airplane, I'll understand the comparison.

 

[gwynne]

The people who argue that a kid with allergies shouldn't fly and inconvenience other flyers with a peanut free request, probably don't think parents of children who can't stand in lines at WDW should never take them. Your child is overstimulated, has autism etc and can't stand in a line? Keep him/her away from Disney. Don't expect the rest of us to accommodate your kid.
Yeah, life doesn't work that way.

Wow. I am happy to comply. I do care about children.

I am realistic. Personally, I don't believe 100% of the 100+ passengers on a plane will absolutely comply with a peanut ban announcement. The reasons for not complying could be a language barrier, headphones, late boarding, or they just don't care, or ?
What surprises me is that folks with severe, life threatening peanut allergies would be willing to risk a reaction for themselves or their kids for the convenience of air travel. Their risk, their choice. I am not arguing they shouldn't fly. But honestly, it does surprise me.

 

[sam_gordon]

the plane HVAC is pretty much a closed system while you are in-flight

I appreciate your post but wanted to pick out this part of it. I didn't realize it either until a PP pointed it out, but it's NOT a closed system...

Studies have shown that a crowded airplane is no more germ-laden than other enclosed spaces—and usually less. Those underfloor filters are described by manufacturers as being of hospital quality. I needn’t be reminded that hospitals are notorious viral incubators, but Boeing says that between 94 and 99.9 percent of airborne microbes are captured, and there’s a total changeover of air every two or three minutes—far more frequently than occurs in offices, movie theaters, or classrooms.

Source

 

[bcla]

So how does my eating peanuts in a different part of the plane injure someone else? I can see if it they are touching me with it on me or if they grab my bag of peanuts if they are falling but just being in the same location? They need a bubble.

Might not matter that much outdoors, but a plane is a very specific environment where the cabin is pressurized and the air mostly recirculated. The Ryanair flight that I mentioned had the guy with the peanuts four rows back of the kid whose face swelled up and who passed out. The adrenaline that she was carrying was administered by a paramedic who happened to be on board, but she still could have died before it was administered. If it's severe, the tongue and nasal passages will swell up and restrict breathing. That can be pretty bad when accompanied by lung spasms. Some suffer heart attacks when the arteries spasm.

 

[Mkrop]

The people who argue that a kid with allergies shouldn't fly and inconvenience other flyers with a peanut free request, probably don't think parents of children who can't stand in lines at WDW should never take them. Your child is overstimulated, has autism etc and can't stand in a line? Keep him/her away from Disney. Don't expect the rest of us to accommodate your kid.
Yeah, life doesn't work that way.

what an apple and oranges comparison

 

[sam_gordon]

the cabin is pressurized and the air mostly recirculated.

Check your facts please.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I bought plane tickets last December. Apparently, the flight was cancelled only a couple of days after I purchased them. Seven months went by before I noticed the problem and called the airline. Their response? "Oops, someone should've contacted you."

If they can't even make sure everyone is notified of cancellations, I can only imagine how badly they'd drop the ball when it comes to notifying passengers about an allergen-free flight. If they did manage to properly notify everyone, there's still the issue of passenger compliance and how the crew members will enforce a peanut ban. If they did manage to enforce it and get all the passengers to comply, there's still the issue of residual peanut oils or dust from passengers who were on the plane prior to that flight. When you're dealing with this type of allergy, one that can be deadly in trace amounts and can be spread though consumption, contact, airborne particles... Completely eliminating the risk in crowded, public places is just.not.feasible.

I would certainly comply if I was told my flight was going to be peanut-free, no big deal. But, I don't see how asking one planeload of passengers to refrain from eating peanuts is going to guarantee any kind of safety for people who suffer with an allergy that severe. If it were my life-threatening allergy, or my child's, I wouldn't even risk it. And, if I were a lawyer for the airline I'd advise them to not even try to present the illusion that any of their flights are 100% peanut-free. It's a tragic situation and/or lawsuit waiting to happen.

 

[Jaya]

Fly and take your chances on someone getting out the peanuts or drive and control your environment - those are your choices. But unless you're Blanch DuBois, don't count on depending on the kindness of strangers (and we know how that turned out....) Outside of a few people who are waving the "I'M GOING TO EAT MY PEANUTS NO MATTER WHO I KILL!" flag, most people will comply with the request to by-pass the legumes. But they're not going to jump up and yell "I confess! I ate a peanut-butter sandwich on the way to the airport! I'll be delighted to deplane and miss my meeting/vacation/brother's wedding so your accommodations can be met!" Nope, not gonna happen.

So, how can you risk your child's life depending on people agreeing to do what you want them to? And even if all the "pie in the sky" events above occur, how can your guarantee that the previous occupant of the seat your child is sitting in didn't eat a whole bag of peanuts, and touched everything in the general area. I don't care how thoroughly the airline has "cleaned" the plane prior to your boarding (and we know they don't do a very good job of it on a regular basis), there's going to be peanut dust somewhere in that plane.

If I had a child who had such a life-threatening allergy that they might die if someone 12 rows back opens a bag of peanuts, I couldn't take a chance like that. No vacation is worth it. The only person your child can depend on for his/her safety is YOU, not some stranger on a plane or a train or a cruise ship.

OK, off the soapbox.