Waiting to board our plane and....

[Jon84]

Emailing in advance relies on people telling the airline. Never gonna happen. On our last flight we had the announcement during taxi-ing

 

[fly girl]

And my mother is diabetic and carries peanut butter crackers around with her to accommodate HER health needs. Why does one person's needs trump others?

Yes, there has to be another way to ensure that other passengers aren't put out. If one has a severe allergy that needs accommodation such as no nuts on the plane, then they need to alert the airline when making the ticket purchase and the airline needs to alert the fellow passengers- not day of, but in advance so they can plan their food needs accordingly. In the age of internet, there shouldn't be much of a problem making this a reality.

The airlines have OJ and snacks that would help your mother. No one is trying to out do one another.

Most families alert the airline when purchasing tickets, I'm sure some don't. However, re-routes and all sorts of factors can come into play, so even if they did contact every person on the plane at the time the allergic person booked the flight their flights could change to no fault of their own.

Peanut allergies that severe aren't the norm, it doesn't happen very often. I'd rather go hours without peanut products than make an emergency landing because a passenger went into anaphylactic shock from inhaling peanuts. But that's just me.

 

[Dawnlight]

There is literally nothing else your mother could ear aside from peanut butter crackers for her sugar needs? I know those little packages of crackers are convenient. We carry the cheese ones. But there's nothing that would work for her? Nothing?

Did I say there was nothing else?! I said that's what she carries, and if she were flying and that's what was packed in her purse, and she got a last minute notice like this, she'd be put out. It's not anyone else's job to alter their lives to accommodate other people's needs. Do they request this on public transit? Or do they just not ride on buses or subways?

 

[kamik86]

There is literally nothing else your mother could ear aside from peanut butter crackers for her sugar needs? I know those little packages of crackers are convenient. We carry the cheese ones. But there's nothing that would work for her? Nothing?

The point isn't that there isn't other things she could eat. There are other things I could bring too. But we don't know that peanuts will be an issue until we are about to board. So we may not have brought those other things that day.

 

[mondragon]

The airline just announced that a passenger has a severe peanut allergy and asked that people not eat anything with nuts while on the plane. Some people are put off by this. I'm torn. I don't want to have to make an emergency landing if they go into an allergic reaction or the person have an allergic reaction but I also feel that 180-190 people shouldn't be put off for one person. We have peanut m&m's but won't eat them out of courtesy and his/ her safety.

But if it was your child/husband/mother/father who has this serious allergy then you would have no problem with the request.

 

[mondragon]

Did I say there was nothing else?! I said that's what she carries, and if she were flying and that's what was packed in her purse, and she got a last minute notice like this, she'd be put out. It's not anyone else's job to alter their lives to accommodate other people's needs. Do they request this on public transit? Or do they just not ride on buses or subways?

So it's ok to put a child into respiratory distress because mom needs her peanut butter crackers. What a selfish thing to say.

 

[Dawnlight]

But if it was your child/husband/mother/father who has this serious allergy then you would have no problem with the request.

Why do you make this assumption about other people? I knew a mom who had a son with severe allergies and instead of relying on the general public to bow and bend to her and her child's needs she homeschooled. She didn't use the public library because the risk of contamination on books; she made accommodations for her son; she didn't expect everyone else to do it for her.

It's called personal responsibility.

 

[kamik86]

Most airlines still hand out peanuts. So the chances that you would be getting on a plane that already had peanut oil on the floor and seats is pretty good. I have definitely been on flights where I got on and their were peanuts on the floor. Or a peanut wrapper in the seat back pocket in front of me.

As for those saying that the airlines have other snacks and juice that you could have.... well have you ever been on a long flight were it took them several hours to actually get to the part where they give those out? Or a shorter flight where they never did because of turbulence?

It is my opinion that if the airline and or the passenger with the issue isn't providing some alternative or even enough time for someone to find an alternative to what they have with them then they can't dictate what is eaten on board.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

I always ask this and never get an answer. If someone is truly that allergic--that having a peanut somewhere at the other end of the plane is going to cause that person to react and die--how do you function in everyday life???? You can't go into the supermarket and request that all peanut products be put away. You can't go to the library and be guaranteed that the person before you didn't have a PBJ before coming and touched the door handle. You can request that everyone in the movie theater put away their Goobers and peanut M&Ms. You can't go anywhere where there's other people--church, school, shopping, hospital, library, post office, etc., etc.--and be absolutely sure that everyone within 100 feet is absolutely peanut free. So how do these people survive???

And the PP who mentioned that people with allergies hate asking for these accommodations... Maybe some of them do. But I see many, many more that actually seem to want the entire world to bend to their needs. It seems to be much more about the, "all about me" attitude than the trying to adjust to the world as it is.

 

[Hrhpd]

I would hope if someone had a life threatening peanut allergy, the airline would email those on the flight before hand so they can make arrangements. Telling people at the gate seems a bit too last minute to me.

What if someone just ate peanuts in the car on the way over? Works in a food factory where peanuts are on their clothes? An autistic child that is in an "only eat peanut butter" phase whose mother now can't take his food on the plane for a long flight/layover?

I would never risk my child's life by trusting 100+ strangers to abide. It would be one long car ride, or a no go.

You can say all the "what ifs?" that other people may do, but to me, that is not an excuse to just go ahead and do what you want and put a child at risk. If "I" was told that there was a child with a life threatening allergy on the plane, I can only monitor my own behavior and I sure as hell am not going to purposely try and kill a child by eating peanuts when asked not to.

I have a good friend whose daughter, now an adult, had one of the worst peanut allergies that Jewish Hospital in Denver (leading research facility of peanut allergies) had ever seen. They were extremely good about making her live in the world she had to live in and not making concessions. They taught her how to deal with life, with people that she might meet. For instance, to touch handrails she always had wipes that she put on her hand between the handrail, etc.

The only place they could not really control was an airplane. With the recirculated air, if somebody opened a bag of peanuts or peanut m&ms, the peanut dust could kill her quickly. They weren't so worried about peanut butter sandwiches or such as the oil in the peanut butter kept the dust down, just opening a sealed package with peanuts that could release dust into the air. For the issue of a previous passenger having peanuts, they would board early so that they could wipe her seat and tray down completely before she sat down.

They would write the airline, call the airline and indicate it on their reservation that peanut dust was deadly. Believe me, they were just as frustrated with the airlines that they gave them ample time to ask passengers not to bring anything with peanuts in them (excepting peanut butter) and the airline decides to make the first announcement at boarding after ensuring the family it would make sure the plane was safe.

And as for driving, there just are places you cannot drive all the time. With vacation schedules, it just is not feasible to drive to WDW for a vacation from the West.

 

[Dawnlight]

So it's ok to put a child into respiratory distress because mom needs her peanut butter crackers. What a selfish thing to say.

What a selfish thing for a person with allergies to wait until the last minute to inform the airline and fellow passengers. What a selfish thing to expect other people to accommodate your needs.

I have a child with an allergy to bees and other stinging insects. It's deathly and uncontrollable. I don't expect ONE. SINGLE. PERSON other than myself, dh, and my child to accommodate his needs. I have another child that's allergic to penicillin. I don't expect any other person other than myself, his doctors, and my child to accommodate his needs.

I'm sure the next step is just to banish peanuts altogether.

 

[phorsenuf]

So it's ok to put a child into respiratory distress because mom needs her peanut butter crackers. What a selfish thing to say.

Someone who is diabetic can easily go into distress just as much as a person with a peanut allergy. If the only thing she had packed was the crackers to ward off a problem with her blood sugar, then I could see why she may be a bit put out. It's not like she was going to eat them just because, to her they may be medically necessary.

 

[morgan98]

If me or my child had such a severe allergy that someone 15 rows back eating a granola bar would endanger my life, I would not be getting on a plane. I agree that I would not place my trust with strangers to keep us safe.

This is the part of the whole argument that confuses me. If the allergy is SO severe that the risk of everyone on the plane (just not those sitting in the near vicinity) can cause a deadly reaction, I would not get on the plane with my child. How about in the airport when someone pulls out peanut butter crackers in the waiting area? Or a Snickers bar? Or the person in line in security with peanut butter breath? You cannot protect against all situations and those would seem to be just as dangerous too.

 

[Nohal]

 

[Dawnlight]

That's not Cracker Jack is it? Nuts- run for your lives!!!!

 

[Hrhpd]

This is the part of the whole argument that confuses me. If the allergy is SO severe that the risk of everyone on the plane (just not those sitting in the near vicinity) can cause a deadly reaction, I would not get on the plane with my child. How about in the airport when someone pulls out peanut butter crackers in the waiting area? Or a Snickers bar? Or the person in line in security with peanut butter breath? You cannot protect against all situations and those would seem to be just as dangerous too.

There is not recirculated air in those areas.

 

[jdb in AZ]

The airlines could e-mail everyone ahead of time, but what about the standby passengers that board right after eating a Snickers bar or Reese's Peanut Butter Cup while waiting to hear if there was room on the plane?

plus there's still techno-phobes who don't have e-mail. I know several.

 

[daisyduck123]

I would never risk my child's life by trusting 100+ strangers to abide. It would be one long car ride, or a no go.

Yep. Same here. My child, my responsibility.....not the public's.

 

[fly girl]

Most airlines still hand out peanuts. So the chances that you would be getting on a plane that already had peanut oil on the floor and seats is pretty good. I have definitely been on flights where I got on and their were peanuts on the floor. Or a peanut wrapper in the seat back pocket in front of me.

As for those saying that the airlines have other snacks and juice that you could have.... well have you ever been on a long flight were it took them several hours to actually get to the part where they give those out? Or a shorter flight where they never did because of turbulence?

It is my opinion that if the airline and or the passenger with the issue isn't providing some alternative or even enough time for someone to find an alternative to what they have with them then they can't dictate what is eaten on board.

Airlines attempt (notice the second word) to really clean the plane throughly when they know of a severe peanut allergy. Parents of allergic kids always come onboard and wipe the kids area down too. Sure it's not 100% free but no area ever is.

Several hours to get a snack? It's typically 30-40 minutes from take off where you are served unless there's turbulence or pending turbulence and the captain has asked the crew to remain seated. And shorter flights under an hour are rarely served a snack and drink. There's not enough time for 3 flight attendants to serve 150 people.

Of course, if you are a diabetic and needing help, by all means ring the call button. That's what it's for!

 

[TifffanyD]

When did the person on the plane with the peanut allergy turn into a child who would go into respiratory distress?

Anyways - I would comply, obviously. But I would think the person is an idiot for taking that chance.