Waiting to board our plane and....

[Dawnlight]

How is it that airlines can restrict woman who are pregnant past a certain week from flying, due to risk of having to land from complications, but they can't restrict passengers with allergies? Why is one allowed and not the other?

 

[sam_gordon]

And yes, they are just as entitled to fly to WDW as any other person is.

Maybe entitled was the wrong word to use. Maybe 'right' is better. There is no 'right' to travel by commercial airline. If someone couldn't afford an airline ticket, would you say they're still entitled to a seat on an airplane? If the only way you can go to a vacation destination is to fly, then you make allowances to do so, don't expect 150 others to do so. I know I'm not explaining myself well, and I apologize.

 

[kaytieeldr]

A building has a bigger system than a plane. Planes circulate all their air, buildings don't.

Planes recycle the air.

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/story?id=1213901&page=1
http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/keep-asking/how-is-aircraft-cabin-air-recycled-during-flights.htm
http://io9.com/why-you-really-get-sick-on-planes-and-how-to-prevent-1471880458 According to this article, "In fact, the average airplane's cabin air is completely refreshed about 20 times per hour. By comparison, the air in your average office building (which is also typically HEPA-filtered) is refreshed just 12 times per hour. " and " on most airplanes, the air is circulated throughout the cabin not from front to back, but from top to bottom. This keeps air supplies localized throughout the plane, so even if you are "sharing somebody else's air" (which, remember, is being constantly filtered and refreshed, anyway) you're only sharing it with the people in your immediate vicinity — not the entire cabin."

 

[kamik86]

If this is such a big deal why do airlines still hand out peanuts? Why not always switch it to the other snacks? They have more options then, they would definitely always have stuff on them and this would GREATLY reduce how much peanut residue was already on the plane you just got on.

Someone mentioned that food allergies are a disability that need to be accommodated. That is true but you have to remember that businesses have to make accommodations. People do not. Since airlines allow peanut products on board they can't just make an announcement to please not eat them 5 min before and be done. If the airlines need to provide accommodations then they burden should be on them and the family with the allergy. Not on the other passengers.

 

[TifffanyD]

That's my favorite thing about allergy threads. It very quickly shows which people are quick to accuse someone of being selfish while being totally selfish themselves. Always good times.

Thankfully, we're done relying on the masses and if anyone wants to talk about peanut desensitization, I'm your girl.

LOL so it's ok for you to call someone selfish but not anyone else? Got it.

 

[Procrastinate]

First let me say that I would certainly abstain from eating any peanut products after an announcement like this, although enough notice would be nice so I could at least go buy another snack at the newstand if I had a peanut product with me.

But if the problem is peanut dust, isn't the airline circulation system already contaminated? They can't possibly clean the air ducts between flights.

 

[littlejimmy]

i have to admit, that I love peanuts on planes. the pretzals don't do it for me at all. and I don't have allergies. but to me this is a no brainer. ditch the peanuts, and an hour after you land, its forgotten. I don't even get why we are discussing this. its a nonissue except for the person that has the peanut allergy. come on people...you do whats right and decent. and we all know what the right and decent thing is here...don't we?

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

Are there really airlines that still give out peanuts to passengers? I can't remember the last time peanuts was a snack option on a flight for me. It's been years and years.

 

[gwynne]

i have to admit, that I love peanuts on planes. the pretzals don't do it for me at all. and I don't have allergies. but to me this is a no brainer. ditch the peanuts, and an hour after you land, its forgotten. I don't even get why we are discussing this. its a nonissue except for the person that has the peanut allergy. come on people...you do whats right and decent. and we all know what the right and decent thing is here...don't we?

Well yes. Except that some of us don't believe that each and every single passenger on every airliner in the US is going to co-operate when asked. (People are allowed to bring snacks and sandwiches onboard, including peanut products.)
And I'll go so far as to say they don't all equally co-operate. Which leaves us with why take the risk, if the risk is potentially death?

 

[Dawnlight]

Here's an interesting article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/wisdom-from-flyers-with-nut-allergies/

In-flight allergy reactions to tree nuts and peanuts have been reported by only small numbers of passengers, and scientists are uncertain whether dust from the nuts poses serious airborne risks to travelers with allergies.

Just over 1 in 10 passengers who responded to the questionnaire reported having had an allergic reaction on an airplane within the previous five years. Some who had reactions reported taking precautions, while others who made no such efforts reported being fine.

Federal legislation prevents regulation of in-flight nut restrictions until a scientific study shows that the dust circulates in the air and also triggers reactions in those with the allergies.

But the dust may have other ways of spreading besides being airborne: Mrs. Palin’s husband once had an in-flight reaction, the family believes, because he touched a bathroom door handle with peanut residue from another passenger.

 

[fly girl]

If this is such a big deal why do airlines still hand out peanuts? Why not always switch it to the other snacks? They have more options then, they would definitely always have stuff on them and this would GREATLY reduce how much peanut residue was already on the plane you just got on.

Severe peanut allergies aren't that common of an occurrence. And the airline will bring on more pretzels in lieu of peanuts on affected flights.

 

[3Gsandme]

LOL so it's ok for you to call someone selfish but not anyone else? Got it.

If you were on oxygen and asked me not to smoke, I wouldn't find you selfish. If you were allergic to my cats and asked me to shut them up before you came over, I wouldn't find you selfish. You expressed a need to me and its not difficult for me to accommodate you. I assume, based on my own experiences, that you wish you didn't have to ask me and that by making a small accommodation that really doesn't matter that much to me, I can be kind to you. It's that simple. To me, refusing to accommodate someone in a small way to help their health is the absolute epitome of selfish.

 

[morgan98]

I agree with you and I would abide by the request. However, I still get to decide if I find the request reasonable, and as of yet, I don't.

This is my stance on it exactly. I am not going to be a jerk and eat peanuts anyway, it is just the logic of the situation does not make much sense to me.

I don't even like peanuts that much anyway, so it is no really going to impact me directly.

I really only fly Delta and I love Biscoff biscuits as my in air snack, but for all I know they are made in a facility that may use nuts.

 

[undertheradar]

Why would anyone expect others to practice personal responsibility? We all know that it is expected that the majority refrain to respect the minority.

If a family member were that much at risk, we would drive. We can control our own actions, everything else is a request. While I'm sure that most would honor the request, why take the risk?

 

[Minnesota!]

Are there really airlines that still give out peanuts to passengers? I can't remember the last time peanuts was a snack option on a flight for me. It's been years and years.

Southwest does, for sure.

 

[Mkrop]

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.

I ask that question a lot too.

I would certainly comply but I would still be annoyed being told at the last minute. The airline can email, call and text me when there is a delay, they can do the same with this issue. Now if it is an emergency they should say so. And they should also make the announcement again at the gate for those who dont get the notifications, but at least a good portion of the plane would be able to make accommodations ahead of time, like the diabetic or the autistic. It is just the courteous thing to do. And if the airline knows and doesnt notify passengers than shame on them

 

[mondragon]

Are there really airlines that still give out peanuts to passengers? I can't remember the last time peanuts was a snack option on a flight for me. It's been years and years.

Exactly. I fly 4x a month and I can't remember the last time they served peanuts. All I ever get is pretzels. Regarding pregnant women flying, as long as they have a dr note stating they are ok to fly, the airline cannot deny boarding. Airlines have no idea how many weeks pregnant they are.

 

[momto2girls]

Are there really airlines that still give out peanuts to passengers? I can't remember the last time peanuts was a snack option on a flight for me. It's been years and years.

Really? I don't think I've ever NOT been offered peanuts on a flight. I've flown recently too-- at least 6 times in the past year. My last flight was 3 weeks ago (U.S. Air/United) and I definitely ate peanuts then.

 

[mondragon]

Southwest does, for sure.

I flew SW last Monday and Friday. They did not have peanuts. Only pretzels and cookies (butter).

 

[Hisgirl]

So people are inconvenienced. So friggin what. Is a passenger going to die if they don't eat a NUT for 3 hours? No. But the person allergic to nuts might. Anaphylaxis allergies can hit hard and fast. An epi pen buys me 15 minutes if I get stung by a honey bee. Show some mercy to our fellow man. Is someone seriously going to say his/her right to eat a NUT overrides someone's right to LIVE?