Last week the New York Times featured an article, ‘”What Should Airlines Do About Children with Peanut Allergies”. It’s a well written article and I suggest you take a peek at it. To sum it up: Lianne Mandelbaum and her son had a horrible experience on United Airlines. Lianne did not sit down and cry into her rice milk over the situation. Instead, she started a petition that we discussed on this blog and has now launched a website, No Nut Traveler. Her story breaks my heart and raises a critical question. The flight attendant told Lianne – in front of her food allergic son, “If you think he’s going to die, then don’t get on the plane”. Her son burst into tears since he had just read about Natalie Giorgi’s tragic death and said he didn’t want to die!?! This boils my blood. Can you image the emotional damage and stress that was callously tossed at Lianne’s son? Ignorance of paid United Airline staff aside, Lianne is bringing up a critical point: can airline travel for nut allergic travelers be safe? No Nut Traveler is catalyst website to me-it will help you and me move in the right direction with some tools in our hands. The website gives us some how to’s…
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- Sign a petition for safer flights
- Share your experiences with airlines so a database of support can be built
- How to write your legislator
- How to File a complaint if appropriate
- Share your story about an emergency landing because of a food allergy emergency
Image courtesy of Thankunkorn via Freedigitalphotos.net
I think it would be in the best interest of the airlines to not exclude a paying group when the solution is simple. People with food allergies understand they are taking risks daily and don’t expect anyone to guarantee a safe environment. I believe the airline industry needs to speak to their risk managers and consider the huge risk they are taking by not addressing a national growing issue. Personally, I’m not seeking a safe airline flight for a vacation, I’m seeking risk reduction for business and urgent travel too. Sometimes, funerals or family emergencies can’t wait for someone to drive across country or businesses can’t wait for key employees to drive across states either.
Image courtesy of Lianne Mandelbaum of Lianne and son!
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
In 2010, the government proposed making airlines adopt uniform regulations for peanuts onboard during airline travel. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America submitted a comment letter urging the federal government to:
1. Require airlines to implement consistent, uniform policies and practices that provide better access to air travel for people who have severe peanut allergies;
2. Require airlines to provide mandatory training to airline personnel on policies and practices that promote the safety and comfort of peanut allergic travelers;
3. Require airlines to include epinephrine auto-injectors in the emergency medical kit on every passenger flight;
4. Ban airlines from serving peanuts and products containing peanuts; and
5. Require that airlines offer peanut allergic patients a peanut-free zone or peanut free flights upon request.
Thousands of other also commented. Before it could enforce changes on airlines, the peanut grower industry forced FAA to postpone new requirements until it could show rigorous scientific evidence that peanuts are a risk to airline passengers, or face reduced funding.
If you want change, contact your member of Congress, especially those of you who live in peanut growing states.
I’ve frequently wondered why airlines are so wedded to handing out a dangerous allergen to their customers. Does the National Peanut Board have members on the boards of all the airlines? I wish I could somehow follow the money trail, because there has to be one for airlines to be so stubborn on this issue.
Something else I’ve noticed is that whenever the subject of removing peanuts from airlines comes up, the deceptive response is that “We cannot guarantee a peanut free environment.” Anyone who manages food allergies knows that it’s virtually impossible to guarantee that a public space is free of food residue, which is a much different scenario than ceasing to deliberately load it into an environment with no access to emergency medical services!
Thanks for linking to someone doing valuable work on this front! I have a feeling this battle is going to be one of the harder ones.
Hi Libby,
Please share this with your network. I really believe that we need to get behind this effort. This is what I keep learning over and over–it comes down to us. Government can’t make change if don’t ask, schools won’t budge until we educate and it looks likes the airlines need us too. They just don’t know it yet.
Charlotte,
Excellent Advise regarding contacting your member of Congress. Thank you very much for taking the time to post about how AAFA has been active. As you know, I am a hard core AAFA supporter and appreciate your education of what has taken place in the past. Seems like we have a big hill to climb, but look back over the last five years–we scaled some serious mountains. Thank you everything you do for our food allergy and asthma community. I personally have appreciated your support during Nevada’s legislative process in Mandating EpiPens in public schools!
Thank you SO much for posting this! Grassroots activism like this is what is needed to stop the bullying. Would love to see a legal fund established. We are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, let’s demand enforcement!
Hi Anne,
Thanks for joining our conversation! I have to admit that I have a special spot in my heart for grassroot efforts. They are more powerful than people realize. Our voices need to get louder and I think Lianne is helping us find that pathway! Stay in touch Anne!
I would love to see better guidelines for air travel with food allergies. But it seems the entire focus is always around peanut when any food can cause a fatal reaction. My daughter has several life threatening allergies but can eat as much peanut as she wants. I would rather see the focus on cleaning and managing the physical space around the allergic person. For example, wiping down the surfaces, creating a buffer zone, etc. I am not sure we can expect the airline to eliminate any one food.
Jenn,
We manage sesame seed allergies in our family and I would love to see nuts managed on airplanes and I agree 100%+ about cleaning and allowing for pre-boarding to wipe down surfaces, etc. I know there are solutions out there, we need to find the logical and safest balance. I think as long as we keep this conversation going it will help our cause.
As a mom with a son who has severe peanut allergy I would love to see nut free airlines! Food allergies are growing and the there are so many other items that can be served as a snack instead of nuts. The scary part about nut allergies is that they can be air born so regardless if they do clean up and offer a buffer zone a person eating nuts 10 rows a head can spread the nuts through air. Being in the air and starting a anaphylaxis reaction would not be very fun. Imagine if you have no where to land at the time. My family lives in Europe and I have no other way but to fly to go home. They have not yet met my 5 1/2 son and it’s breaking my heart. But I am scared to death to put my son on a flight crossing the Atlantic and the possibility he will have a reaction where no where to land in time regardless if I have EPI pens with me….they only last so long. I’m scared my Grandmother will never get to meet my son or that my aging parents will get a chance to meet their grandson.
Andrea,
I really understand. Thankfully, our overseas family is still able to fly here. But…if not, then my children would not know their grandparents at all. I’m personally not comfortable flying that far without a strong attempt at risk reduction. I truly believe that thanks to Lianne creating the network for communication, we’ll hear more stories and the airline industry may find a better understanding of their customers..or non customers. I am more comfortable now with my children flying since they are old enough to not stick their fingers in their mouths, can wear masks if necessary, etc. I know we can’t reduce all risk, but working to reduce risk does make a difference.
Think posting the petition on Facebook is a good idea. Consider it done!
Summer,
You are the best!!!
My 8 years old daughter is very allergic to peanuts/all tree nuts. We flew with TAP Portugal to Europe last week. Had booked thru United and did not realize the flight is operated by TAP till a day before. Contacted TAP and thanks to Mr. Reginald Jackson all steps were taken to make our TAP flights safe for my daughter. We had a great trip and traveled stress free knowing that there are no peanuts/nuts being served on all the flights. We thank the entire crew of TAP Portugal.Flying with TAP is the way to enter Europe for peanut/nut allergy sufferers. The crew explained the situation to each passenger and requested them not to consume nuts. This ensured that other passengers were not upset and were very willing to follow the request.
Sonia, What a great story to share! I confess that when I started reading, I was bracing myself to hear about a bad experience. This was very refreshing to learn about a GOOD Experience. This gives us all hope. Have a wonderful day.