Prohibit All commercial airlines flying into, out of, or within the United States from serving Nuts

  • by: Iris Fullilove
  • recipient: Congress, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), The Airline Industry

Peanuts are included in one of the top allergens that account for 90 percent of all reactions. And while all allergens can leave traces, nuts are the only one that is served by most airlines.

Currently, each airline has their own procedures regarding peanut allergies. Few airlines will make announcements advising passengers that someone with allergies are on board and to please refrain from eating nuts during the flight. Most airlines states that they do not have a procedures in place to accommodate passengers with allergies and they strongly encourage customers to take all necessary medical precautions to prepare for the possibility of exposure. Basically, the passenger has to fly at their own risk. Clearly the airline industry does not understand or do not care about the potential danger of someone with allergies.

The purpose of the petition is to: “Prohibit all commercial airlines flying to, from, and within the United States from serving prepared meals and snacks. Also, prohibit passengers from opening and consuming food containing or made with nuts.”

A person allergic to nuts can have a reaction that range from hives and an itchy throat to anaphylaxis shock and death. Once an anaphylactic reaction starts, medication must be administered and immediate emergency medical attention is necessary. The epi-pen only stabilizes the person for twenty minutes and it is recommended that the maximum of three be given at one time. Meaning that that the person only has at most 60 minutes before they must have emergency medical attention. Landing a plane is not the same as calling the ambulance. You cannot just pull over a plane and there need to be an airport within an hour for the plan to land or else the person could die. Is it that important to serve or eat peanuts on planes?

How about buffer zones?

Buffer zones are a great start but because food particles containing proteins can become airborne someone still may have a reaction. This might occur, for example, by cracking open a peanut shell that disperses particles in the air. Inhaling peanut protein in this type of situation could cause an allergic reaction. Anaphylactic shock usually does not occur from smelling peanut dust but can such as in the case of a Sacramento women who is currently suing United Airlines because a passenger ate some peanuts that they brought from home. The pilot had to divert the plane and she was hospitalized for two days.

What about making an announcement?

An announcement is made on a per flight basis. If there is no one on that particular flight with an allergy then the passengers on that flight can enjoy their peanuts, potentially leaving peanuts. If there is a person with an allergy on the next flight on the same plane, then there is the potential for that person to have a reaction. Also, what about the person who ignores the announcement which was the case aboard a Ryanair flight. A passenger ignored the three warnings not to eat nuts on board and the girl went in to anaphylactic shock and passed out because the nut particles were circulated throughout the aircraft by the air conditioning. She was revived with a pen injection and was taken to the hospital for medical attention.

Penalty for consuming or serving peanuts?

Eating peanuts on airplanes would have to be a federal offense and therefore a felony because airplanes fly all over the United States. It has to be a felony because, unlike smoking, there is no way to detect if passengers are actually eating nuts. Also, passengers need to understand the potential hazard to those that may come in contact with or inhale nuts or its proteins.  I suggest that the passnger be arrested upon arrival at the next airport that the airplane lands.  Also, the offender faces mandatory fines as well as being prohibited from flying for at least a year.

I suggest that when the flight crew make an announcement that smoking is prohibited during the duration of the flight, that they also include nuts as well.

Prohibiting peanuts on planes is just like banning smoking. This may seem impossible but there was a time when smoking was allowed on airplanes and now they are not because someone took a stand. It is time we take a stand for those living with allergies.

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