How to Find Airlines to Fight Food Allergies
In a story for the New York Times, a traveler with a severe apple allergy shared her recent experience when she was denied boarding on an Emirates flight. According to her story, she filled out a medical allergy request form and submitted it to the airline, but these documents were not enough to convince the airline of her ability to fly.
“When I arrived at the Cape Town boarding gate for my flight to Dubai (the first leg of my flight home to Chicago), I was told I could not board,” she wrote. “I was taken from the group to a separate room where I was interrogated and shouted by Emirates staff.”
In the end, she ate the cost of her flight, as well as the cost of booking a new one, largely due to the airline’s arbitrary policy on passengers with food allergies. Back in January 2017 , a family of four also flew on an American Airlines flight due to their sons’ peanut allergy; According to the New York Times , other food allergy sufferers recently filed formal complaints against the airline for alleged discriminatory practices.
The reason for denying boarding to passengers is simple. Airlines do not want to take the risk of returning mid-flight in an emergency, no matter how unlikely the chances are that it will happen – call it a safety / liability issue or just an airline trying to make a profit.
Some airlines will help you better than others
Given the likelihood that your flight will depart, you may be wondering what your rights are if you report food allergies when you book online or contact airlines by phone. Unfortunately, you will not find anything to do with your rights in the contracts of carriage with major airlines, and most airlines try not to mention the “guarantees” that your allergen will not be present on the flight.
However, it’s worth noting that some airlines may be better suited to you and those with food allergies; JetBlue, for example, will provide passengers with allergies with a buffer zone in a row in front of and behind them (and warn those in the rows to refrain from consuming the allergen). Fortunately, a recent Department of Transportation ruling also ruled that pre-boarding should be allowed for all airline nut allergies, which means passengers can board earlier to sanitize the seat before departure.
If you want to know what you can expect from your flight, below you will find each airline’s current food allergy policy. (We’ll also preface this by stating that most airlines have nut allergy specific policies, although some airlines may be better suited to your specific needs):
- Alaska : On its website, the airline notes that some of the top-notch dinners and meals available for purchase may contain nuts.
- American : No peanuts are served on board, but “there may be traces of an unspecified nut ingredient in meals and snacks, including peanut butter.”
- Delta : For those with a peanut allergy, they will “refrain from bringing peanuts and peanut products on board your flight.”
- Jetblue : Airline allows for a buffer zone one row in front and one behind you for people with food allergies. They also do not serve peanuts on board, but they also do not guarantee that they will not be brought on board by other passengers.
- United : They do not serve peanuts on board, but they also do not guarantee that they will not be brought on board by other passengers.
To request a special meal, you generally must also request it at least 24 hours before departure in order for the airline to accommodate you. According to Million Mile Secret s , in terms of precautions, you should also be careful with the packaging of your medicines and provide any documentation (for example, a doctor’s certificate) when declaring them to the security service. Also, keep any medication on hand in case of an emergency. You can also plan the airport restaurant menu in advance to avoid any problems.
For other resources, be sure to check out the alternative airline ‘s guide to flying with nut allergies. No Nut Traveler is another good resource, with stories from travelers with different food allergies and their experiences on different airlines so you can better predict your own experiences.
This story was updated on 12/13/19 to reflect DOT’s pre-boarding order.