Airlines and Allergy Issues

Fowler suffered a life-threatening reaction yesterday after being served chicken curry containing cashew nuts, despite informing a flight attendant he had a severe nut allergy.

The winner of the Love Island Games was given five tanks of oxygen and had to administer his Adrenaline Pen (EpiPen), before being rushed to the Dubai International Airport hospital for further treatment.

Juliet Moran, the founder of AllergyMenu.uk, has expressed concern over airline staff‘s negligence when it comes to allergies and says more needs to be done to train cabin crew.

She said: “Allergic reactions can be deadly if not treated immediately, but if someone goes into anaphylactic shock on a flight 35,000 feet in the air, the risks are even greater.

“Airlines must know how to behave when a passenger has an allergy, and take the necessary steps to ensure people living with allergies are taken seriously.

“It is extremely distressing to see that Jack Fowler had a near-fatal reaction on board a flight after being given cashew nuts, despite telling staff he had a severe nut allergy.

“Clearly the extent of Jack‘s food allergies was not taken seriously by staff, and the incident could have been a tragedy if he had not acted fast.

“Airlines must do more to protect people with allergies and flight attendants need vigorous training to eradicate the risk of eating nuts, or even being close to someone else eating them, on a plane.

“Catching a flight shouldn’t be a life or death concern for people with allergies, so airlines must provide accurate and reliable dietary information and train their staff to be on top of allergen information and safely communicate it with passengers.

“Jack‘s experience also opens up the debate on whether nuts should be allowed on board a plane at all, let alone be served by the airlines themselves.

“Over two million people in the UK have clinically confirmed food allergies. The most common are peanuts and tree nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds.

“Anaphylactic shock can be triggered by inhalation of nut particles, which means food inhalation can cause major reactions for people suffering even if it is just smelling or being in the proximity of the food.

“A food allergy can be deadly anywhere, but when confined to an aircraft, there is not always the medical help people need thousands of feet in the air, which makes the need for proper allergy regulations on board an aircraft even more dire.”

Written on 2024-07-18 by Juliet Moran

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