Call for in-flight ‘nut-free’ buffer zones
The mother of a child with a life-threatening peanut allergy is calling for aircraft to have buffer zones for passengers with certain food allergies.
Her call comes just days after a four-year-old British girl with a severe nut allergy went into shock on a Ryanair flight from Tenerife after a passenger sitting four rows away opened a packet of peanuts.
The air-conditioning on board meant nut particles were circulated around the aircraft, causing the girl to pass out.
An ambulance worker onboard used the girl’s adrenaline pen to administer an injection, which brought her back round.
Now US mum Lianne Mandelbaum, who says she was almost removed from a United Airlines flight last year because of her son’s condition, is lobbying for the Federal Aviation Authority to introduce a US-wide rule to prevent a similar occurrence in the States.
A petition calling for a buffer zone to be created around allergy sufferers has gained almost 14,000 signatures.
The buffer zone would prohibit snacks containing nuts to be sold to passengers in three rows in front of or behind an allergy sufferer.
"I am not after a nut ban, just the ability to pre-board, wipe down the seat area, and make an announcement that will let everyone live with their own moral compass around me," Mandelbaum said.
Mandelbaum says the lobbying is slowly paying dividends.
WestJet is no longer serving peanuts and JetBlue will create a buffer zone if requested. Other airlines have yet to respond and United Airlines has shown no signs of a change in policy, Mandelbaum said.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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