Profile: kaukkonen
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That’s the issue: the possibility is so remote as to be infinitesimal, and it’s never happened. Which is why there’s no reason to start banning foods on airlines. There’s no danger of a lawsuit, since all passengers accept the risks when flying, just as when sports fans accept the risks of being injured at a game. It’s part of the terms you accept when buying a ticket.
Since the risk to that very small percentage of people is so remote, there’s no reason to ban peanuts or any other type of food. Everyone is allergic to something, so that would also mean other foods would need to be banned, up to the point where there would no longer be anything served during flight. That is an absurd overreaction for a small group of people. There’s a risk of the plan… more »
Air travel is part of modern living, but unless you’re crossing the ocean, you aren’t being forced to fly, and nothing prevents any allergy sufferer from flying except irrational fears such as this one.
What’s wrong with pretzels? If you don’t know,, then you really have no idea what you’re talking about here. Pretzels contain gluten, which is also a food allergy, along with higher levels of salt, which is not good for people who have high blood pressure.
Your simplistic belief that banning peanuts would solve a problem is not founded in reality. There are already peanuts on-board the aircraft, so that assumed threat will still be there, but still not affecting you in any way. That will just cause you to focus on something even more inane, like trying to force airlines to remove the seats and the sub-floor to get rid of all those peanuts, replace the seats entirely, and have certain aircraft designated as “peanut free”. « less
kaukkonen thank you for your post. Do you have any suggestions as to where the DOT should draw the line in banning products that may contain peanut products?
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I have lived my entire life with a peanut allergy; I carry emergency medicines with me at all times. In the past I have flown on planes serving peanut products and have been fine. I stopped flying on flights serving peanuts after having an asthma attack on a Southwest flight in 2007. It was not a life-threatening reaction but, to me, further exposure was not worth the risk. (In allergic individuals each allergen exposure results in a faster, more severe reaction the next time they come in contact with the allergen due to antibody production.) So far I have not relied on the government to keep me safe; I vote with my wallet and pay to fly on airlines that do not serve peanuts (i.e. American Airlines.)
In response to what DOT wants to know:
1) I know that there are individuals who are more… more »
I cannot understand why all airlines do not voluntarily stop serving peanuts. Will it actually take someone dying mid-flight, (and the inevitable law suit,) to change peoples’ minds?
2) I believe that the risk posed by peanuts to a small percentage of the population warrants them not being served on airplanes. Air travel is a necessary part of modern living and cannot be avoided by those with allergies. I do not believe that airlines need – or should – carry epipens. The people best trained to use them are those with the allergy and presumably will have their own if the risk demands.
3) I cannot fathom why airlines would go through the trouble of carrying epipens (and training flight attendants to use them) just so they can continue to serve peanuts. What is so bad about pretzels after all? It seems as if some people believe that peanuts are the only thing that can be served on an airplane.
4) I do not believe that foods which would release peanut dust into the air should be served. In my mind this includes packages of peanuts and peanut butter crackers. For simplicity’s sake I would support a total peanut ban on airplanes but this may be impossible. Having read ingredient labels for my entire life, I am no longer surprised by the unlikely foods that contain peanuts. « less