Talking Allergies

Just wanted to pass on our experience we had with Continental air line on December 27, 2008. Let me begin with it was horifying! We knew we would have some risk with flying with our 8 year old daughter who has a peanut allergy, but no one could prepare us for the experience we had. As we arrived at the terminal for our morning flight, I approached the service desk to notify the air line that this flight would have a child on it that had a life threatening allergy to peanuts/nuts. Her words to me were, there is nothing we can do about not serving peanuts/nuts, that they serve peanuts on the flight and that she had no control as to what any passengers take and eat on the flight. She would be happy to give us our money back and we could drive to where we were going! As she did to a family just the day or so before (which she seemed very proud of doing!). She had absolutely no regard or sympathy to our situation, in fact she was rude.
I asked her if they would consider refraning from serving peanuts on the flight, I agreed that there was no control over the other passengers and what they brought on the plane, but she said no. Our family has never experienced in all the 8 years we have been living with a life threatening allergy, such inconsideration to someone's allergy/life. I walked away in tears, gave my daughter some benedryl and hoped for the best. We wiped everything down on the plane and asked the gentlemen beside us if he had any peanut/nut food, which he replied no. We ate only the peanut/nut free food we brought ourselves.
To my knowledge the flight did not serve any peanut or nut products to any passengers like they stated they would be.
I will make every effort to never fly Continental air line again. Their service was unacceptable and I will be contacting them directly to discuss how we were treated.
We are presently still on vacation and will be flying home on a different air line....we only pray they understand our situation better than Continental.
Christine Corbett - Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada

_________________
Christine Corbett
Daughter 8 year old living with a peanut allergy.

What a horrible experience! That woman has no place working in a customer service job. It may be fine for her to be so flippant but I'm pretty sure her co-workers in the plane were hoping for an uneventful flight just as you were.

I hope you do contact the airline. It may not change what has happened in the past but it lets them be aware that there is negative word of mouth in cyber space and they have room for improvement.

You might mention that currently we are 1612 members strong with many guests who haven't yet registered.

_________________
Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

Sorry to hear of your experience. Had you asked about the served snacks when you booked your flight? We are flying West Jet at the end of the month. I did some research and they sounded like the best airline to use and spent some time on the phone when we booked the flights, asking alot of questions. I was told they don't serve peanuts on the flights and that they put a request for us to sit near the front of the plane to try and keep us away from other passagers as much as possible. We won't know until we check in though if the the seats are available, as I think it depends on how many others have put in a request and their need for the seats. I am crossing my fingers that we won't have any issues.

_________________
DS Sept 2006 - peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, coconut; contact reactions. Asthma. Many animal and environmental allergies.
DS Oct 1990 - Environmental allergies

Christine - this is exactly the attitude and approach we want to change with AL's write-in campaign. We've got to get recognition that airlines are public conveyances. Sure, they're owned by individual companies, and there are other passenger needs and wants to look after.

But telling someone they can get a refund and drive? What rubbish. Would they dream of saying that to someone in a wheelchair? Not a prayer. It just shows the lack of education of the seriousness of the risk. She gave you the "Nervous Nelly" treatment.

Continental is at least phasing out peanuts - see the chart from AL's Winter issue here: http://www.allergicliving.com/documents/airlines.asp. But what airline employees aren't getting is that asking fellow passengers to please refrain from eating one or two foods is smart risk reduction. No guarantees in the schools either, but through anaphylaxis laws and policies, the reaction risk has been lowered.

Course, attendants and agents only follow policies. We've got to start at the top. Again - like a broken record I am - tell others about write-in to the Can. airline execs. Airlines do respond to customer complaints; if there are enough of them.

Also - Is anyone saying the allergic person will definitely succumb to a reaction on a flight. No, of course not. But why not lower that risk (not to mention the high anxiety)? Not like you can get to a hospital fast at 35,000 feet. Not like the flight attendant wants to have to deal with if the person reacting is in trouble.

_________________
Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin