Samantha Yaffe’s opinionated view of motherhood with allergies. This month, Sam has a distressing encounter with Air Canada’s new allergy policy.
“Sorry ma’am, but your son cannot board this plane if he hasn’t been cleared by our med desk at least 48 hours in advance,” says the airline employee at the gate in Miami. “It’s the new policy ma’am. Nothing I can do about it ….”
“Do you hear what you’re saying to me?” I respond, repeatedly, with as much restraint as humanly possible (I’m well aware that any hint of aggression will get me nothing but a personal escort out of Miami International and a byline on the Air Canada black list).
My eyes are welling, my voice is cracking, my hands are shaking. Honey is in the gift shop with the kids buying gum; a line is starting to form behind me as I’m facing what seems the biggest human rights moment of my life.
“It’s 2011. We’re in America. Do you hear what you’re saying to me?” I add to my mantra.
All I was looking for was a quick conversation with someone from the flight crew so I could let them know about Lucas’ allergies and see about a p.a. announcement. I wasn’t requesting Air Canada’s new nut-free buffer zone, which I already know requires advance medical clearance.
I attempt to clarify this point several times, but according to this employee, what I’m requesting is irrelevant. “Your son is not allowed to fly without advance medical clearance because of his peanut allergy, and it’s too late for that.
“I’m sorry, but that’s what the policy says, ma’am!”
Resistance – I’m accustomed to. Ignorance – I’ve come to expect. But shameless discrimination against my innocent 8-year-old boy? I’m sick.
***
For me, there’s nothing friendly about the skies except on the occasion when you get an obliging flight attendant who’s happy to make a timely announcement asking passengers to refrain from eating peanuts and tree nuts on the plane; who’s willing to not serve or sell our allergens on board our flight; and who possesses the common sense and basic sensitivity we allergy parents pray for every time we fly.
You don’t always encounter these angels of flight, but they are out there. Well, at least they were out there until our fair Air Canada was led by its regulating body, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), to adopt its nut-free buffer zone policy in late 2010. This is undoubtedly the cause for the anti-allergy confusion in Miami.
Ahh, Air Canada’s new buffer zone – the one “nut-free” row behind and in front of (but not beside) a medically approved allergic passenger, “set up in order to help avoid the risk of exposure.” Yada yada.
lmnei
I feel for you Sam – I almost did not make the Air Canada flight to the National Celiac Association conference this year – not due to nut allergies or my Celiac Disease – it was due to me flying alone and the type of disability I have. The medical desk approved me to fly about 5 minutes before the flight was to take off and I was the last person boarded – after spending about 1.5 hours at check-in with the special assistance agents trying to work something out with the Medical Desk who has my information and I thought it was a permanant file as it is not the first time I have flown alone in the last few years! The Med Desk were notified I was flying 2 months in advance and they did not get their act together. It came down to whether I needed an attendant or not. Which I generally do not, however it was news to me that they wanted that once I got to the airport.
Due to the stress of this, my medical condition got a bit out of control and then, the stress they caused, they did not want to put me on the plane! They finally relented though when I explained that a person meeting me was on the WestJet flight leaving at the same time and I have no way of notifying her that I am not going to arrive – saying I had someone to meet me at Winnipeg, they finally agreed to let my fly and I slept the whole time.
Then leaving Winnipeg to coming home to Vancouver, the check-in agent did not fill out the unaccompanied adult paperwork when I checked in despite it being on my reservation and printed on my Boarding Pass. So borrowed an AC wheelchair after security and I sat with my friends on the WestJet side of the terminal – not a large terminal at all – as their WestJet flights were leaving before my AC one (such is the fun of flying points!). I was sitting in an Air Canada wheelchair in the WestJet area and the wheelchairs with their high bar on the back of them one can see quite easily. Air Canada knew I had gone through security but they could not “find” me and they thought I was lost somewhere yet due to the Med File, I was their responsibility. I was completely oblivious to the fact they were checking every nook and cranny including washrooms for me (but no announcement). My friend pushed me to the AC wing and gate to wait for my flight and you should have seen the people descend on me as if I was a really sick, disabled, cannot speak for myself person.
It was an interesting experience in a need for sensitivity training by the gate and supervisory personnel who “found” me. They have my medical file and know my condition – they went WAY overboard in assessing the situation. I was not lost! The whole terminal – AC and WJ has a total of about 8 gates – so not much to search through. I travel with a medical file for safety in case I am triggered and something happens with my medical condition where I get very confused. However it is not life-threatening as much as a peanut allergy. Air Canada really needs to learn more about sensitivity training, the ability for a passenger to speak for themselves and be respected in what their actual needs are and where they do and do not need help. I am going to try WestJet next as that Air Canada experience was downright embarrassing for me. I am not looking forward to the medical paperwork, however it is safest way for me to fly by myself as then the attendants do know I have a verified medical condition – I am not just exhibiting abnormal behaviour. I have spent over a million miles flying with my job prior to my accident and seen one too many incidents that you have described – in the US it is sheer legalitis they are suffering from.
I actually used that fear to my advantange in 1994 when I started travelling full time, primarily around the US, mailing on United and I was NOT served GF meals – it was substitution central, which I require GF ones due to my Celiac Disease. One flight I got off with my uneaten meal (this was starting to happen too often now) as I knew I had been served couscous (however not eaten it). I had the flight kitchen verify it was wheat despite being labelled at GFML and I took that certification and my documentation of flights where an incorrect meal was served and explained about allergies to United (as CD was not as prevalent as a diagnosis then) and low and behold – they changed their GFML and it was then issued from a central kitchen in Chicago and flown to the various flight kitchens. They were pre-prepared and sealed and just had to be loaded onto the kitchen trolley for the plane – without being touched and therefore no modifications or substitutions. That allowed me to fly on United and then Air Canada with less worries for about 5 years until they cancelled all those domestic meals! I really thought they would not cancel the GF one considering for both airlines I was told I was consuming the most of them!
Stick with it – I know it can be done with Air Canada – raising the knowledge of the staff with regards to nut and peanut allergies. The chain of command and sign off process I have go through is a pain, and they accompany you every where is also an invasion of privacy at times, however it is for my safety, just like you did by notifying the agent of your son’s peanut allergy and asking some consideration from the passengers around you. If they can wake me or check in with me every 30 minutes to ask me how I am doing they definitely can check out the area your son is sitting in and prior to your boarding, clean the seat and tray and put in fresh magazines. Good luck in the “friendly” skies!
Kristen
That is a very frustrating situation to be in because of misunderstood policies set up by the company. I am incensed by Air Canada’s handling of this situation. Air Canada really could learn from what other airlines are doing with respect to nut allergies and true customer service. It is typical of them and this is what I just sent to Michael Tremblay as a result:
“I just read the article by Samantha Yaffe about her experience with an Air Canada employee in the Miami airport.
This is yet another example of Air Canada’s endless list of policies and procedures that restrict front-line employees and prevent them from using common sense. Air Canada’s customer service is atrocious and really needs a serious evaluation.
I stopped flying Air Canada 1 1/2 years ago after many difficult and poor customer service experiences. There was a particular incident that ended my relationship completely with Air Canada after another “policy” was held to, without any consideration or common sense ….
It is not just the employee in Miami (out of the 24,000) that is the problem (unless she has also served me in all of my poor experiences.) It is upper management and their shortsighted control and restriction of their employees…. You could learn a lot from companies like Ritz Carleton, Southwest Airlines and Jet Blue. The situation with Samantha Yaffe did not have to be handled the way that it did (by the frontline employee or even by you) and the experiences I have had could have been handled in a more customer centric way.
Situations like these that arise give you an opportunity to make lifelong customers. When a problem arises it is an opportunity to WOW the customer. It is a chance to do something you don’t have to do and is a chance to do more than just getting someone from A to B. Air Canada gives up these opportunities over and over again.”
jmmcnally@rogers.com
I empathize with your situation. Our son as well has a severe peanut allergy and we have flown with air canada prior to their new policy. We recently flew (Nov 2010) to Hawaii with WestJet. We flew from Ottawa to Vancouver, Vancouver to Maui and return. Upon check-in in Ottawa, we informed the agent of our son’s allergy and she made note of this. Much to our surprise, but a pleasant one for the remainder of our trip when we arrived at each boarding gate over the next week every person we dealt with knew of our son’s allergy.
It was indicated on our boarding pass and the attendants took the time to review booked seats to see if they could free up seats around us to create a buffer zone without our request. As you said earlier people move around and we never enter the loo without wiping down and we still carry baby wipes wherever we go, and our son is 6. They allowed us to pre-board so we could wipe down our seats and trays and indicated that they had made their own request for our seat numbers as well. But the courtesy extended by every WestJet employee to make the overhead announcement, look for ways to create buffer zones, frequently check on us was really impressive. They also had an employee on every flight we encountered who was trained to use an Epipen. I do not know if this is a policy. Air Canada is putting a policy in place to protect itself from obligation in case of an incident…WestJet, while they may do the same. has trained its employees with customer service at the forefront and they care to make the trip as safe and pleasurable for everyone.
Debbie Bruce
Hi Sam,
My 18 year old son, had exactly the same experience at Christmas. Your article captured what he went through exactly.
He flew – by himself – to Australia to spend Christmas and New Year’s with his brother who is living there. He is very good at advocating for himself, but on the flight over, the flight attendant introduced him – one by one – to everyone sitting one row around him – as a person with a life threatening allergy and asked them not to eat peanuts/nuts during the flight. He said it was humiliating.
On the way back from Sydney, they were not going to let John board the plane. They said he hadn’t notified Air Canada’s medical department 48 hours prior to the flight and they might not be able to let him board for 48 hours. (he didn’t have this problem going over–the airline had been notified several times).
After many conversations and phone calls to Air Canada, they let him on the plane, but he had to waive the right to a buffer zone (because they need 48 hours notice to tell everyone, one row around him about his allergy–give me a break…!). Imagine my sons trying to deal with this in Australia, at the Sydney airport.
He said he will never bring his allergies to the attention of the airlines again.
They also grilled him about: did he have his EpiPen (anyone asking for an accommodation is going to have their EpiPen; John had 6 with him), did he have wipes, had he brought his own food. They made him feel like he was doing something wrong.
I wonder how Air Canada can possibly think this is an ok way to treat someone with a life threatening medical condition …never mind putting him at risk by not making the announcement and suspending sale and service.
We know, nowhere is completely without risk for us, but suspending service and sale; and nicely asking passengers to not consume peanuts/nuts for the duration of the flight significantly reduces the risk of accidental exposure. It is the compassionate thing to do.
I have talked to many of my friends who have children flying back and forth to university. They have all stopped notifying the flight crew. It is too much hassle and way to embarrassing – for a one row buffer zone – which is useless anyway.
Of course, then Air Canada will say – it can’t be that important because they aren’t receiving any requests. Makes me wonder if it was all part of a strategy.
Wait until more people experience what the new policy actually means. They are going to be furious.
I will be flying with WestJet – whenever possible – from now on.
I did just fly Air Canada and picked up an enRoute magazine from the plane. In the magazine there was an article written by Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer for Air Canada. In this article he says:
“One of Air Canada’s top priorities is to ensure that we’re attuned to customer expectations of a leading international airline and that we’re constantly improving our customer communications.
An important means to this end is engaging customers through open dialogue, even before they arrive at the airport and set foot on an airplane. For example, during the past year, I have met with many of our most frequent flyers at events across the country to obtain their direct feedback. We are now expanding our social media presence to facilitate constructive conversation with our customers. Through Facebook, Twitter and online forums, we are building an Air Canada community.
As technology continues to develop and provide us all with new and better ways to communicate, Air Canada is determined to keep in step. What will remain constant, however is our commitment to remain engaged with our customers. So let’s stay in touch: Join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @AirCanada. Welcome to the community, and let’s continue the conversation. Write to me: president@aircanada.ca”
We have all been writing letters for well over a year now – as well as Allergic Living’s write in campaign. Are these letters making it to Mr.Rovinescu?
http://www.aircanada.com/en/about/index.html
http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/onboard/dining/nutritional.html
leslie
I feel your frustration and then some. My son and I were supposed to fly on January 22nd with Air Canada on a bit of a milk run to Florida so we could share his 5th birthday with his Grandma & Grandpa on the 23rd. Having no awareness of this new ‘buffer zone’, I checked in as I normally do, making the check-in agent in Winnipeg aware of his severe nut allergy. On all inquiries about ‘policies’ I was always told there wasn’t one but I could make the agents aware, hopefully pre-board to clean his seating area off, and with any luck, one of the flight attendants would make an announcement asking passengers to refrain from eating peanuts (but not to expect this be done). The Agent was very empathetic and went on to tell me about this new buffer zone policy but that you had to make the airline aware at least 48 hours prior. I said, “oh well, I’ll know for next time”. She told me she’d make a not of it on his file to see if there was anything they could do for this flight but couldn’t guarantee anything. I thought…how nice of her. When we were at the boarding desk I asked if I could pre-board, as I usually do, and was told that this person’s supervisor was actually on the phone with AC’s medical desk on our behalf. I thought wow, this is great. It wasn’t until the plane was almost fully boarded and I asked again that I was told we couldn’t board until the supervisor was back to give the okay. After waiting for 15 minutes more he came over to let us know we weren’t allowed to board due to me telling them my son had a ‘severe’ nut allergy and I hadn’t made the arrangements for a buffer zone prior to flying. I was speechless but try explaining why to a 5 year old that had been looking forward to his ‘birthday in Florida’ for a good month. None of the AC employees seem to know what to do with this new policy, yet I guess were so afraid of liability they thought they would ensure they didn’t let us fly.
After hours of waiting for our luggage/the supervisor to come back from talking more with the medical desk I was told all I needed to do was go to a walk-in clinic to have this 7 page form filled out authorizing AC to let my son fly…as if a walk-in clinic Doctor would have any ability to diagnose and authorize a severe nut allergy???
Hours of being in the airport, another taxi back to our house with our packed luggage and hours more on the phone was added to our not being able to fly. I managed to make arrangements to fly on US air carriers (with no allergy policy) to get out the next day but had to arrange to have the paperwork completed by his Allergist in Winnipeg (from Florida) complete the paperwork required for AC in order to be able to return on our AC flight from Florida. I was told now that my son has had a ‘medical incident’, he would need this paperwork/authorization to fly with AC at any point in the future.
And the ridiculousness didn’t end… After doing what was necessary from Florida, after his Allergists’ hard work/urgency to get the info to Air Canada, etc., when we boarded our AC flight to return to Winnipeg the AC flight attendants knew nothing about it. Fortunately for us they did more than they ever would have done with this ineffective ‘buffer zone’ policy (as per Samantha’s excellent article/explanation on why)…making an announcement to the entire plane asking them to refrain from eating nuts. That was the last time we will be flying with Air Canada!
EOSmamaKE
This happened to my son last summer. What can we do so it wont happen again
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=444122815659&id=595930468
Frontier would NOT announce peanut allergy and refused to not serve peanut products
by Colleen Plunkett on Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 1:17am
I will try to make this short. :}
Before booking we called up and said KE had peanut allergy.
We were told no problem.
Every time we called to confirm we got the same answer – Yes you can board first. Yes we will announce.
Today we got there I told the flight attendant at desk. He said yes we could board first.
Once on plane I told a stewardness. Here the problem begins.
She tells me NO we can not announce it. That they can NOT tell people what they can eat on plane.
I very politely said ummm I was told you would many times. Even today. She tells me sorry they gave you wrong information.
Then these are almost the exact words – If your son is that allergic we will have to call MEDstat so they can determine if you son can fly. And if they say no then you cannot fly.
(I was nervous – what do I do? What if they don’t let us fly? How will we get to Denver?)
I said again this wasn’t fair.
She asked if we wanted medstat and I said NO. Yeah, I am going to allow some flight people see my son for 5 minutes and determine whether or not he can fly.
We sat down. She came back with page from manual. Pilot wanted me to see. I wish I had copied it.
It was a paragraph that stated that person could not wipe down seat with anything. That they cannot prohibit food etc… I was trying to remain calm. I gave KE benedryl just in case and said a silent prayer.
We are NOT flying them back and I will try to call them tomorrow and be calm. This is NOT fair.
My son can’t fly cause someone has to eat peanut M and Ms?
I cant begin to tell you how frustrating this is. Where are our kids’ rights?