Canadian Airlines Vs. US Airlines - Fears

[Ladskater]

This is amuzing:

While the US airlines fret over terroists boarding their planes with explosives, Canada's airlines are more worried about passengers boarding with nuts and have created a "no nut buffer zone" for folks who are alergic!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourview/201...uffer-zone-for-people-with-nut-allergies.html

 

[Tonichelle]

do you all have the same type of saying that we do in the us? "Only in America/Canada"?

I know there are extreme allergies, but come on!

 

[snowflake]

Seriously, no nuts served! is sometimes on flights in Europe too. I mean, which company wants a passenger to die on their flights?

 

[i love to skate]

I don't think it is so outrageous. You can't even bring a peanut butter sandwhich to school anymore. A plane is such a confined space where there is no way to get out and the air is recirculated. A peanut allergy is one of the most sensitive allergies that exists. It isn't for every flight either - just those who have passengers with nut allergies.

 

[Ladskater]

I just thought it was rather humourus to make such a big announcement in the Canadian news after a much more serious incident the week before.

 

[Tonichelle]

well, you know, since the terrorists can't take a plane down by bombs or hijacking, the next most obvious way is by smuggling peanuts on board.

 

[Grgranny]

I think it's a good idea to ban nuts. I have a son who is extremely allergic and it is serious when that happens.

 

[Grgranny]

I have a son who is allergic to peanuts and it can be life threatening. So, I don't think it is funny to make fun of it.

 

[bigsisjiejie]

^^ Then be very careful about ever flying with him on Asian airlines on any route--they tend to serve peanuts or byproducts (or have plenty of passengers who bring them on). And they would be baffled by your need to re-order everyone else's environment to suit your own personal situation. I don't mean this as a judgmental statement, but as a matter of fact. It is true that North American airlines tend to be ultra-sensitive about the nut thing (but oddly enough, still allow cats to travel in the passenger cabin, though oodles of people are seriously allergic to cats). Money? Political correctness? Influence of cat lovers and nut haters?. Not sure where the European airlines stand on this sort of thing, or perhaps the number of people with serious nut allergies who fly is too small to be an issue.

 

[i love to skate]

It is true that North American airlines tend to be ultra-sensitive about the nut thing (but oddly enough, still allow cats to travel in the passenger cabin, though oodles of people are seriously allergic to cats). Money? Political correctness? Influence of cat lovers and nut haters?. Not sure where the European airlines stand on this sort of thing, or perhaps the number of people with serious nut allergies who fly is too small to be an issue.

The difference between a cat allergy and a nut allergy is that a nut allergy, is that a nut allergy is extremely sensitive and creates a very strong anaphylactic reaction. So strong, that if people with a nut allergy don't get medical attention, they will die.

People can be anaphylactic to cats as well (I am and carry an epi pen). However, this is very rare (any doctor that I have been too has never seen it in another person). Cat allergies are stimulated by the fur, shedding, and dander,. If you go to a person's house that has a cat that sheds you absolutely can feel the allergy kick in. However, the cat has to stay in their carrier on the plane and the therfore, the allergens have less of a chance to get out and into the air.

 

[heyang]

A lot of airlines have stopped serving peanuts and serve other snacks for quite some time now.

However, some people are really ultra sensitive. Even the slightest residue of peanuts on someones hands can set off a reaction and there's no way to prohibit a fellow passenger from consuming peanut products prior to boarding the flight.

I don't know if providing a buffer free zone would really work. What if there's no one on the flight with peanut allergies? Does the airline sell the seats to someone who might have consumed peanuts before arriving at the airport? When the plane makes the return flight, is the airlines supposed to ensure that every single surface is totally wiped down in case someone with a nut allergy is on the plane?

Does this buffer zone also include a separate bathroom because the parent of a child in the non-buffer zone may have fed her child a PB& J sandwich before getting on the plane?

I've heard of some people having a reaction to peanut oils even after the surface has been washed multiple times.

I think there's only so much that can be done in a public area - i.e. not serving nuts [but keeping in mind that the airline has no control over how food was processed before packaging - just about everything has a warning label on it these days.], making sure surfaces are really wiped off, providing special meals, etc. There's no way to control what the other passengers do before boarding - I've heard of schools asking parents to not feed their children nut products for 2 hours prior to school time!!