Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on Wednesday
(July 19) it is reviewing the serving of nuts on board its flights,
following an incident last week when a toddler had an allergic
reaction to peanuts eaten by other passengers.
The three-year-old boy, Marcus, was with his parents
Chris and Hong Daley on SQ217 from Singapore to Melbourne last
Wednesday (July 12) when the incident occurred.
The Daleys, who are from Australia, have reportedly lodged a formal
complaint with the airline.
They told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday
that Marcus was served a nut-free meal but had an allergic reaction
after other passengers opened their packets of peanuts, which were
served as a snack.“
He started vomiting, his eyes were starting to swell
and he couldn’t speak properly,” claimed Mr Daley.
The situation was quickly brought under control with the Daleys’
anti-allergy medication that they had brought with them.
They said Marcus suffers from anaphylaxis, a severe
allergic reaction that can typically be caused by certain food,
medication, or insect bites and stings.
An SIA spokesman told The Straits Times on Wednesday that crew
members immediately removed all packets of peanuts from the area
around the family as soon as they were made aware of the
situation.
The serving of peanuts was also suspended in the cabin for the
remainder of the flight.“
Currently, customers with nut allergies can request for
a nut-free meal at the point of booking or at least 48 hours before
their flight,” the airline said.“
Following the incident, we are reviewing the serving of
nuts on board our flights.”
SIA has also reached out to the family and is in contact with
them.
Ms Daley, who claimed a family friend on the same flight also had a
minor allergic reaction to the peanuts, was quoted by ABC in its
report that she felt the airline had dismissed their genuine
concerns.
“We have just been brushed off and we just want to make
people aware that this can happen on a plane,” she said.
“All they have to do is just stop serving peanuts and
there’s so many snacks.”
An all-out peanut ban on flights is not the norm for airlines
worldwide. Among the major airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways and
Etihad Airways do not offer nut-free flights.
Australian airline Qantas reportedly stopped serving peanuts on
flights in 2007. On its website, it says it has removed peanuts as
a bar snack on all Qantas flights and from Qantas-owned and
operated lounges.
Air New Zealand does not use peanuts, peanut products or
derivatives of peanuts in its meals, but said on its website that
it “cannot guarantee there are no trace elements of
peanuts”.
It said it does not serve peanuts as snacks in any class, but
serves other nuts as a pre-dinner snack in Business
Class.
SIA has an advisory page on its website which addresses the issue
of passengers with nut allergy.
On it, SIA said it is unable to provide a nut-free
cabin or guarantee an allergy-free environment on board.
“It’s not unusual for other passengers on our flights
to be served meals and snacks containing nuts or their derivatives.
We also have no control over passengers consuming their own snacks
or meals on board, which may contain nuts or their derivatives,”
the advisory added.
“We request that you take every necessary precaution,
bearing in mind the risk of exposure.”
Meanwhile, some netizens backed the Daleys’ subsequent request for
all airlines to consider not serving peanuts on flights.
Marni Rosenberg Levin left a comment on SIA’s page saying she
considers the incident “negligence of the highest degree”.
“As someone who suffers from peanut allergy myself, and
as a doctor, I don’t understand why you would knowingly put your
passengers at risk,” she wrote.
“How can you prioritise someone’s right to eat peanuts
over the risk of a passenger dying from a fatal allergy on board a
flight?”
However, some pointed out that the airline cannot stop other
passengers from eating peanuts.
Sean Goh responded to Ms Levin saying: “They cannot prevent other
passengers to bring nuts inclusive (of) snacks on board. It is time
for you to consider other travel options.”
TNP