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While flying remains the safest mode of transportation in the world, a rather unusual and quite commonly overlooked risk exists, which is the key subject of this mini-feature. Nuts (or food items that include nuts) being served onboard aircraft cabins. It is quite common with airlines around the world, especially in premium cabins, where salted or flavored nuts are served to passengers as snacks or as a side to drinks.
While this might not seem like a risk to most travellers, it can pose a health hazard to certain passengers with certain allergies or health conditions.
Nuts Causing Havoc Onboard Aircraft
A passenger with nut allergy, if exposed to nuts, can enter a state of anaphylatic shock, wherein the affected passenger’s body can quickly develop a series of symptoms triggered by the exposure, which can prove dangerous and fatal if a timely reaction and medical response is not made available. While on the ground, an allergic person can easily access a hospital or at least a fully-kitted ambulance and emergency response team within minutes, this can prove to be difficult when such an allergic reaction is experienced when cruising at altitudes as high as 41,000 feet, possibly flying over the oceans and the nearest airport, or emergency response team and hospital might be over an hour away.
As per Anaphylaxis UK, some of the milder symptoms include itchy rashes around the body, swelling of lips and face, mild throat tightness, or symptoms such as vomiting and stomach pain, while some of the more severe symptoms include swelling of the throat and airways, difficulty in breathing and swallowing, and dizziness or fainting or collapsing.
Granted, only a small portion of the population is recorded to have nut allergies (with various sources indicating figures less than 5% and some showing less than 10%), a key issue is that the symptoms of the allergy can be triggered even with the smallest exposure, which can cause issues onboard aircraft if a passenger has been affected. Simple Flying has reached out to a number of airlines around the world to understand how their crew members are trained to handle such situations in flight.
Onboard Medical Kits Equipped With Epi-Pens
While an allergic reaction on board an aircraft in flight is not ideal, there are solutions available for such allergic reactions. For one, passengers who are allergic to nuts, generally tend to be aware of their allergies and usually carry their own Epi-Pens (Epinephrine) with them in their carry-on bags. However, if for some reason they did not have their own epi-pens, these days it is common that medical kits available onboard aircraft contain epinephrine, and the members of cabin crew are trained to both identify symptoms of anaphylaxis and, as required, administer the epinephrine to a passenger who might be affected.
While there are currently no international regulations that mandate the presence of Epi-Pens onboard aircraft, most airlines do equip their medical kits with epinephrine in some form or another, to ensure a quick response is possible in case one of the passengers onboard is exposed to nuts and starts showing symptoms.
Furthermore, from a purely operational point of view, it is easier for the airlines to carry epinephrine rather than potentially having to make diversions in case of an allergic reaction onboard, which increases the risk of health hazards for the affected passenger, while also resulting in a costly and time-consuming operational disruption for the airline.
How To Prepare For A Flight When You Have A Nut Allergy
Most airlines are able to provide a bubble around passengers with allergies and offer nut-free snacks.
How Can Allergic Passengers Prepare?
Despite the hazard, there are a number of steps that passengers who have allergies can take to ensure they have a much smoother flying experience. A key aspect to keep in mind is that there is a common misconception that indicates that exposure to nuts can be possible via particles from nuts present in the air being circulated around the cabin. Studies such as those done by Allergy UK, indicate that the chances of this is very low, considering ventilation systems onboard aircraft use medical-grade filters such as HEPA filters, which proved useful during the time of Pandemic, and the fact that cabin air is constantly being replaced by fresh air from the atmosphere.
A more common risk is the presence of nut or food particles still being present on the seat or the cabin walls, which were not cleaned properly after a flight, which could potentially happen when airlines operate with a tight turnaround. However, many airlines these days allow allergic passengers to board the aircraft early or provide priority boarding, so that passengers have the option to give their seats an additional sweep, if anything, for their own peace of mind, thereby allowing passengers who might be allergic to ensure their seats and any nearby surfaces have been cleaned, ultimately reducing the risk of exposure.
Furthermore, most airlines these days do not include nuts or nut-products on their meals, while carriers such as 
United Airlines even offer a buffer zone onboard their aircraft if a passenger notifies the airline of their allergies, with some carriers such as easyJet in the UK even completely banning nuts onboard their aircraft. Ultimately, for passengers who might be allergic to nuts or any other allergies for that matter, it is always best to prepare well for flights and ensure required medications are at hand, and also inform the airline, along with members of the crew in advance, for a comfortable in-flight experience.
