A woman with a nut allergy was escorted off an American Airlines flight after being told that first class passengers would still be served nuts despite her life-threatening sensitivity.
Sophie Draper was going to fly from London Heathrow to JFK airport in New York with American Airlines in December last year.
She told HuffPost that she tried to notify the airline about her nut allergy, but there was no option to do so online.
When she checked in alongside her boyfriend, she was told by airport staff to speak to the people at the gate. The 26-year-old told HuffPost that the gate staff appeared to be confused when she mentioned her nut allergy to them.
Ms Draper then spoke to the head of the cabin crew, who said that the airline was “contractually obliged to serve hot mixed nuts in first and business class”, adding that it was “against company policy” to make announcements in the cabin concerning food allergies.
Ms Draper is allergic to three kinds of nuts and her allergy includes airborne allergens, meaning that just removing the nuts from the economy class of the plane wouldn’t be sufficient to protect her health.
“American Airlines made me feel like my health and safety and that of others with severe food allergies is not important,” she told HuffPost. “I have no control over my nut allergy and the danger it presents to my life if I were to go into anaphylaxis.”
“Adults and children with severe nut allergies already face many barriers to travel and experiences, the least airlines could do is take this health condition seriously by making appropriate announcements and replacing nuts with another snack,” she added.
Her boyfriend asked a staff member what would happen if Ms Draper suffered anaphylactic shock during the journey.
“He knows how to use your EpiPen, right?” the staffer reportedly asked Ms Draper in response.
Their luggage was then taken from the plane and they were escorted off…