Airline considering not allowing DD to travel with them because of nut allergy!

[PhAnToM]

I'm wondering if anyone else experienced this?
DD has travelled more at the age of 4 than most adults do in a lifetime, and we're due to take off again in about 5 weeks.
We have our tickets all booked and paid for, and as per usual, we have asked the agent to ensure that DD is served special diet meals (without nuts).

We've travelled with this airline before (not that it was a wonderful experience, but 2 kids and 8 hour stop overs in foreign countries... well, let's just say DH won the airline battle :rolleyes: )

Anyway, the travel agent asked for a medical history from our GP to fax to the airline (apparently the airline's request.. never had this before) so we did. This is not a problem because we usually take a letter from our GP to ensure we don't have problems getting her Epipens on board- again, many airlines, never had issues!

But NOW the airline is asking permission for their medical staff (whoever they are) to talk to our GP to assess whether DD should be allowed to fly.
She has a NUT allergy.. even people who have heart conditions are allowed to fly, and they cater for diabetics etc.. but a nut allergy, and the proverbial is hitting the roof! :confused:

All we asked is "please don't give her nuts" and now 5 weeks to take off, and look at what we're dealing with! :mad:

Anybody else ever had a problem like this before, while travelling with an anaphylactic person? This seems very unfair to me.
Anybody have any recommendations on how to handle this?
I'm considering ignoring the forms they've asked us to fill in, and just do what we've done before, and turn up with the letter from the GP to get the epipens on board and GO!
I mean technically, she isn't a high risk, because her last challenge showed she was outgrowing her allergy and only cashew appeared to have a reaction worth worrying about... But, i'm baffled..

What to do?

[Mrs J]

They should cater for ALL special Diets, alot of ppl have special diets thats not a reason to stop her from flying thats discrimination, never had a problem before so why now :no::shame:

[mim1]

I'd say they are probably just making sure she's not going to have a reaction in mid air. Once their medical person speaks to your GP I'm sure it will be fine.

[fludo]

I've never heard of anything so ridiculous! They are obviously trying to cover their own butts incase something happens mid-air. You're obviously being very careful about it all though which they should respect. If they can't provide a meal for her are you allowed to take your own? Although I guess that's not very practical when you are flying around the world,.

[Aquamarine]

That is wrong! I hope she is able to fly:yes:

[Pinkbug]

WOW thats extreme!!! such a disaster oh deary me!!! its only a NUT allergy!! god!!! fair enough they're following it but going that far is extreme!!! hopefully it'll be all sorted out sooner!!

Good Luck! :hugs:

[PunkyDiva]

I feel your frustration but I also understand an airlines point of view.
As you would be more then aware nut allergies are not just about diet and minute quantities/contact can set of a reaction that can be fatal. I guess as airlines have been serving nuts for years, cannot control customers diet before flights, there would/could be particles in seats/air cond/toilets etc and now it has appeared a quite widespread issue they are taking precautions .
I personally think it is a positive they are taking such a stance.
There are many medical conditions where by they end up disallowing travel eg not all heart patients can fly or preggie woman after 36 weeks so not discrimination IMO but rather a case of caring for all who fly with them.
As others said your DD should be cleared to fly though.:fingerscrossed:

Just a small aside from OP and sorry if you take this as an offensive comment,I fully comprehend your frustrations and agree 100% with more/constant education/awareness, but I'm getting a bit sick and tired of people complaining that others don't care when it comes to nut allergies.
Yes, I do speak with personal experience of dietary and enviromental precautions and there are many, many of us who go to great lengths to ensure our families do not affect these children/people yet we rarely are acknowledged and all too often lumped together as "people who don't care cause it's not their child".
I have experienced one mum at a private playgroup that not only always arrived early to supervise washing of hands and inspection of morning tea contributions but shouted us all yearly to a lunch as her thankyou/appreciation of others efforts to help her in protecting her child. Positive affirmations of others efforts are always appreciated and do far greater good then negativity and criticism.

[FourAngelKisses]

I remember seeing that show Airline a couple of years ago. They had a little boy flying with them who had a nut allergy, they had to totally vacuum the entire plane before he could get on....the seats, the floor, the overhead lockers. It would be very time consuming.

But I'm sure she will be fine to fly once your GP writes a letter clearing her.

[WeloveHarriet]

I think that PunkyDiva has made a more then fair point here.

Whilst I understand your frustration, remember that it is not just the staff that would have to be massively careful - what about the rest of the passengers? Imagine if one ate a packet of nuts, touched something that was then touched by your child? Would you then not be greatly upset if something was to happen?

My cousin's child has a nut allergy and she is so cautious - even down to having separate cooking utensils etc. You cannot guarantee this level of care when something is out of your control.

The airline is probably wanting to ensure that no legal liability is applied to them should something happen.

[defa]

Ok i will get boooed heaps but i am on the airlines side here would you rather they not care and your DD have a reaction when your in the air..
Take your own food for your little one and don't let her eat anything other than the food you have for her and just think what it would be like for your selfs the other people on the plane and the staff if something did go wrong..
All they want to do is talk to your Dr to make sure that everything is going to be ok it isn't like they can just come down and land a plane if something happens....

[Duchessa]

That is staggering. I understand they are afraid of litigation but honestly. We have anaphylactic kids (to milk protein) and when we have flown I just pack their own food. Tell them you'll tape her mouth shut ;) Or better still, ask them to talk to your lawyer re discrimination.

[PhAnToM]

To everyone who has posted without the "i don't mean to offend" tone, thank you for your support. :hugs:

To the others- I have not asked them to clean the airplane especially for her, or sit there with something to clean the aircon etc... There is no point looking for an opportunity to play "devil's advocate" only to go to the extreme.

Just wondering, why do people expect to be given a pat on the back each day, for not putting someone's life at risk? :confused: I don't get a personal call everyday, for driving past people and not hitting them with my car. Allergies have the potential to cause the same result.. Fatality.
Just as you don't like- being lumped together as "people who don't care cause it's not their child"., I don't appreciate being lumped together with people who take extra precautions. And frankly, if washing my hands ensured I didn't risk someone's life, I'm all for it.

I think I have made it clear that she has been OKed MANY times not only by our GP but also by her allergy specialist at Royal Children's to fly. We only asked that they not give her food with nuts in it.
Like I said in my OP, she is outgrowing her allergy, so trace amounts do not affect her. She is simply being kept away from nuts for precautionary reasons until she has her full challenge at 6 (next year).
We haven't asked for other passengers to be affected in anyway.
I can assure you, I wouldn't risk my child. They only have money to lose in a litigation, I have a CHILD! You can make money and replace it.. they do it on a daily basis... you cannot replace a child! :no: No amount of money could replace a human life!

If I have already provided documentation from a Dr, why should my child be forced to row a boat to travel?? Maybe we should just strap her down and not let her get in a bus, train, taxi etc.

Thank you, but you're right. You have only added to my frustration. Something so ridiculous has only been magnified with such extreme contributions of "support".

It IS discrimination. DD has flown with this carrier many times before and never had this problem. And strangely, knowing this, they had no problem taking the money for a family of 4 (including DD's ticket).

Oh.. nearly forgot.. you are actually not allowed to take food or drink on board flights anymore. Any liquids are to be in 100ml packaging and no more than 1 litre per person. And no food is to be taken on board, except baby food in sealed jars (not appropriate for a 4 year old).

[Mister Noodle]

What I understood from the OP was that they just wanted to contact your doctor to assess your daughter's risk level before allowing her to fly.

Remember: for some children it's not sufficient to simply not feed them nuts. Some particularly severe nut allergies can trigger life-threatening reactions just from incidental, third-hand contact.

If I couldn't rule out the possibility of such attenuated contact, I'd want more than just the parent's word that she's be okay - litigation aside, I just wouldn't want her blood on my hands if the parents underestimated the risk. I'd want a signed statement from a medical professional, just for my own peace of mind.

Add to that the risk of getting sued for billions, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

They know that 'all due care' could well be insufficient, and could potentially kill your daughter.

It would be criminal negligence for them to go ahead without making sure.

[PhAnToM]

I understand that MN, that's why when they asked for a medical history and letter from my GP allowing her to fly, we did that.
We faxed it to them. It has her full history on there. Very clearly says that as long as she has her Epipen, she is ok to fly and that provided she is provided nut free food, there is not problem.

MN- I'd want a signed statement from a medical professional, just for my own peace of mind.

This is what that letter and medical history was MN!
We have done as they asked and a letter from the Dr confirms that there is no reason she can't fly. (Didn't stop her flying ever before.. and i mean 28 hour flights! )

Like I said, DH and I have more to lose than they do. We wouldn't risk it. Billions aside TRILLIONS wouldn't bring DD back.

But there is a fine line between care and being excessive.

[Duchessa]

Remember: for some children it's not sufficient to simply not feed them nuts. Some particularly severe nut allergies can trigger life-threatening reactions just from incidental, third-hand contact.

If I couldn't rule out the possibility of such attenuated contact, I'd want more than just the parent's word that she's be okay - litigation aside, I just wouldn't want her blood on my hands if the parents underestimated the risk. I'd want a signed statement from a medical professional, just for my own peace of mind.

Now Mister N, I don't often disagree with your common sense, but I have to say that if parents can't take this risk on their children's behalf while they are present and responsible for that child WHAT the * is the world coming to?! Both of my girls came into the category you are talking about for over a year - anaphylaxis from milk protein just through skin contact - but it is manageable. Completely manageable on an airline and we travelled a couple of times with them without incident. I never even thought to share the information with the airline as it was not of consequence IMO.

I feel your outrage, Phantom.

[Mister Noodle]

Duchessa: I do tech support for a living.

The sad fact is, the world is studded with really, gobsmackingly, amazingly stupid people.

Even where people's files are concerned, you can't EVER rely on people being competent, sane, well-intentioned, responsible or possessing the tiniest shred of common sense.

You HAVE to cater for the lowest common denominator. You HAVE to idiot proof the whole damn thing. You HAVE to assume they're going to ignore the instructions and screw things up, whether from malice, pig-headedness, absent-mindedness, confusion or just plain accident.

Where lives are at stake, it's even more critical.

It doesn't matter if there's only one idiot among a thousand others. Once you're made aware of the risk, you HAVE to assume people will be as stupid and irresponsible as it's possible to get. As soon as they're in your care, you HAVE to take total responsibility, because they're your problem. If you trust them any further than you'd trust a two-year-old, the worst WILL happen eventually.

That's the legal and ethical reality of the situation. If you run any kind of company where people fall under your care, that's where your responsibilities lie.

Yes, it means they have to treat you like a two-year-old. Trust me, they hate it even more than you do. For you, it's one single (and highly annoying) episode. For them, it's every freakin' day.

Put it this way: do you think they WANT to lose a fare? Do you think they WANT to chase up stupid bits of paper with doctors and lawyers? Do you think they LIKE dealing with aggrieved, stressed-out parents?

Bureaucracy is no fun whatsoever. It's bad enough as the target, but trust me, being the source is worse, because it's all you ever do. Imagine THAT for a moment.

They just want to go home, trust me. If they could get away with saying "stuff it, they'll be fine", they absolutely would.

[Duchessa]

That doesn't actually support the argument for singling out a child with a food allergy for exclusion. There are many life threatening/potentially libelous situations that airlines cater for all the time and they need to get their heads around food allergies. They are far more common than perhaps people realise and in many ways safer to handle than something like asthma - the control you have over the trigger is far greater - ie don't feed the allergen.

This is all about where you draw the line, and it isn't logical to draw the line between all these other things and a food allergy.

I fully comprehend the beaucracy argument, but it isn't good enough. If an airline discriminated against my child in this way I would seek legal advice.

[PhAnToM]

That doesn't actually support the argument for singling out a child with a food allergy for exclusion. There are many life threatening/potentially libelous situations that airlines cater for all the time and they need to get their heads around food allergies. They are far more common than perhaps people realise and in many ways safer to handle than something like asthma - the control you have over the trigger is far greater - ie don't feed the allergen.

This is all about where you draw the line, and it isn't logical to draw the line between all these other things and a food allergy.

I fully comprehend the beaucracy argument, but it isn't good enough. If an airline discriminated against my child in this way I would seek legal advice.

OMG... somebody understands me!
What you are saying above Duchessa is EXACTLY what I'm talking about.
I haven't asked them to do all the extra things some of the posters on this thread have decided is "over the top".
All I've asked is that they cater for her with meals containing no nuts. I don't know if people are aware, but when you book a flight (especially like those we take which are generally of approximately 24 hours in length) you can actually choose what you want to eat throughout your flight.
There are menus for each airline, where you can choose what you want them to bring on board for each of your meals.
Even for kids. I mean I coud have chosen from spag bol, nuggets, sandwhiches, pizza, lasagne and a whole array of other meals, for DD. All I asked for is NO NUTS PLEASE!
Previously we didn't even bother telling them before hand, because she was ok with baby food in jars. So our Allergy Specialist basically told us all we needed was a letter from him to get our Epipen Jnrs on board thru customs, and that was that. And i think each time, his envelope did a round trip without being opened ONCE. We showed customs and security the epipens when going through and they would wave their hand for us to just go through, not even bothering to take the envelope from the hospital from our hands. No drama.

Let's be honest, this child WILL travel in her life time, whether she outgrows her allergy or not. It is not a debilitating issue as long as someone doesn't decide to throw a cashew in her meal. Why should she be stopped from travelling.
And where does it stop? Like I asked in an earlier post, should she not be allowed on public transport, taxis etc? :confused:

To those who complained about the inconvenience to you about trying to make lunches without nuts, think about this for a minute..
my child is 4. Imagine your child going to birthday parties and not being able to eat cake or rip into the party favourites like the other kids... or look at the food and not touch it and ask for Mum or Dad to come and check her food to see if it has nuts in it.
You would be surprised at how many times in the last 3 years I have had people become teary because DD will not touch food when it is offered to her by anyone other than her own parents, grandparents or uncle. We are the only ones she knows are fully aware and careful of her food.
What many take for granted, children with alleregies look on in awe and try to understand "why can't I eat that, yet all these other children can?":(

I thank God that her kinder/school is very careful with this issue and even though I doubt any of them are on here... I would like to :yelclap: and :hugs: for the 90 odd sets of kinder parents who are "inconvenienced" by my child's allergy, but who not only don't complain about it, but also ensure they cater for my child when they invite her to parties!
This, even though they know that I always have safe food in my bag in case, so my child has replacement treats, and doesn't miss out.

DD's birthday was the best for her last year. Not because of the presents she got.. but because it was the first time she got to eat birthday cake.. the same as everyone else!

Judging by the PMs I'm receiving by other Bubhubbers who are affected by anaphylaxis in some way, I am not the only one who has become distressed at some of the responses on this thread. I posted in this section because it was meant to be for other parents who also have to deal with anaphylaxis to support each other.

The point of this thread was to see what other's experiences have been and their advice. But it has been taken down a different path, by people who were not my target audience.

To stop any other BHers becoming distressed, can a mod please close this thread for me?

[Rainbowbrite]

closing for you now :hugs:

Can I just say though, that even though my dd has no allergy's my neice is not as lucky. She is now 14 & still anaphalactic to nuts, as well as allergic to eggs, dust, animals and a miriad of other things. Its bloody hard for my sister so I do have some understanding :hugs: