Another airline will soon stop the sale of nuts and nut-containing products on its flights.
British low-cost carrier easyJet, which operates flights throughout Europe, has announced that it will no longer sell any products containing nuts when operating flights.
The airline has been in the process of removing nut-containing products since March, removing peanuts they used to serve first.
Besides peanuts, the airline also serves baklava in its Mezze Snack Box, which contains nuts inside. They are currently in the process of reformulating the ingredients within the baklava to make it nut-free in the next few months, after which they will no longer carry any nut products during flight services.
While easyJet representatives told Travel + Leisure they cannot ban nuts on all flights as passengers may bring their own nut-containing products, they ask that in cases where a passengers suffers from extreme nut allergies that can result in anaphylaxis (a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction) that passengers refrain from consuming the items they brought with them.
“The safety and welfare of all of our customers and crew is our highest priority so we have a number of procedures in place to assist customers traveling with a nut allergy,” a spokesperson for easyJet said.
“We ask that any customers with a nut allergy notify us ahead of travel and we will request that other passengers traveling on the flight do not consume any products containing nuts that they have brought with them on board”.
The airline’s booking page offers an option for passengers with nut allergies to check off, allowing cabin crew that will be operating the specific flight to be aware of the allergy and to take appropriate steps during the trip. Airline representatives also recommend passengers with nut allergies identify themselves to cabin crew when boarding their flight.
The move makes easyJet one of several airlines to have recently stopped the sale of nuts or nut-related products on its flights. Last year, Southwest Airlines announced it would be removing peanuts from its flights. Airlines like Lufthansa don’t serve peanuts on flights, though representatives state that there’s still no guarantee passengers won’t have nut products with them.
For passengers who do have nut allergies and are traveling, wiping down surfaces like tray tables and seats to avoid the potential of coming into contamination with peanut or tree nut dust and residue can also be a helpful step to take, according to Dr. Andrew Craig of the American Peanut Council.
