Most people choose a flight based on factors like the number of stops, cost, and available dates. But for people with disabilities and life-threatening food allergies, the decision isn’t always based on those same criteria.

I have a peanut allergy and carry four epinephrine auto-injectors with me at all times, along with antihistamines. It’s important to note that there’s no guarantee epinephrine will save my life during a reaction—the only true prevention is complete avoidance of the allergen, since there’s no cure for food allergies and no known cause.

I don’t feel comfortable flying if peanuts will be handed out, and I have a personal hierarchy of airline and travel accommodations that help me feel more or less safe. Unfortunately, when it comes to airlines, the only consistency is inconsistency. Right now, there is no universal experience where accommodations are reliably made or handled properly.

I always prioritize food allergy accommodations over things like price—though I wish I could simply sort by cost like most people. I often end up choosing more expensive airlines or flights just to avoid higher-risk situations. And as airlines change or update their disability policies, my preferences shift accordingly. I’ll get into those details below.

Check Out The No Nut Traveler!

The No Nut Traveler is a website dedicated to food allergies and the intersection with air travel and policy. They have a tab where you can share your own food allergy airline story. The stories are tracked, because as the No Nut Traveler explains, “if we don’t record our testimonials of traveling with a food allergy, it’s as if they never happened” and I fully agree! I’ve submitted my airline horror stories in here in hopes they will create positive changes for the future.

Did you know you DO have a right to pre-board with your allergy? That is because of Lianne’s work with the non-profit No Nut Traveler! It’s a recent policy and has not always been this way. It was able to be passed due to airline testimonials!

As I’m typing this and looking at the airlines’ websites and mission statements, I’m thinking about wheelchairs being broken during air travel and other accommodations that aren’t respected by these airlines, and it is extremely maddening. It’s hypocritical since all these airlines state on their sites something along the lines of, “Our goal is to make every flight a positive experience for our customers.” This is completely untrue—yet it’s exactly what United and other airlines have plastered all over their sites and say during the intros and outros of every flight as part of their spiel.

I also need to point out something I learned from following No Nut Traveler—our airline emergency medication kits haven’t been updated since 2004. That’s right! The epinephrine on board is often missing altogether, or it’s an outdated version. Even worse, there’s no required training for airline staff to administer epinephrine, so they’re relying on passengers to not only bring their own—but to use it on others in the event of a medical emergency. That means hoping there’s a nurse or doctor on board and that someone’s personal medication can be used safely.

This is not a good strategy. It’s outdated and unsafe—and it’s time for our in-flight medical standards to catch up with the 21st century.

We deserve airlines that are trained to recognize and respond to allergic reactions, that have epinephrine available, and that allow basic risk-mitigation accommodations for safer travel.

Also—do NOT eat airline food. The FDA allergen labeling laws we rely on for the Top 9 allergens do not apply in the air. On flights, allergen labeling is merely a “suggestion,” and no one is checking for accuracy. It’s just not worth the risk. Always bring your own food and snacks.

To learn more, I’m linking to Lianne’s site below—please take time to explore No Nut Traveler for yourself. There’s so much valuable information there!

• Share Your Story
• How ‘No Nut Traveler’ Got Started
• Airline Allergy Resources & Doctor’s Letters for Travel

Handing Out Allergy Cards On Your Flight

This might be something food-allergic individuals commonly do—or not—I’m not sure. But it’s something I’ve done in the past and still do from time to time! Much like an allergy chef card, I create a version specific to my peanut allergy and the trip I’m taking.

When I pre-board, I wipe down my seat area and then pass out small slips of paper I printed that say something like:
“Hello, someone sitting nearby has a life-threatening peanut allergy. If you don’t mind refraining from eating peanut products during the flight, it would be greatly appreciated.”

When I’ve flown with airlines that don’t provide accommodations, I’ve never been stopped from handing these out—but I also don’t ask. I just confidently place them around and return to my seat. Flight attendants have asked me about them before, but no one has ever removed them. I’ve found them to be an effective way to discreetly inform those around me about my allergy, which is especially helpful when I’m traveling alone.

If I have a family member or friend with me, they can help advocate for me in ways I can’t always do on my own.

I’ve even printed these cards in multiple languages. For example, when I traveled to Belgium, I brought versions in English, French, Dutch, and German. That said, I’ve found they’ve actually been most useful for domestic travel within the U.S., since in my experience, most international flights are willing to make an announcement asking passengers to refrain from eating peanuts and keeping the flight peanut-free.

A Stress-Free Airline Travel Checklist

A lot goes into traveling with a life-threatening food allergy—or multiple food allergies. That said, I hardly think about it now because I know how to plan ahead for travel. I’d say about 50% of the time, I end up having a fairly effortless travel experience—if the airline and flight crew are accommodating.

It’s still stressful and scary to put my life in the hands of people who may or may not care about it, and that’s just a reality of living with a food allergy.

Here’s a checklist I follow to help make travel as stress-free as possible:

• • KEEP YOUR MEDICATION ON YOU AT ALL TIMES

  • BRING A MASK & SAFE SNACKS

  • USE WET WIPES TO WIPE YOUR SURROUNDINGS AT THE AIRPORT AND ON THE AIRPLANE

  • BRING YOUR OWN WATER BOTTLE TO DRINK FROM

  • ALERT THE AIRLINE CREW OF YOUR SEAT NUMBER SO THEY KNOW WHERE YOU’RE SEATED

    • Tell them you have epinephrine on hand due to a food allergy, and remind them of your allergen.

  • REQUEST TO PRE-BOARD

  • ASK IF THE AIRLINE WILL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ASKING PASSENGERS TO REFRAIN FROM EATING YOUR ALLERGEN ON BOARD

    • (This doesn’t mean they’ll say yes—but it’s worth a try!)

When Passengers and Airline Staff Are Disrespectful Toward Those With Disabilities

There’s a lot of hate directed at people who request or require food allergy accommodations—and it’s important to note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not apply in the air. Instead, airline travel falls under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA).

In response to the backlash from some members of the public about peanuts and other nuts no longer being allowed or offered as snacks on certain flights, here’s what I have to say:

The small inconvenience of not getting a specific snack during a short flight is nothing compared to the reality of living every single day with a life-threatening food allergy. You won’t die from not having your usual snack—but someone else could die from its presence. You can’t please everyone, and this isn’t about making people happy. It’s about safety and valuing lives.

Often, people get angry about not being able to eat their peanuts or tree nuts, and it seems they lose sight of the shared goal: getting safely from point A to point B. That’s the purpose of flying, right? So why, if there’s even a 1% chance that a food item could cause an in-flight medical emergency—or even death—do some people insist on taking that chance? Especially when it’s so preventable?

Dwelling on this too long makes me sad, but I wanted to share this in case it helps someone else advocate for themselves—or helps someone with a food allergy feel less like a burden. Because people with food allergies are not burdens. We’re important, too.

An Overview: Airline Food Allergy Timeline

Southwest Airlines – 1971-2018: In 2017 alone, Southwest airlines served more than 106 million peanuts, according to their website. When the budget airline began in the early 1970s, in order to offer low airfare, Southwest didn’t serve in-flight meals and instead provided “peanut flights”. They started this trend by saying, “you fly for ‘peanuts,’ and so peanuts are what you get.” Other airlines served peanuts before and have since, but Southwest embraced this and was the first airline to serve only peanuts, as a marketing tactic.

Continental, United, American, and JetBlue Airlines – March 2011: By March of 2011, the airlines Continental, United, American, and US Airways eliminated peanuts and other free snacks from their flights, to save themselves an estimated $2.5 million per year. The airlines still stocked foods and peanuts on board but charged for them instead.

Continental, United, American, and JetBlue Airlines –  2010: In response to several complaints and a food allergy lawsuit or two, some airlines decided to stop stocking peanuts, and in 2010 the Department of Transportation even tossed around the idea of implementing an industry-wide ban on the life-threatening peanuts due to a rise in peanut allergies. Sadly, the ban didn’t sprout legs, because the DOT found that a prior law required it would need to conduct a peer-reviewed study before being able to pass it. Still, several airlines, including Continental, United, US Airways JetBlue, and American Airlines, voluntarily stopped serving packaged peanuts, in order to avoid further complaints.

As of 2022, based on these top airlines’ websites, these airlines do not serve peanuts as a free snack. However, they don’t do much for those with food allergies in terms of protection. For example, although United has stopped serving packaged peanuts to passengers, they still serve mixed nuts in Business class. The United Airlines website also indicates they will not offer “buffer zones” to those with peanut allergies, as some other airlines do. Southwest Airlines – July 2018: Southwest stated, “Southwest will stop serving peanuts on all flights to protect people with allergies.” This was a win for the allergy community seeking accommodations. 

Delta Airlines – July 2018: The next week after Southwest Airlines’ announcement, Delta announced they were bringing their peanuts back?! Whomp whomp! What a whirlwind. I took this decision by Delta as an offensive attack on the food allergy community. It’s statistically backed that food and peanut allergies are more common than ever before, so this decision to bring back a top deadly allergen really seemed unethical. As far as I can tell, Delta received a lot of backlashes but never retracted their decision, it looks like on the Delta website as of October 2022, they still serve peanuts but do allow pre-board and will switch snacks out for the specific flight as long as you notify them within 48-hours in advance. If you’re flying Delta with a peanut allergy, you may want to choose a different airline.

American Airlines – June 2019: According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), American Airlines (AA) violated a food allergy family’s rights in 2019 when they were refused the right to preboard. DOT does consider food allergies to qualify as a disability under the ACAA. American Airlines has been most often in news headlines around kicking passengers off flights with food allergies. I avoid American Airlines airline the most due to this. Here are recent examples of American Airline’s discrimination, so you can see why: 

• Family Kicked Off American Airlines: “My son has an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts and tree nuts” 
• Travelers With Nut Allergies Clash With Airlines
• Woman thrown off American Airlines flight over nut allergy so first class could get ‘contractual’ mixed nuts 

Southwest Airlines – October 2022: Southwest decides their disability pre-board accommodations no longer apply to peanut and food allergy travelers. This created an uproar in the food allergy community, understandably so, as it’s a preventative practice to be able to wipe down the area and potentially choose a seat less contaminated, and additionally to be able to more easily notify the airline crew and staff of their allergy and seat number. According to multiple news sources, this decision is potentially putting Southwest in legal discrimination trouble, as it should. 

How To Contact Each Airline Regarding Flying With Allergies

Below I’ve consolidated information from a Travel Market Report and a VeryWellHealth article detailing how each airline handles peanut allergies/food allergies, & their contact information and social media for easy reference and ability to contact them and/or leave feedback and comments to the public. As always, this may get outdated so check for yourself if these don’t get you to where you want to be!

American Airlines – Phone: (800) 433-7300 – American Airlines Facebook & Customer Support
Allergy Policy: American Airlines does not serve peanuts in-flight, but does serve other nuts, which may contain traces of peanuts. The airline can not guarantee that a flight will be peanut-free, will not grant requests for a particular flight to be peanut-free, won’t provide a peanut-free “buffer zone” for allergic customers, and won’t allow pre-boarding for seat and tray table wipe-downs.
Special Meals: American Airlines offers gluten-free, diabetic & vegan (dairy-free) meals for some flights, which must be booked in advance.

Delta Air Lines – Phone: (800) 221-1212 – Delta Airlines Facebook & Customer Support
Allergy Policy: Delta will refrain from serving peanuts on your flight if you notify them at least 48 hours before the flight. Cabin service will be instructed to carry additional non-peanut snacks that can be distributed to all passengers onboard. Delta will allow you to pre-board and sanitize your seat. On the day of travel, the peanut-allergic passenger should notify the gate attendants. Delta notes that it cannot guarantee the flight will be peanut-free.
Special Meals: Delta lists the name-brand snacks served on short flights on its website. Some of these snacks contain nuts. Gluten-free, diabetic, vegetarian, and vegan meals are available for longer flights. You must request a special meal at least 48 hours before departure.

JetBlue Airways – Phone: (800) JETBLUE (538-2583) – JetBlue Airways Facebook
Allergy Policy: JetBlue does not serve peanuts onboard, but does serve other nuts and other food items, which may be cross-contaminated with peanuts. The airline says it cannot prevent other passengers from bringing nuts or peanuts onboard the aircraft. On request, JetBlue will create a three-row buffer zone around you and ask that passengers in that zone do not eat any nuts. JetBlue also will offer a full refund to passengers whose allergies make it impossible for them to travel.
Special Meals: Jet Blue lists in-flight snacks on its website, and offers a limited selection of boxed meals, none of which are allergen-free.

United Airlines – Phone: (800) UNITED-1 – United Airlines Facebook & Customer Support
Allergy Policy: United does not serve peanuts or foods cooked in peanut oil on flights. However, they do serve prepackaged foods that may be cross-contaminated with peanuts. The airline notes that it’s “not possible” to prevent other passengers from bringing peanut-containing snacks on board, but says that flight attendants “may be able to pass along your request to other customers seated nearby to refrain from opening or eating any peanut products that they may have brought on board.”
Special Meals: Gluten-free and vegan (dairy-free) meals are available on some flights. Special meals must be ordered at least 24 hours in advance.

Southwest Airlines – Phone: (800) I-FLY-SWA – Southwest Airlines Facebook
Allergy Policy: Southwest does not serve peanuts in-flight, but offers other complimentary snacks. On the Southwest.com website, passengers can note the peanut allergy under “Add/Edit Disability Assistance Options.” Southwest suggests booking early-morning flights since the planes are cleaned at the end of the day and will be at their cleanest in the early morning. The airline recommends that allergic passengers check in at least one hour prior to boarding. Passengers will be provided with a “Peanut Dust Allergy Document” to present to the flight crew onboard, which will notify the crew not to serve peanuts. As of October 2022, Southwest’s peanut allergy preboard is no longer an option for the public. They have limited their airline accommodations for disabled individuals. Special Meals: Southwest does not serve full meals, but does serve in-flight snacks.

Keep Your Life-Saving Epinephrine On You At All Times During Air Travel

In case you didn’t know, epinephrine medication and solid and liquid antihistamines are exempt from the TSA 3-ounce limit on liquids/weight. I keep my epinephrine and antihistamines on me at all times with my passport/ID, so I can let the airline know it’s with me in my seat in the event of an allergic reaction, and let them know my seat number. I always bring wet wipes with me and wipe down my seat and area as best as I can.

Additionally, I often wear a KN95 mask on airplanes during air travel. I talk about why I love wearing a mask more in-depth in this Invisibly Allergic blog article. I’ll for sure wear a mask if the airlines are not accommodating and if they will not make an announcement to refrain from people eating peanut products on the flight. Sometimes they will, sometimes they won’t. The reality is that those with life-threatening food allergies lives are in the hands of the random crew members for each individual flight and their mood to accommodate that day. A mask doesn’t ensure my safety but is one tool that can help preventatively.

I will say, even though medications like epinephrine and Zyrtec don’t need to be specifically left out to get through security, I keep all my medication in one bag, so I can find it quickly, and will keep it with my wallet and phone and put it through the X-ray machine together so I can get it back together and not forget or lose them.

Give Airlines Your Feedback (and Report to No Nut Traveler!)

I’m a huge advocate for letting airlines know what you do and don’t like—and that includes reporting your airline experiences to No Nut Traveler. If enough people speak up, resist, boycott, and clearly explain why, it builds pressure on airlines to make meaningful, positive changes for their customers.

We need these testimonials to serve as powerful data to help push for global policy that protects people with food allergies in the air. We deserve consistency across airlines when it comes to accommodations, safety, and overall experience.

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