A passenger with a severe nut allergy spent $185 buying every pack of peanuts on her flight to stop anyone opening them

06.08.2023 - 09:21 / insider.com

An airline passenger with a severe nut allergy bought 48 packs of peanuts on her flight to prevent anyone from opening them.

Leah Williams, 27, was flying from Dusseldorf, Germany to London's Heathrow Airport on Eurowings on July 13. She is prone to anaphylactic shock, and suffered one on a previous flight that saw her break out in hives when a pack of peanuts was opened near her.

Williams had flown from London to Dusseldorf on a work trip earlier that day on the airline. She said the cabin crew on that flight were happy to make an announcement and refrain from serving nuts.

But when she boarded the flight return to London, Williams said cabin crew refused her request to make an announcement. She said she was told by a flight attendant that it was against the airline's policy.

"He wasn't even looking me in the eye. I think he was getting frustrated I was holding up the line," Williams said of her conversation with a flight attendant after asking for an announcement to be made.

The cabin crew member also appeared not to understand Williams's allergy, as she said he asked if she needed an inhaler in case she had a reaction.

Williams discovered the airline would be selling peanuts on the flight and felt the only solution was to buy every pack available.

"I said: 'I'll buy them all so you can't serve them. I don't care how much it is. If you're not willing to help me this is the only thing I can do,'" she told Insider.

Flight attendants then counted all 48 packs of peanuts to ensure they were charging her the correct amount, which ended up being 168 euros (about $185), Williams said. "The worst thing was they actually asked if I wanted to take the peanuts, and I said obviously not."

Instead, the peanuts were placed in a plastic bag at the front of the cabin.

Many airlines opt not to sell or serve peanuts on flights, although none can prevent passengers from bringing them on board.

Eurowings doesn't clarify on its website whether peanuts are a typical snack offering on its flights and states that it can't prevent passengers from bringing nuts on board.

"For this reason, Eurowings is unable to guarantee that the aircraft is free of foodstuffs that may trigger an allergic reaction, such as peanuts," its website states.

There is no mention of a policy of making announcements about passengers who have allergies.

Williams says she has sent several emails to Eurowings and made multiple phone calls to complain and seek a refund for the peanuts, but as yet hasn't received a reply.

"Ultimately, the best outcome and my aim for this is for Eurowings to change or update their policy and not sell peanuts on their flight," she said.

A Eurowings representative told Insider: "We are very sorry that the flight with us did