Coffee, Tea, or Nut-Free? Air Canada Ordered to Provide a No-Nut Zone
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has advised Air Canada to come up with an adequate section of seats where passengers with severe nut allergies would be seated. This ruling, which must be addressed in 30 days, was determine by the CTA since passenger’s nut allergies should be considered a disability and must be accommodated by the airline.
Although Air Canada stopped serving peanuts years ago, the airline still serves cashews and other snacks that contain nuts.
My thoughts? For an airline to designate a nut-free zone on their airplanes will take very little to no extra effort or money. In fact maybe there will be more people that will decide to fly on airlines that offer these nut-free zones.
But is a nut-free section on a plane enough? Or should the whole plane become a nut-free zone?
Then comes the question of how would an airline prevent passengers from bringing their own nutty-snacks on a plane?
I think that this ruling is a step in the right direction. It addresses the severity of food allergies, and the life and death consequences of a simple snack. But, I say let’s get rid of the nutty-snacks altogether, on all airplanes and maybe someday we will all be able to fly the (nut-allergy) friendly skies!
What are your thoughts? Reply to this blog and let us know!
P.S. If you want to send an email to Air Canada contact their Customer Care department.
January 12th, 2010 at 10:39 am
And where would we stop? A Celiac isn’t nut-allergic, but cannot have any gluten; someone sitting next to a sensitive celiac could contaminate the environment around both the celiac and himself by spilling crumbs from his/her crumbly bread, crackers, or Danish pastry.
This means that we need to stop eating where it’s not appropriate – we need to avoid eating on buses, planes, behind the wheel of a car (hazardous driving…), in classrooms, at religious services, in concert halls, in waiting rooms, and so on. I’ve seen people eating in all these places! If we didn’t allow snacking everywhere, we might have a few more fit people, too.
January 12th, 2010 at 11:11 am
I would never want to put another passenger at risk. However, I find that most airlines provide no gluten free snacks other than the nuts (sometimes not even those). If a nut-free zone (with a request available for nut-free flights if someone’s risk from airborne contact is severe), can provide safety, it also provides better for those who cannot eat the cookies…
May 6th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
thanks so much this is exactly what i am trying to say in my paper! i hope one day it will happen. just imagine nut free planes!
i also think that they would make more money since there are so many nut allergy people out there wanting to travel.thanks again for saying it!!!!!