Anyone take PB&J sandwiches through airport security?

[amarberry]

Here we go again, unless they allergy person plans on sharing her sandwich , her eating it isn't going to hurt them. The announcement shouldn't be ALL peanut products, that is just going overboard and the main problem.

And this where we are going to continue to disagree. I do not agree that the only way a person can get hurt from a peanut butter sandwich is by eating it. Residue can remain and can hurt someone with a peanut allergy on a subsequent flight. This is a particular problem with peanuts because of the oil, and while I wouldn't advocate a ban on peanut products on ground, I don't think it is a good idea on an airplane that is isolated from medical care.

I hope you or a loved one never develop a life threatening food allergy. Our family has lived with this for over 7 years and it is not easy. I feel fortunate that my daughter is not allergic to peanuts, but she is extremely allergic to eggs to the point that casual contact on school equipment caused a severe reaction. Do you have any idea what it is like to get a call from your child's school principal to tell you that your daughter is saying her throat is closing up and that they are going to administer her epipen? She didn't knowingly injest anything with egg. She was just doing her math assignment at school and probably rubbed her face or put her hand in her mouth. EMT's were at her school within 5 minutes of having her epipen administered. That would not be the case if that happened on an airplane.

So even though my kids can safely eat peanut butter, you'd better believe we will happily refrain from doing so on a flight. I do feel that there is a risk, a minimal risk, but I'm not willing to take it.

I doubt I will make you see this issue any differently than you are choosing to see it, but as you can see, you won't be changing the way I view it either. I will continue to error on the side of caution with this. We will not die from not eating peanut butter for 2-3 hours.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Nobody is doubting or diminishing the seriousness of peanut allergies. Completely understood that, depending on the severity of the allergy and the type of contact, it could be fatal. Wasn't there a teenager a few years ago who died after kissing her boyfriend, an hour or so after he'd eaten a peanut butter sandwich?

But reading some of the posts in this thread, it sounds like people with food allergies or kids with food allergies think those of us who plan/prepare to eat pbj sandwiches on an airplane are ill-mannered, inconsiderate heathens who smear our hair and exposed skin with the allergen just before boarding, then try to hug everyone on the plane.

While futilely trying to find even one instance of a fatality in-flight ascribed to a reaction to peanuts, peanut dust, peanut oil, peanut products, etc., I did find this http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/10/nut_allergy_hysteria/ rather interesting article. In part, "The facts are these, Christakis insists: "About 3.3 million Americans are allergic to nuts, and even more - 6.9 million - are allergic to seafood. However, all told, serious allergic reactions to foods cause just 2,000 hospitalisations a year (out of more than 30 million hospitalisations nationwide). And only 150 people (children and adults) die each year from all food allergies combined." and "There are no doubt thousands of parents who rid their cupboards of peanut butter but not of guns. And more children assuredly die walking or being driven to school each year than die from nut allergies."

eta: I'm not saying anyone here is misrepresenting personal food allergies (own, kids', friends') and sincerely hope my posts aren't taken that way. But comparing figures like what I quoted (and I've seen the same number elsewhere, with the percentage of affected Americans between 1.1% and 1.4%) to third-party experiences like those of the poster who's been on "many" - again, not doubting the poster - flights where the pilot made a 'no-peanuts due to allergies' announcement, well, it doesn't add up.

I found another site - http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_travel_by_air_per_day_in_u.s - that conservatively estimates 1,500,000 domestic passengers daily. Three million airline passengers each day vs 3.3 million Americans with peanut allergies? Yet 'many' flights in just one person's experience (and undetermined numbers in other poaters' experiences) have peanut allergies?
Something doesn't add up.

 

[Hannathy]

Nobody is doubting or diminishing the seriousness of peanut allergies. Completely understood that, depending on the severity of the allergy and the type of contact, it could be fatal. Wasn't there a teenager a few years ago who died after kissing her boyfriend, an hour or so after he'd eaten a peanut butter sandwich?

Nope she didn't die from the peanut butter! Totally disproved but you don't see that pointed out do you?


I love your description of a traveler. Wonder if peanut butter would make a good mohawk gel?

 

[laughinplace199]

OP, you can certainly bring the PB sandwiches on your flight and you will most likely be able to eat them. However, I would bring some back-up food, just in case. Occasionally, an allergic person may ask the FA to make an announcement asking passengers not to eat peanut products, so it would be good to have another option for your family if that happens.

Even if there is no announcement made, there could still be allergic people on your flight, so it would be nice if you had some hand wipes to use after eating the PB sandwich - that way you reduce the chance of peanut oil being transeferred from your hands to other surfaces on the plane.

My DD is one of those kids who is severely allergic to nuts. When we fly, we preboard to wipe down every surface in her area and also inspect the floor for nuts that the previous passanger may have dropped. We also use a sheet or a towel to cover her seat. We do not ask the FA to make an announcement, but we do let them know about her allergy. We usually fly JetBlue and they create a buffer zone a couple of rows before and after ours where they will ask people to not eat nuts. This is JB's policy, not our request, but we've never heard anyone complain about it.

I have no problems with people eating nuts on planes when it's just a few people here and there. We choose not to fly Delta or Southwest because those airlines typically serve peanuts to the whole plane. We do feel that an entire plane of people opening packages of nuts at the same time poses a risk for DD. That peanut dust contains peanut protein, which is then released into the recirculated air. So, we just don't fly those airlines, even though they often have cheaper fares.

I think that often, people who don't deal with food allergies don't really get it. I know I didn't until DD was diagnosed. I thought the Epi Pen cured the reaction. I didn't realize that it only bought you 15 min to get to an ER. This is why people do worry so much about nut exposure in the air. On the ground, EMT's can get to you in 10 min, but that's not possible in the air.

What it comes down to is that I take responsibility for my DD's safety, but I'm always so appreciative when other people make the effort to be considerate (using wipes to clean hands after eating PB, for example). Flying with a nut allergic child can be stressful because of the fact that you're so far away from medical care, and when people offer to wipe their hands or not complain when they can't eat nuts because they are seated in the buffer zone, it makes things a lot less stressful for this mom. And when I travel without my DD, I choose not to eat nuts on a plane, just in case.

 

[Music City Mama]

OP, you can certainly bring the PB sandwiches on your flight and you will most likely be able to eat them. However, I would bring some back-up food, just in case. Occasionally, an allergic person may ask the FA to make an announcement asking passengers not to eat peanut products, so it would be good to have another option for your family if that happens.

Even if there is no announcement made, there could still be allergic people on your flight, so it would be nice if you had some hand wipes to use after eating the PB sandwich - that way you reduce the chance of peanut oil being transeferred from your hands to other surfaces on the plane.

My DD is one of those kids who is severely allergic to nuts. When we fly, we preboard to wipe down every surface in her area and also inspect the floor for nuts that the previous passanger may have dropped. We also use a sheet or a towel to cover her seat. We do not ask the FA to make an announcement, but we do let them know about her allergy. We usually fly JetBlue and they create a buffer zone a couple of rows before and after ours where they will ask people to not eat nuts. This is JB's policy, not our request, but we've never heard anyone complain about it.

I have no problems with people eating nuts on planes when it's just a few people here and there. We choose not to fly Delta or Southwest because those airlines typically serve peanuts to the whole plane. We do feel that an entire plane of people opening packages of nuts at the same time poses a risk for DD. That peanut dust contains peanut protein, which is then released into the recirculated air. So, we just don't fly those airlines, even though they often have cheaper fares.

I think that often, people who don't deal with food allergies don't really get it. I know I didn't until DD was diagnosed. I thought the Epi Pen cured the reaction. I didn't realize that it only bought you 15 min to get to an ER. This is why people do worry so much about nut exposure in the air. On the ground, EMT's can get to you in 10 min, but that's not possible in the air.

What it comes down to is that I take responsibility for my DD's safety, but I'm always so appreciative when other people make the effort to be considerate (using wipes to clean hands after eating PB, for example). Flying with a nut allergic child can be stressful because of the fact that you're so far away from medical care, and when people offer to wipe their hands or not complain when they can't eat nuts because they are seated in the buffer zone, it makes things a lot less stressful for this mom. And when I travel without my DD, I choose not to eat nuts on a plane, just in case.

This is pretty much how I feel. I wouldn't demand that people couldn't eat peanuts or peanut butter, but I wouldn't necessarily feel comfortable with the majority of the plane eating peanuts either, so I wouldn't want them handed out for everyone. The fear, as you say, is because the Epipen only buys you some time, and up in the air, you don't have access to emergency medical care. People who understand and refrain from nuts or at least make a genuine effort to clean up their areas, just makes it less stressful.

But reading some of the posts in this thread, it sounds like people with food allergies or kids with food allergies think those of us who plan/prepare to eat pbj sandwiches on an airplane are ill-mannered, inconsiderate heathens who smear our hair and exposed skin with the allergen just before boarding, then try to hug everyone on the plane.

No, you don't come across that way.

However, this poster, on the other hand . . .

Nope she didn't die from the peanut butter! Totally disproved but you don't see that pointed out do you?

I love your description of a traveler. Wonder if peanut butter would make a good mohawk gel?

I'm sorry, but you come across like you'd actually enjoy seeing someone have a reaction. I'm not saying this is how you really are, but maybe you should take a step back and look at your posts. You're probably the most quoted poster on this thread not because of your opinion, but because of your attitude. The tone of your posts either sound very angry or said with an evil cackle. You, ma'am/sir are beyond rude.

 

[goofy4tink]

And, we are done. This is not serving any purpose.