A British couple, Ms Pretoria Drever and Mr Rhonan Kelly, say they were obliged to disembark from a flight operated by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL) at Edinburgh Airport (EDI), Edinburgh, on 25 October, cabin-crew ignored their severe nut and peanut allergies, reported the Mirror.
Their holiday—a two-night break in Amsterdam booked for celebrating Mr. Kelly’s 25th birthday—was cancelled when the airline allegedly declined to either of the following:
- Halt service of almond-topped baked goods
- Make a cabin announcement soliciting nut-free consumption
The couple claim they had no feasible option but to leave the aircraft because their airborne allergy risk made flight survival uncertain, claiming that had they continued with the flight, they might have even lost their lives. According to The Scottish Sun, the trip was worth £700.
The British Couple’s Statement vs KLM’s Onboard Allergy Policy
Pretoria and Rhonan say they alerted KLM about the allergy in advance via its online form. In order to bolster their case, they had even arrived two hours early. Despite this, once onboard they were advised by the cabin manager that nut-containing snacks would still be distributed and that no announcement would be made:
“Even the menu for that day was meant to be a cookie but when we got on the plane it was a banana loaf with almonds and nuts on it. The manager on the plane was saying ‘we’re not going to stop selling [nut products]. We spoke to KLM Amsterdam and they’ve told us to go ahead with selling the nut products and they can’t put an announcement out’
KLM states that the airline nonetheless cannot guarantee a peanut-free or nut-free environment onboard. The carrier claims on its website that its meals do not contain whole or ground peanuts or peanut paste. Here is a sketch of the carrier’s instructions on possibilities of passengers with food allergies:
| Allergy Type / Concern | Policy / Information | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten or Lactose Allergy | KLM has processes in place to minimize the risk of gluten or lactose contamination. | The airline cannot guarantee that meals are 100% gluten-free or lactose-free. |
| Severe Food Allergies (General) | Passengers with severe allergies are advised to carry their allergy medication in hand baggage. | Passengers may bring their own meal, but KLM cannot heat it due to safety regulations. |
| Peanut Allergy | KLM meals do not contain whole or ground peanuts or peanut paste. | The airline cannot guarantee that flights are completely peanut-free. When serving mixed-nut snacks, no alternative is available. |
According to the KLM’s statement quoted in sources above, it will:
“make an onboard announcement kindly requesting fellow passengers to keep nut-containing products sealed for the duration of the flight”.
adding that it “cannot control or prohibit other passengers from consuming products that may contain nuts” and “unfortunately cannot guarantee a nut-free environment on board”. In effect, the KLM’s policy places the burden of avoidance of the allergy on the allergic passenger. According to SnackSafely, the KLM crew “allegedly suggested that the couple could remain on board as epinephrine auto-injectors were available“:
Kelly dismissed this as an inadequate solution given the lack of immediate medical assistance at cruising altitude, pointing out that “an EpiPen is only meant to put adrenaline [epinephrine] in your body until an ambulance comes so that’s not the answer when you’re in the sky.” Feeling powerless and unsupported by the airline representatives, who cited instructions from KLM Amsterdam to proceed with the service, Kelly recounted the overwhelming sense of defeat: “I was angry but it was very embarrassing. I felt as if I was backed into a corner because no matter what we said or did, we knew we weren’t going to win.”
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Previous similar incidents in aviation
| Airline / Incident | Description | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| KLM, 11th August 2019 – nut meal served despite allergy claims | A passenger with nut and soy allergy on a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Calgary was served a meal labelled “gluten-free/allergy” yet containing nuts.
The family reported crew confusion and inadequate response. The passenger even noted “When I first looked at the cashews or peanuts in this meal, I kept poking at the nuts because I could not believe it! Imagine if the nuts had not been so visible?“ |
|
| Various airlines – nut/peanut policies under scrutiny (2015 UK Commons debate) | In UK Parliament, it was noted that many airlines could not guarantee nut-free environments, and that nuts had been removed by some carriers but overall regulation remained inconsistent. |
|
What laws are applicable in such cases?
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) issued a guidance document “Recommendations for Allergen-Sensitive Passengers” which states that even if a passenger notifies their allergy, airlines “cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment onboard” and other passengers may bring allergens themselves.
The document also notes that “allergen-sensitive passengers susceptible to severe allergic reactions should do everything in their power to prevent these cases or be prepared if it does happen“. While all carriers, such as KLM, in this case, are mandated to meet all the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), they also need to watch out for the mandate of their government, and these “incidentally differ from State to State“:
“Each national authority must meet the general standard, but when it comes to details (e.g. first aid kit or emergency medical kit contents), this may be very different from one State to the other. A similar situation applies to training. The ICAO standard requires that an airline establish and maintain a training program that shall ensure that each member of cabin crew is drilled and capable in the use of the emergency and life-saving equipment that is required to be carried. This basically requires that all cabin crew be trained in first aid. The details of the training are left to the individual States and therefore the required skills and the details of the equipment vary.”
What can passengers do to avoid cases like the British Couple who had to abandon the KLM flight after a nut allergy?
As the laws are different in different nations, here is no one-size fits all solution to the problem that Pretoria Drever and Rhonan Kelly encountered in the flight. Here are the general rules for before travel:
| Travel Stage | Recommendations | Details / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Before Travel | Consult your doctor | Discuss travel-related allergy risks. If prescribed an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen®, Anapen®, Twinject®), carry it and any other essential medication in your hand luggage for easy access. |
| Carry medical documents | Keep your prescription and emergency action plan signed by your doctor to avoid airport security issues. | |
| Check airline allergy policies | Contact the airline directly about allergy accommodations. Avoid third-party bookings to ensure requests are recorded. | |
| Understand limitations | Airlines cannot guarantee allergen-free meals or cabins due to cross-contamination, food labeling gaps, and items brought by other passengers. | |
| Minors and insurance | Children with allergies should not travel alone. Check if your travel insurance covers allergic reactions or anaphylaxis. |
And the following are the instructions for the
| Day of Travel | Arrive early | Allow extra time to confirm seat requests or early boarding. |
| Inform nearby passengers | Discreetly notify those seated nearby about your or your child’s allergy. Choose a window seat or sit between companions to limit exposure. | |
| Clean your area | Bring sanitizing wipes to clean trays, armrests, and seat surfaces. | |
| Alert cabin crew | Let the lead attendant know about your condition so they can assist quickly if needed. Note: airlines usually don’t make cabin-wide allergy announcements. | |
| Bring your own food | Safest option is to pack non-perishable meals. Confirm with the airline about any restrictions on outside food or reheating policies. | |
| Check local food rules | For multi-stop trips, verify quarantine laws in transit or destination countries regarding food items. | |
| Reference | Source | IATA – Recommendations for Allergen-Sensitive Passengers (Dec 2016) |
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All in All
Pretoria Drever and Rhonan Kelly had followed much of the instructions handed out by IATA for allergic passengers. Nevertheless, oddities as such are a part of air travel.