NewsPeanut allergy scare on Qatar Airways flight leaves tourist in peril

Peanut allergy scare on Qatar Airways flight leaves tourist in peril

A plane journey could have tragically ended for the tourist (illustrative photo)
A plane journey could have tragically ended for the tourist (illustrative photo)
Images source: © Adobe Stock | Matej Kastelic

12 September 2024 17:13

- I was petrified - said 25-year-old Amy Pearson in an interview with Kennedy News. The tourist feared for her life when the airline staff ignored her prior requests and served peanuts, to which she is fatally allergic.

According to Amy Pearson, she took a fourteen-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to visit her sister. The trip quickly turned into a harrowing experience due to the airline's negligent approach.

Woman with allergy was terrified

The Briton informed Qatar Airways well in advance about her allergy. She is allergic to peanuts. Interestingly, even the smell of them can cause the 25-year-old to have a severe anaphylactic reaction.

An airline representative accepted the tourist's request, so she hoped that peanuts would not be served. However, reality turned out to be quite different.

The woman always carries an EpiPen, which is an automatic, single-use syringe with adrenaline, in case of an anaphylactic shock. However, she always hopes she won't have to use it. This time, it was close.

Tragic flight

Unfortunately, according to the woman's account, the flight attendants kept offering the mentioned peanuts to passengers during this flight. When the Briton asked them again not to do so, she was told that flight attendants couldn't dictate to other passengers what they could or couldn't eat during the flight. Desperate and feeling worse, the woman turned to her fellow travellers. The other passengers agreed to her request and declined to take the peanuts.

Unfortunately, the airline is handling the situation and not taking responsibility. Qatar Airways stated that its employees do everything possible to meet passengers' expectations with specific needs, including allergies. However, as can be seen, their declarations do not align with reality. The same situation occurred on the second leg of the journey, which was operated by another airline—Malaysia Airlines.

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