It is high time that airlines should collectively bring a policy to guarantee a peaceful and hassle-free service to passengers. Especially a completely nut-free inflight environment as nut allergies are quite common for travellers with nut allergies. Korean Air hit global headlines for kicking two minors earlier in March this year, with severe peanut allergies off its Seoul to Manila flight, instead of complying with the passenger’s special request not to serve peanuts on the flight.

Recently, a popular airline asked two Indian siblings with severe nut allergies, to sit in the toilet while the cashew nuts were being served to the rest of the passengers on the flight. Sundeep Sahota, 33, and Shannen Sahota, 24, said they informed Emirates Airlines thrice about their nut allergies. But 40 minutes into the flight from England’s Birmingham Airport to Dubai, the cabin crew started serving fried cashews, leaving them suffering from the allergy.

Indian asked to sit in toilet for having nut allergy

The two Indian-origin siblings claimed that they told the Emirates staff on many occasions about the severity of their allergic condition when booking the tickets, checking in and boarding the flight from Birmingham Airport. The siblings started panicking right after they discovered that the chicken biryani contained cashew nuts they were severely allergic.
When they addressed their concern to the cabin crew, they suggested them a peculiar option. They were reportedly told to sit in the loo with cushions and pillows to avoid discomfort owing to their allergy.
Indian asked to sit in toilet for having nut allergy
Furious over the suggestion given by the staff, the two siblings spent the next seven hours on the flight from England to Dubai sitting at the back of the plane with blankets covering their faces.

“We were stunned when a supervisor told us ‘one way around it’ was for us to spend the flight in the cabin loo,” said Shannen, an analyst from Wolverhampton.

“We felt so degraded and embarrassed – it was horrible,” she said, adding that “it was meant to be a happy occasion as we were going to celebrate our parents’ 60th birthday but the start of our holiday was ruined.”

Indian asked to sit in toilet for having nut allergy

A contracts manager, Sundeed said Emirates ignored all the information they had given them. However, the airline claims the booking records do not reflect any mention of an allergy and it can never guarantee passengers a nut-free flight.

“We are sorry to hear about Ms Sahota’s complaint. Emirates tries to cater to all passengers’ specific needs by offering a number of special meals that cover as many medical, dietary and religious requirements as possible. However, Emirates cannot guarantee completely nut-free flights,” the airline said in a statement.

“We’ve looked into Ms Sahota’s booking and our records do not reflect any mention of a nut allergy. All passengers who alert us to a nut allergy prior to travel are informed of our policy and it is also outlined on our website here.”