Eurowings Passenger With Nut Allergy Had To Buy Every Packet Of Peanuts On Board
Summary
- Passenger Leah Williams had to buy 48 packs of peanuts to prevent them from being served.
- Williams spent $185 on the peanuts.
- Williams has contacted Eurowings for a refund and urges them to update their policy.
Leah Williams, a passenger onboard a flight operated by Eurowings between Düsseldorf (DUS) and London Heathrow (LHR), had to buy 48 packs of peanuts on her flight. This wasn’t because she really liked peanuts; rather, it was to prevent anyone from opening them and triggering her severe nut allergy. This came after the crew allegedly refused not to serve nuts during the flight.
What happened?
First reported by Insider, Leah Williams, a 27-year-old woman, flew between London and Düsseldorf on July 13. On a previous occasion, she suffered from an anaphylactic shock while onboard an aircraft when someone on the plane opened a pack of peanuts near her.
To stop this from happening again, she told the cabin crew on the flight from Heathrow to Düsseldorf about her condition. The crew was happy to make a public announcement about her allergy and refrained from serving nuts during the flight.
Photo: Eurowings.
However, on the return service from Germany to the United Kingdom, the crew was not as helpful. She claims the cabin crew refused her request to make an announcement and would not promise to refrain from serving and selling nuts during the flight. According to Williams, a flight attendant told her it was against the airline’s policy.
Spending $185 on 48 packs of peanuts
With this dilemma, Leah Williams opted to buy every pack of nuts on the flight. She said to Insider,
“I’ll buy them all, so you can’t serve them. I don’t care how much it is. If you’re not willing to help me, this is the only thing I can do.”
She proceeded to buy 48 packs of peanuts and pay 168 Euros, or about $185. According to the displeased passenger, the crew asked her if she wanted to take the peanuts, to which she responded, “Obviously not.” Instead, the crew placed the peanuts in a plastic bag at the front of the cabin.
Looking for a refund
Following the flight, Leah Williams has repeatedly contacted Eurowings. As reported by Insider, she made multiple phone calls to complain and seek a refund for the peanuts. She has not received a reply.
Williams urges Eurowings to change or update their policy and not sell peanuts on their flight, something which is already common practice from other airlines. For example, Lufthansa (Eurowings is a Lufthansa Group airline) does not serve peanuts on its flights, according to the company’s website. Other carriers, such as Air Canada, offer ‘buffer zones’ for passengers with severe allergies.
Photo: Eurowings.
Simple Flying reached out to Eurowings for comment on the story and will update our coverage once a response has been received. However, a Eurowings representative told Insider the company is sorry the flight did not go as smoothly as desired for Leah Williams, and they regret any inconvenience this has caused.
The company added that the flight’s cabin crew offered to inform passengers sitting near Williams of her allergy. Despite this, she decided to buy all the packets of peanuts.
This is the second similar incident within the Lufthansa Group. Insider reported in July a woman with a severe peanut allergy was laughed at by Lufthansa’s staff when she requested the crew to make an announcement about her allergy to the rest of the passengers.
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Source: Insider.
