This is similar to the smoking debate a few years ago. I quite like the French's attitude to these things. Those with anaphylactic allergies have a choice, you can fly the airline that doesn't promise peanut free zones, or not. You have a choice. Airlines catered to those who wished not to have someone smoking on a plane, and in many cases smoking ceased to be permissible on planes BEFORE health savvy legislation caught up. The choice of course maybe driving the distance instead. When I was standing in a security line at ATL, there was a loud-mouth complaining about all the security and the delays and he had a 'right' to do this and that. I nearly (until I saw the 6 foot 3" red-neck) turned around and told him to hop in his f'ing SUV and drive. He had a CHOICE. If he doesn't like one option, he can choose the other. Most people are a little more accepting. Matthew Original Message: ----------------- >From: Michael C. Berch mcb@postmodern.com >Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 12:23:20 -0800 >To: AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU >Subject: Re: peanuts and other nuts > > >Douglas et al., > >I think everyone understands the seriousness of peanut and other anaphylactic food allergies. However, the >initial response to this by the airlines and others -- to stop serving peanuts on flights -- was misguided. This is >because the airline cannot guarantee a peanut-free flight -- airliners will continue to contain peanut fragments >and dust for a long time after peanuts are no longer served, and, more importantly, an airline cannot >effectively prevent passengers from bringing their own peanuts. In addition to the usual snack bags of salted >peanuts, thousands of processed foods, including cookies, cakes, breakfast and energy bars, sandwiches, >fried foods, etc. contain peanuts or peanut oil. >There is no possible way for an airline to provide a peanut-free environment, so it is, from a liability >standpoint, a bad idea to try, since if an allergic passenger is told that peanuts are not served on a particular >flight, and then he/she suffers an allergic attack due to some other passenger's carry-on food, the airline may >be liable.