A woman suffered a "scary" allergic reaction mid-flight after being served a meal with nut traces - despite repeatedly telling staff about her condition, she claims. Cassie Naughton, 29, says she told several British Airways workers about her allergy.
But she was still given a couscous dish which has nut traces, she claims, leading to a reaction. Luckily Cassie, from Bicester, Oxon., was able to manage the situation with medication.
But it could have been much worse, she claims - and she wants BA staff to be better educated moving forward. Cassie said: “They have so many options available: veggie, vegan, kosher, halal, low-calorie. It's nice - but if you’re on a keto diet it’s not life-threatening.
“If they’re going to cater for so many people, allergens have to be important.”
Cassie, a senior international sales manager, was flying back from a work trip in Singapore. She says she informed the check-in desk, gate staff and cabin crew of her nut allergy.
Cassie says she also asked staff to check the allergen menu – but claims she was still served a dish with nut traces. She says that just a few bites into the meal she felt her mouth begin to tingle and swell.
Cassie says she asked the passenger seated next to her to alert the crew, who then moved her to empty seating at the back of the plane to monitor her condition. She was then asked to wait at the back of plane for over three hours while the crew monitored her.
Cassie was able to manage the severity of the reaction by taking a Piriton and luckily did not have to resort to using the Epi-Pen she carries with her. Despite making a full recovery, she says she is particularly disappointed after the same mistake allegedly happened on a separate flight eight years previously.
Now, Cassie is calling for better training for cabin crew regarding the dangers of allergens and says she hasn’t had a satisfactory response to her complaint. She said: “I have a severe nut allergy, so I always inform the staff – it’s been missed before so I always inform staff at the check-in desk, gate, and crew on board as well.
“I started to eat the meal and within less than 40 seconds my mouth started to swell and tingle, and my lips were going bumpy. When they got the allergen menu back to double check, it was the couscous that had raw nuts in it, so despite telling all the staff and crew and them checking the allergens, they still gave me dish with nuts in.
“Initially I felt scared because my allergy is so severe and thank god I didn’t eat that much - because the reaction comes on so quickly. It's a very scary situation, it’s scary at home or out and about and even scarier on a 13-hour flight in the air.”
British Airways was approached for comment by the SWNS news agency. The company's website states that it cannot guarantee an environment completely free from allergens, and traces of allergens may be present in meals.
It adds: "When travelling, it is essential that information on your allergies is communicated to cabin crew upon boarding."
