A woman on her way from the UK to a holiday in South Africa was kicked off the flight and left stranded 2,000 miles from home in Istanbul when the pilot discovered she is mildly allergic to nuts.
Hanna Olsen revealed her allergies when she asked to see the list of ingredients in the in-flight food, reports The Mirror. She said: "I asked for an ingredients list for the meals they were serving, as I had on the flight from Manchester. My allergy is mild; it is not airborne.
"I wasn't asking them not to serve nuts or for it to affect anyone else on the flight, I simply wanted to know so I could decide that what I was eating was safe for me."
Hanna said the crew told her that if she had an allergy and wanted to stay on the plane she would have to sign to agree that the airline was not responsible if anything happened.
"I was given a blank piece of A4 paper to sign. They said I had to sign the form to say that I take responsibility if something happens. It was a blank bit of paper, not a form.
"I told them I don't have to eat anything if it's going to be a issue."
She was given a blank piece of paper and wrote her own waiver (Image: Hanna Olsen)
The crew returned 10 minutes later to say the pilot was now refusing to take her.
"I got really upset, it was embarrassing and dehumanising. I was crying and other passengers were getting annoyed as the flight was delayed."
Hanna was taken off the plane and left in Istanbul for 24 hours, paying out of her own pocket for an airport hotel room. She said Turkish Airlines wanted to charge her £700 to rebook her the next day, and made her sign a second piece of blank A4 paper to confirm the company would not be held responsible.
Hanna said she was eventually rebooked at no cost. She said: "I've had this allergy since I was born, but this has made me really nervous.
"I can't help having an allergy, their reaction was ridiculous. I'm never going to tell crews again about my allergy as this has been very traumatising.
"I only ate a bread roll on the 10-and-a-half-hour flight, as I was scared."
Lianne Mandelbaum, an allergy campaigner, said: "In 2022, no one should be subject to scorn or outright hostility over a legitimate medical condition. As founder of No Nut Traveler, a nonprofit working to improve the safety and quality of life both in the air and on the ground for individuals with food allergies, this incident is just one of many testimonials that I have collected which indicates that food allergies are often not understood or supported.
"People with heart conditions are far more likely to have a medical issue on a flight. Yet no one is suggesting screening people over a certain age or weight be screened before they get on a plane due to increased risk of potential heart problems.
"It is utterly unacceptable to use personal medical information to deny a passenger with a food allergy the ability to travel by air. We disclose this information so that we can take reasonable precautions to mitigate the risk of an in-flight reaction."
A Turkish Airlines spokeswoman said: "We discussed the issue with our Customer Relations Dept. And we have been informed that our passenger had already created a personal feedback through our feedback form.
"Following this, our authorised units evaluated the case in all aspects as per our investigation policy, and took all necessary actions, and informed our passenger due to the conclusion."
