American Airlines told a family after boarding they are no longer allowed on the flight. Two of their children had severe nut allergies and the pilot decided to get them off the plane.
Dr. Rosanne Bloom and her family were flying with the US airline from Philadelphia to the Turks and Caicos Islands on Christmas morning. When Rosanne entered the flight, she had informed the crew that her teenage sons experienced nut allergies. The family had gotten on the plane and had settled into their seats. The last thing they expected was to be removed from the flight.
In addition, the family's luggage had also been removed from the flight. When Dr. Rosanne Bloom inquired as to why they had been removed from the flight, the answer was because her two sons had an allergy. Dr. Rosanne Bloom said in an interview with NY Times that they had with them medicines, brought their own food and was comfortable staying on the plane. She said she even offered to sign a waiver and they were deplaned within two short minutes.
Meanwhile, American Airlines spokesperson Matt Miller told Express that such decisions are left at the discretion of the pilot. He said that American Airlines could not be assured that customers will not be exposed to peanuts or other tree nuts during a flight. He further said that they strongly encourage customers to take all necessary precautions and seek medical advice prior to travel.
Miller further stated that American Airlines policy is designed to make sure that customers do not think they can provide something they cannot. According to him, "the Philadelphia flight in their records indicate that when the airline was advised of the children's allergy to nuts, and when comments were made about possibly having to make an emergency landing during the flight if they were exposed to nuts, our crewmembers were concerned about their ability to complete the flight safely."
He added that the captain made the decision to remove the family from the flight for safety reasons. He then apologized to the family who has experienced a disruption to their travel plans. However, he said that the decision was made with customers' best interests in mind.
