Do you think they should ban peanuts on airplane flights?

[Parche]

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Federal regulators are considering a snack attack on the nation's airlines that would restrict or even completely ban serving peanuts on commercial flights.

Advocates say the move would ease fears and potential harm to an estimated 1.8 million Americans who suffer from peanut allergies. Peanut farmers and food packagers, however, see it as overreaching and unfair to their legume.

"The peanut is such a great snack and such an American snack," says Martin Kanan, CEO of the King Nut Companies, an Ohio company that packages the peanuts served by most U.S. airlines. "What's next? Is it banning peanuts in ballparks?"

Twelve years after Congress ordered it to back off peanuts, the U.S. Transportation Department gave notice last week that it's gathering feedback from allergy sufferers, medical experts, the food industry and the public on whether to ban or restrict in-flight peanuts.

The peanut proposals were listed in an 84-page document including several other proposed consumer protections for air travelers. Three options were given: banning serving of peanuts on all planes; prohibiting peanuts only when an allergic passenger requests it in advance; or requiring an undefined "peanut-free zone" flight when a passenger asks for one.

While those options only pertain to peanuts served by flight crews, the document also states "we are particularly interested in hearing views on how peanuts and peanut products brought on board aircraft by passengers should be handled."

[SunnySong]

1. We have to stop letting people with allergies and other issues dictate how the rest of us live.

I am in favor of reasonable accommodation banning peanuts on airplanes is not reasonable.

[depakid]

8. What you're proposing of course is to enager people with severe allergies on airplanes

are peanuts really that important to you that they can't easily be replaced with some equivalent snack?

[SunnySong]

12. This isn't about just peanuts on planes (or on school grounds ect)

This is about reasonable accommodation. If you request the person sitting next to you not to eat peanuts that is resonable. If you requset everyone on the plane not to eat peanuts that is less so.

[depakid]

16. What it seems to be about is people thinking this would be some huge imposition

to not have a major allergin aboard.

I mean- are peanuts really *that* important?

The industry would surely like you to think so.

[Gold Metal Flake]

2. No. I like Charlie Brown.

[unkachuck]

22. me too!

....how about banning airplanes on Peanuts and use dog houses instead?

[tularetom]

3. As the white knuckliest of fliers, it makes no difference to me

I refuse to take my death grip off the arm rest long enough to eat any goddamned peanuts.

Perhaps the flight attendant could feed them to me one at a time.

[Yeahyeah]

4. I'm allergic to peanuts.Luckily I'm also allergic to airplanes.

[LiberalFighter]

5. Only if elephants are allowed to travel by plane.

[Angry Dragon]

6. If you have a peanut allergy then do not fly.

sounds simple to me.

[HipChick]

7. how can they do a peanut ban,unless they check in detail all of your carry-on

I bring my own peanuts,snacks...

[bluestateguy]

9. How much more miserable can flying made to be?

Are pay toilets next?

I am all for accomodations for the disabled, maybe a few extra large seats for fat people, and reasonable accomodations for children traveling alone, but when these accomodations start to mess with everybody else's ability to have a deceent flight then I must draw the linhe and say no.

I did not bother with spellchecker, so sue me.

[Webster Green]

10. Folks with a peanut allergy are tempted to eat them when flying?

That's fucking weird. :wtf:

[depakid]

13. The anaphylactic shock often comes from minor contact or can be airborn from others eating them

in close confines.

People would do well to look at the info here to see why this is not just some trivial matter:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=15618

[Webster Green]

17. Oh.

Never mind.

[LisaL]

11. Honestly I couldn't care less about peanuts.

One can live without peanuts for a few hours. But where does it stop? People could be allergic to a lot of things, so what is it going to be next?

[KamaAina]

14. What about people who bring PBJs in their carry-ons?

now that the cheap-ass airlines sock you for food? :shrug:

[frazzled]

15. I have a peanut allergy, but I don't need a ban

It's not life threatening to me to be seated next to a person eating peanuts. However, it may be to some others.

All I would ask is that they put some f*@&ing other, alternative thing besides peanuts on the plane. How's about a little bag of pretzels or something for those of us who cannot eat peanuts.

Do you know how it feels to pay $300 for a flight that gets delayed for an hour and a half, and you haven't eaten anything because you thought you'd get to your destination in time for dinner, and you've changed planes once already and run through the airport and gotten felt up by the security matron and had to heave your bag in the overhead because the mofo's want to charge you $25 to fly with a goddam change of underpants, and you're starting to get low blood sugar ... and they bring you a bag of f*@&ing peanuts? And you ask politely, "Do you have anything else, perhaps, say some crackers or pretzels ? And they say, no. And you say, but I'm allergic to peanuts. And they just walk away.

Oh well, I've stopped asking. I try to remember to stick something in my bag in case I need some sustenance. And I've learned to ask for tomato juice, although it's something I never drink except when I am on a plane, because it weirdly fills you up like real food and makes you feel better. They do usually have tomato juice. I'm sure they're going to start charging $15 for it though.

Why peanuts, I ask? Of all the ridiculous things on earth to eat, why is the only thing an airline will stock is peanuts?


(Fly Porter Air to Toronto or Montreal --- they give you a whole sandwich and goodies, and free wine or beer!)

[RKP5637]

18. OK, who did Jimmy Carter piss off? n/t

[dflprincess]

19. If you fly Delta, skip the peanuts, get the ginger cookies

they are way better.

[X_Digger]

20. Oh FFS..

Let me get this straight.. 1 in 150 people (roughly) is allergic to nut products, to some degree.

The other 149? Screw em. Let's not ask that people with a violent allergy have an epi-pen handy, or include one in the first aid kit on the plane.

No! Peanuts iz verbotten!

*sigh*

[depakid]

27. 1.3% of the population has a serious allergy to peanuts

and the bottom line is that despite the selfishness and me-ism displayed on this thread, very few people would notice if some other snack was substituted.

It's always interesting to read polls like this one supposedly progressive sites. Leaves little wonder why ordinary people in America consistently end up fucked over. Over.

One thing I have no doubt about whatsoever, though- when an emergency happens- the plane has to land and people miss connecting flight- the ones hollering and voting "no" will be the same ones screaming about why the airlines didn't think ahead and enact this policy in the first place so that they wouldn't have been inconvenienced.

[GoneOffShore]

21. No and no

If peanuts are outlawed only outlaws will have peanuts.

Slippery slope here.

[Bitwit1234]

23. I'm not allergic to peanuts but I can't eat them

I have a condition that causes them to back up in my stomach causing obstruction of the bowel and it is very painful and might be life threatening. I just don't eat them or coconut, which does the same. But I think that some peanut allergies are so severe that even touching something that had peanuts on it could cause a person to die. So yes peanuts should be banned.

[krabigirl]

24. No, but why not peanut-free flights or a space that's enclosed?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

25. Some months ago, there was an article about peanut allergies in the NY Times

Can't recall exactly when the article appeared, but apparently the "can't be in the same room with peanuts" type of allergy, as opposed to "can't eat them" type of allergy is extremely rare. One doctor interviewed said that some parents whose children had the "can't eat them" type of allergy jumped to the conclusion that their child had the "can't be near them" type of allergy. He said that he demonstrated the difference by smearing their child's arm with peanut butter and showing that there was no harm done.

I'm puzzled by the recent hysteria over peanuts, though. Has some genetic mutation (the can't be in the same room with peanuts mutation) popped up in the human race in the past decade or so?

In any case, it's been a long time since I've been served peanuts on an airplane. On the flights I've taken, the flight attendants have handed out little plastic packets that are impossible to open and contain three or four stale pretzels.

[devilgrrl]

28. I too wondered about how peanut allergies suddenly came too be...

was it always like this but no one discussed it? :crazy:

My niece is allergic to nuts and can't stand being near them. :-(

[Iggo]

26. Yes.