Why an Allergy Buffer Zone Matters on Airplanes

A recent post of mine left some people without allergies wondering why they can’t eat nuts if they are sitting next to me on a plane. I want to respond.

Asking you to not eat nuts (or peanuts) might seem extreme, but the concern isn’t that your peanut is going to end up in my mouth or in the plane’s air. The problem is what happens after you eat them. If you eat a handful of nuts and then touch the seat, or seatbelt, or arm rest, you transfer nut proteins to those surfaces. Then, if I touch that same surface surface, the oils or protein can transfer to my hand. Then, if I grab my pretzel or non-nut snack, there’s is a potential for a serious problem. My allergies are severe enough that I had reactions twice from accidentally coming into contact with someone else's pistachio crumbs.

Studies, research, and passengers who have experienced reactions suggest that "surface-to hand-to mouth transfer "is a realistic risk. The National Academies highlighted the need for caution due to accidental hand-to-mouth transfer from contaminated airplane seats. (NCBI article)

That doesn’t mean that touching a peanut always causes an anaphylactic reaction. And research suggests that smelling a nut is unlikely to cause a reaction. However, sitting right next to a person eating nuts creates the possibility of contamination while I’m flying high in the air, far away from a hospital. Those of us with allergies aren’t asking you or airlines to make the entire plane nut-free. We’re just asking you not to bring the nuts and peanuts we are deathly allergic to into the seat next to us.