This turned out to be an expensive way for one passenger to get out of a problem.
And an embarrassment for Eurowings Airlines.
A woman with a severe nut allergy was flying from London to Dusseldorf and was forced to buy every packet of peanuts on the flight to avoid an allergic reaction. This was after she politely requested the crew not to sell the packets.
The woman, 27-year-old Leah Williams, bought all 48 remaining packages of peanuts on the flight. It cost her £144, or more than $180 in United States currency. That was almost three times as much as she paid for the flight itself.
Williams said the crew ignored her plight and continued.
So she bought all the packages of peanuts herself.
“The stewards looked at me blankly like I was crazy and said, ‘But there is a lot, we’ll have to count them all.’ I said, ‘Please do count them and I will pay for them all, seeing as you have left me with no choice,’” she said. “Eurowings should be ashamed of how they handled this situation and for the way they made me feel.”
Williams said she will request a refund for the nuts she purchased on board.
A Eurowings spokesperson said: “We are very sorry that the flight with us did not go as smoothly as planned and we regret any inconvenience this has caused Leah Williams. One thing in advance: Leah Williams was not forced to buy all packages of peanuts on board – on the contrary, our purser tried to offer her an alternative solution by informing all passengers sitting around her about Leah’s allergy. She agreed at first but then decided to still buy all the packages. … (We are) unable to guarantee that the aircraft is free of foodstuffs that may trigger an allergic reaction, such as peanuts.”
The airline added that so many people have allergic reactions to different things and intolerances that it is impossible to keep all food separate. Passengers are warned to keep medication on board, such as EpiPens, and to tell staff before the flight takes off.
UK-based airlines now make an announcement prior to any flight that someone on board has a peanut allergy.
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