An allergy is no reason to be kicked off your flight, but that is what happened to two teenage boys who were travelling by themselves from Atlanta, GA to the Philippines. The boys were travelling to visit their sick grandfather in Georgia and on the way back, had a layover in Seoul, South Korea, which is where the incident took place.
Prior to boarding, the older son explained to the gate that he has a severe peanut and tree nut allergy and asked if they could refrain from serving peanuts on the flight, as his allergy is susceptible to ingestion and airborne. This was originally fine with the Korean Air agents and they proceeded to board, but once seated were approached by a flight attendant who told them that peanuts would be served “because they ‘must let the other passengers enjoy the peanuts.’”
After the boy explained how life-threatening his allergy is, the flight attendant made a call to their supervisor before the gate agent that at first OK-ed the boys to get on the flight presented them with an ultimatum: stay on the flight with the peanuts being served or to leave. After exchanging ideas of how the airline could accommodate them, the agent rapidly changed their mind and told them that their only option at this point was to leave the plane. The boys made one last plea to wear masks during the flight so that they could fly home, but the agent refused their offer and sternly had them exit.
According to the People Magazine article that reported this story, the boys were sent back to Atlanta and the situation is being investigated by Delta, the parent company of Korean Airlines. The mother originally shared her frustration on NoNutTraveler.com, a website for people travelling with food allergies.
Thumbnail photo: Getty