A New York woman who advocates for those with peanut allergies has a peanut allergy herself. So, when she took a flight with JetBlue, she thought she would let them know about the allergy. However, she thinks the flight company was dismissive with her and she felt the response from staff was dismissive.
Julia (@myepipal) makes epinephrine auto-injectors for those who suffer from allergies and need access to their medication on-the-go. She is an advocate for those with allergies and always speaks up about it. So, when she was taking a flight with JetBlue, she did something that was well within her rights. She decided to announce to the attendants that she is sitting in 21E and has an “anaphylactic peanut allergy.”
When Julia told them, nobody said much to her and she proceeded to her seat. She tells her audience they looked at her “like she was crazy” and told her to “proceed to her seat.” When she asked for a buffer zone, which is a designated seating arrangement for those with allergies, they told her to “keep walking.” Julia discovered that the woman sitting immediately behind her on her flight was eating peanuts. Julia says to her audience, “They literally haven’t announced it and won’t tell the people around me.”
Commenters flooded to Julia’s video to share their opinions on the matter. Though some commenters showed support, others berated Julia for speaking up about her allergy. One commenter said, “Yes queen, the world revolves around your safety.” Another mentioned, “I have anaphylactic latex allergy and I literally don’t go anywhere. It’s just unrealistic to expect everyone to cater to me.”
What Julia was asking of the JetBlue employees was not unheard of, though. On JetBlue’s own website, they state that you can “inform a crewmember at the gate” of your allergy and even ask for “accommodations.” On top of that, they say they can “create a buffer zone one row in front and one row behind the person who has the allergy.” In that zone, people will be asked not to consume nut products. Julia said the accommodations described on JetBlue’s website were not offered during her flight.
One commenter tried to tell Julia, “You had no problem telling the airline staff. You should have no problem telling the people sitting near you.” However, JetBlue’s website states that passengers may request accommodations such as buffer zones. These issues still remain up for debate in the comments.
