Air Canada ordered to offer a no-nuts option for allergic flyers

by Katie Hammel on

The Canadian Transportation Authority has ruled that Air Canada needs to create a “nut-free” zone on all of its flights, to accommodate those passengers who are severely allergic to nuts. The order came after two passengers complained that the airline had failed to properly accommodate their allergies, which the CTA ruled should be treated as a disability.

According to Toronto’s National Post, the airline has “30 days to come up with a plan to create a ‘buffer zone'” to separate those who have nut allergies from the rest of the passengers, who may receive a snack with nuts in it.

I feel for people who have severe nut allergies, really I do. The constant worry that something you eat may contain nuts, the fear that someone may eat a nut near you and cause you to have a bad reaction, the pain of not being able to enjoy all the delicious nuts out there in the world. I mean, have you ever had a macadamia nut? Those things are pure heaven.

Should passengers be denied the right to eat something delicious because there is a chance that another person on the plane might be allergic to it? It’s tempting to say no, but really, when you think about it, is offering a peanut-based snack so important that it is worth risking someone’s life? Some allergies really are that severe and there are plenty of other snack options out there that don’t involve nuts. I actually have to side with one of the complaining passengers on this one – it just makes more sense to get ride of nut-based snacks altogether.

[via USA Today]

Hypoallergenic Hotel Rooms

by Iva Skoch on

Most stories are about how bad hotels rooms are, but here’s good news for many. The NY Times just ran a story on some hotels that go to great lengths to clean their rooms.

The Premier Hotel in Times Square, for example, uses ozone, tea tree oil, dust-mite covers, and other methods to create the “Pure Room.” And they aren’t the only ones. The article lists a host of other hotels making similar changes. Some charging premiums of five to ten percent over a ‘normal’ room, some not.

The process is not cheap. It often requires ripping out carpets and drapes, throwing out mattresses and duvets, and installing new equipment, such as air purifiers, filters, and maybe even wooden blinds and hardwood floors.

Aside from the physical changes, cleaning changes can also be made, including swabbing doorknobs and phones with germ-killers, misting surfaces with antimicrobial agents, and four-hour ozone treatments.

But watch out. What might make things clean doesn’t necessarily help those with allergies, and vice-versa.

Photo: Mussels