2024-09-15 17:14:35
A Washington woman is suing Allegiant Air after her son, who has a severe nut allergy, was removed from a flight with her. The incident occurred after a flight attendant refused to stop selling nuts on board. The mother claims the flight attendant insisted on selling the nuts to avoid losing her commission.
Crystal Shelton, a Washington state resident, has filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation. She accuses Allegiant Air of discriminating against her son, who has a severe allergy to peanuts and tree nuts. Shelton claims that she and her 8-year-old son were kicked off a plane from Chattanooga to Tampa on July 7 after a flight attendant ignored her request to stop selling snacks containing nuts to protect her son.
According to a post on the PYOK website, Shelton filed an 11-page complaint detailing the incident. She claims she asked a flight attendant to remove the nuts from the menu for her son’s safety, as he is severely allergic to pistachios and pine nuts. One flight attendant agreed, but another became furious and mocked Shelton. She allegedly insisted on selling the snacks to avoid losing her commission.
The crew eventually labeled Shelton and her son “unruly passengers” and said they were “behaving inappropriately.” They were ordered off the plane. After failing to find an alternate Allegiant flight for two days, Shelton was forced to travel to Atlanta and book tickets with another airline. Despite her appeals to Allegiant, she received only a partial refund and a flight credit that she was unable to use due to the company’s attitude.
Shelton noted that some airlines, such as Britain’s easyJet, take comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of passengers with severe allergies.
Earlier, Cursor wrote that a passenger wanted to hijack a plane during turbulence.