Sunday, September 15, 2024 Allegiant Air removed a mother and her son from a flight earlier this summer due to the son’s severe nut allergy. According to a complaint filed with the United States Department of Transportation (DoT), a crew member allegedly refused to miss out on the commission from in-flight nut sales, leading to the pair’s removal. The incident forced the family to make a long drive to an alternative airport, delaying their travel by a day.
The situation unfolded during a flight from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Tampa Bay, Florida. Upon informing the crew about the son’s life-threatening allergy, which can result in anaphylactic shock, the crew reportedly became “enraged.” The mother and son were subsequently informed by a gate agent that they were being removed for being “unruly.
” When questioned, the gate agent revealed in a recorded conversation that the crew had “invented” the claim of unruliness. Left stranded, the mother and son drove to Atlanta to catch a different flight the following day. The formal complaint filed with the DoT seeks to mandate allergy training for airline crew members and calls for Allegiant Air to be fined.
Although the airline issued a refund in the form of flight credits, the mother is also demanding compensation for the inconvenience and damages caused. While Allegiant Air’s handling of this incident has drawn criticism, other airlines have implemented measures to accommodate passengers with severe allergies. Fo.