i am very worried and thinking of cancelling my Christmas in Florida. We are driving there but were supposed to fly back on sw airlines. Me being the dummy I am did not think about it since i booked it in september, but my child is contact sensitive. We were somewher where he walked on them with his shoes and immediately began clawing at his eyes and turning red. I have talked to sw and they will refund my money, they are also agreeable to not serve peanuts but you know, they serve them so much i am worried about the carpet etc. I have changed my flight to early morning before they begin serving them but will that be enough, no one has been able to tell me and i am so worried. I can't find any other flights for that day (Christmas) that aren't 700 dollars per person. I have called all the airlines and now know who is nice about it and who isn't. SW is being very nice to us but I am not sure they are safe. Help!!!
Help I bought SW airlines tickets
Posted on: Mon, 12/11/2000 - 6:06am
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how far is your flight going to be from florida? was that the extent of your child's reaction or did it affect breathing/vomiting, etc? how old is your child? could you carry him on and off and wipe the seat down before sitting?
It is three hours. From Tampa to Houston but we land for a few minutes in new orleans. My son is 3. We could carry him on and off and wipe everything. My biggest concern is the particles in the air. Is that enough to worry about, and how the air is recirculated over and over, could there be enough left in the carpet etc from the day before or the week before?
We flew cross country -- five flights in all -- on Southwest, just before Thanksgiving. I packed an entire pharmacy in my carry-on: Epis, Benadryl, albuterol, prednisone. We had a good experience -- the only heartstopping moment came when the pilots (who were giving my son an incredible tour of the cockpit, complete with "plane noises"!) gave him a bag of macademia nut cookies. I had not spoken with them (hadn't anticipated them serving snacks in the cockpit!), so the responsibility was completely on my shoulders. The bag was sealed, and I gave it back to them with a quiet explanation. As to the flight itself, the only symptom I noticed was that my son had several sneezing spells. He is contact-sensitive, so I began each flight by wiping off the tray table thoroughly. His car seat afforded an extra "layer" of protection from any residue on the seatbelt or seat.
I am not keen on flying for flying's sake with him, but we had a critically ill family member, and it was a calculated risk.
I was *very* pleased with SW's willingness to accomodate the situation. They were cheerful, and professional, and never made us feel like we were putting them out.
WARNING, though: The raisins which they serve as a substitute for peanuts are packed by Fisher, and contain a "may contain" warning! Sigh. When I mentioned this to the flight attendant, she was kind enough to ask if she should collect them all back...I assured her that I was okay with others eating them, as long as they didn't come into contact with my son. All in all, I think they really do a commendable job.
We flew Southwest from Chicago to Orlando last spring. They were more than willing to work with us in regards to my 3 yr old son's peanut allergy. They did require a letter from our allergist be presented at the time of check-in, but no one asked to see it.
I wrote about our experience in this topic back in April, I think titled Southwest Airlines. My son is touch sensitive, also. We had a morning flight but there were still peanuts in the cracks of the seats. Because of the pa, we were able to board first and wipe down the seats, etc. But I do suggest you bring a blanket (or something equivalent) from home to lay over the seat. We also gave him benadryl before boarding.
We verified the peanut-free flight at check-in, at the boarding gate, and also with the head flight attendant before we even boarded.
Just be sure to have enough epi-pens for the length of the flight. I'm sure if you take the necessary precautions, your child will be fine. Good luck! Deanna
Thanks for all of the great comments. I am really glad to hear of the good experiences you have had. My child did have that weird reaction though where he walked on them (with shoes) and began itching and breaking out. Have you ever heard of that?? He goes to preschool and I know some kids bring peanut butter so he has been fine in the room with them, it was just strange what happened with walking on them... it made alot more paranoid about this flight. Have you ever seen that in your children?
We fly with our multi-allergic son several times a year. We carry his car seat onto the plane and he sits in that. That way he can't reach the seat ahead or the yucky tray table. It's good that you have an early morning flight.
Good luck with your flight!