A father claims he was ‘bullied’ into leaving a British Airways flight after asking staff not to serve nuts due to his six year-old’s life-threatening nut allergy.
Andrew Hyams, 42, claims cabin crew refused his request as he and Mollie and his girlfriend Suzy attempted to fly from Heathrow Airport to Larnaca, Cyprus, for a holiday in August.
He said he attempted to reason with staff but a customer relations manager told him their luggage was being unloaded, leaving him no option than to leave the plane and book with a different airline.
My Hyams admitted he was not aware the airline served cashews with its drink service.
But after boarding the flight, Mr Hyams said his family was approached by the head cabin steward, who informed him ‘there was nothing they could do’ to help.
British Airways said on-board announcements could not be provided as they are not part of its peanut policy.
Mr Hyams carries an EpiPen at all times in case his daughter, Mollie, goes into anaphylactic shock.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, British Airways said: "We do our best to accommodate the needs of all our customers, and our crew explained our policy and the reason for it.
"We don’t use peanuts in our meals but we are never able to guarantee a nut-free environment on any of our flights, as allergens could remain in the air from previous flights or customers could bring their own food on board.
"We advise customers who suffer from allergies and need to carry emergency medication to inform cabin crew and those travelling with them, or sitting next to them, but we are not able to make announcements as we can never guarantee a nut-free environment."
