Millions of people in the U.S. suffer from a peanut allergy. Some estimates place the figure between 1.4% to 2% of the population.
The condition is serious, though it affects people differently. For some, it may cause skin rashes or a swollen face; for others, it can cause anaphylaxis. That reaction is serious and can be fatal without immediate action.
Naturally, if you’re someone whose peanut allergy can cause anaphylactic shock, it likely means you’ll take precautions. It can affect how you live your day-to-day life, and the way you travel.
After all, traveling often means being stuck inside an enclosed space for a prolonged amount of time.
A JetBlue passenger who suffers from a peanut allergy recently shared one part of what taking these precautions can look like, which is informing the flight crew. Her TikTok video, however, was met with intense backlash by viewers.
TikTok creator Julia (@myepipal), who’s also the founder of Epi-Pals, an allergy awareness brand that creates plush epinephrine carriers, posted a short video of her boarding a flight and speaking to the flight attendants.
“I just wanna let you know I’m in 21E, but I have an anaphylactic peanut allergy,” she says. “So just so you guys know…”
The clip cuts to Remillard in her seat. “The way I just told them, and they looked at me like I was crazy and then said, ‘Okay, you may proceed to your seat,’” she says. “No buffer, nothing.”
Remillard says she asked a flight attendant if they would return to her seat. “They told me to keep walking,” she says, “They literally haven’t announced it and won’t tell the people around me.”
“JetBlue….what are we doing I am so disappointed,” she writes in the caption. “This was my first time traveling solo in a long time and I was shocked to see the lack of empathy and education today from the flight I was on.”
She says the flight crew failed to take any steps to ensure her safety. “I asked to be moved, I asked for advocacy on the intercom, I asked for basic human decency,” she says. “I got nothing.”
Her video has garnered over 5.7 million views.
JetBlue states on its website that it does not serve peanuts onboard, but does serve products with tree nuts (peanuts are legumes). It notes that it cannot guarantee that all of the products it offers are free of cross-contamination by either.
The airline also says it doesn’t make any peanut allergy-related announcements inside the plane or in the gate area, and that it can’t restrict customers from bringing peanuts onboard.
However, JetBlue recommends those who suffer from a peanut allergy “inform an inflight crewmember” when they board.
“Upon request, an inflight crewmember will create a buffer zone one row in front and one row behind the person who has the allergy,” the airline wrote. “The inflight crewmember will ask customers seated in the buffer zone to refrain from consuming any nut-containing products they have brought on board.”
Additionally, some airlines allow passengers with peanut allergies to pre-board so they can clean their seat areas. If you have a serious nut allergy, it may be a good idea to ask gate agents whether this is possible whenever you travel.
JetBlue did not immediately respond to BoardingArea’s email seeking comment.
In the comments section, users didn’t understand what a flight attendant’s responsibility is in these cases. Others thought the way she delivered the information was rude.
“What the [expletive] were they supposed to do????” asked one user.
“You had no problem telling the airline staff, you should have no problem telling the people sitting near you,” wrote another.
“My daughter has a peanut allergy. She is 45, never expected a whole plane to be responsible for her allergy,” stated a third. “She travels a lot.”
“Your approach was awful and rude,” another stated.
A few commenters came to her defense. “These comments just do not understand. As someone in healthcare for 24 years, you are absolutely right in making them aware and they should have announced it,” one of them said. “Im sorry you are being invalidated.”
In an email to BoardingArea, Remillard said JetBlue only responded publicly in the video’s comment section.
According to Remillard, the airline asked her to contact them with her flight information for further assistance. While she said she appreciated the public reply, she feels it lacked a personal response to what happened.
“Their response mostly focused on explaining their buffer zone procedure when requested,” Remillard said.
Remillard clarified she had requested accommodations, but the flight attendant only came forward after takeoff to notify the surrounding rows about her allergy. She said she felt that the timing was “inappropriately late.”
Remillard also addressed the backlash she received after sharing the video, saying she was “deeply sad and disappointed by the lack of empathy and education” around food allergies.
“I was born with my anaphylactic allergy and have no control over it, the same way someone with Type 1 Diabetes does not,” she said.
She said several comments went as far as threatening her.
“I saw at least five comments threatening to find me and rub peanut butter on me,” Remillard said. “To those people, I say this: I feel sorry for you that you are so ignorant of empathy.”
Remillard said she has had many positive flying experiences in the past, including with JetBlue, where flight attendants allowed her to pre-board, clean her seat area, and make sure crew members knew where she was sitting before boarding was complete.
She said the row in front of her, her row, and the row behind her have often been told before takeoff that the area would be treated as a nut-free zone.
“These steps matter for safety,” Remillard said. “What many people fail to understand is that if I go into anaphylactic shock mid-flight, it is not just dangerous for me, it becomes an emergency situation for the entire plane.”
She also pushed back on commenters who said she should have personally approached passengers around her.
“I believe the comments themselves proved exactly why that can become dangerous,” she wrote.
@myepipal JetBlue….what are we doing I am so disappointed 🥺 This was my first time traveling solo in an longtime and I was shocked to see the lack of empathy and education today from the flight I was on. I asked to be moved, I asked for advocacy on the intercom, I asked for basic human decency. I got nothing. #allergies #medical #flight #dangerous #fly ♬ original sound – Epi-Pals
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“According to Remillard, the airline asked her to contact them with her flight information for further assistance. While she said she appreciated the public reply, she feels it lacked a personal response to what happened.”
That show entitlement and ignorance. “Personal response” > they want a) to know if you ever flew JetBlue and b) ask the cabin crew for their version – do you think they take what you write on the internet as the gospel?