NBC

Singer Dua Lipa Criticizes United Airlines After Flight Attendant's Response to Allergy Concern

Some airlines still offer peanuts or nut products during flights

What to Know

  • United says it prepares and serves snacks and meals with ingredients that include “major food allergens”
  • A flight attendant told Lipa that United isn't a nut-free airline
  • Southwest Airlines plans to stop offering peanuts on its flights beginning Aug. 1

Singer Dua Lipa called out United Airlines on Wednesday for the way a flight attendant responded when Lipa explained her sister had a peanut allergy.

In a tweet, Lipa said the attendant informed her that United is not a nut-free airline. The flight attendant also said Lipa’s sister might have to use an EpiPen because the airline couldn’t refuse to serve nuts to other passengers.

https://twitter.com/DUALIPA/status/1022075351466496001

“Passenger safety is our top priority,” United said in a response to Lipa’s tweet and in an email to NBC. “We can’t guarantee an allergen-free environment but we work to address allergy concerns onboard i.e. we don’t serve pre-packaged peanuts.”

In its policy on food allergies, United says it prepares and serves snacks and meals with ingredients that include “major food allergens.” The airline urges customers to notify a flight attendant of any allergy concerns.

“In some cases, we may be able to pass along your request to other customers seated nearby to refrain from opening and eating any allergen-containing products they may have brought on board,” United says on its website.

Lipa said in a tweet “They just said well we wont serve you two nuts but thats all we can do!”

https://twitter.com/DUALIPA/status/1022077208855293954

A spokeswoman for Lipa, whose song "New Rules" has more than 1 billion views on YouTube, didn’t have a comment because Lipa was still on the flight at the time of the inquiry.

While Southwest Airlines said it plans to stop providing passengers with peanuts beginning Aug. 1, some airlines still offer peanuts as a snack option. 

Delta said in an email to NBC that it recently added peanuts to its mix of complimentary snacks but would refrain from serving peanuts and peanut products on a flight if it learned of passenger’s allergy in advance.

American Airlines doesn’t serve peanuts but does offer other nut products, an airline spokesman said.

“We can’t accommodate requests to not serve certain foods, provide nut “buffer zones,” or allow you to board early to clean your area,” the spokesman said. “Our planes are cleaned regularly, but can’t guarantee the removal of nut allergens on surfaces or in the air filters.”

A Jetblue spokeswoman told NBC that the airline never has served peanuts on its flights. 

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