i've thought this was (pea)nuts for years!

the department of transportation is considering a ban of all peanut products served on planes. the prevalence and the potentially deadly consequences of severe peanut allergies have prompted them to consider this under the agency’s disability rule.

peanut allergies can be more serious than many of us realize, especially for children. while not all peanut allergies are serious enough to keep a sufferer off airplanes, when airlines serve peanuts on board as an in-flight snack, severe allergy sufferers may not even have to eat the peanuts to have a reaction. for these travelers, including many children, just the presence of peanut particles in the air can bring on a life-threatening allergic reaction. the dot believes that a severe peanut allergy counts as a disability and federal law prohibits air carriers from discriminating against individuals with a disability, so they are left wondering whether it should require specific steps for handling severe peanut allergies and what those steps should be.

congress has given the dot mixed signals on this issue over the years. the air carrier access act prohibits discrimination against those with disabilities by u.s. and foreign air carriers and requires airlines to accommodate travelers with disabilities unless doing this would cause an “undue burden” or require the airline to “fundamentally alter its services”. but in 1999, when the dot informed airlines that this applied to peanut allergies, congress withdrew dot funding for any restrictions on airline peanut practices. this ban lasted only one year, congress hasn’t re-imposed it since.

so what options are the dot considering? here are three:

* an outright ban on airlines serving peanuts and peanut products
* banning service of peanuts and peanut products only on a flight where a passenger with a peanut allergy requests a peanut-free flight in advance
* requiring the airline to provide a peanut-free buffer zone around a passenger with a medically-documented severe peanut allergy if the passenger makes a request in advance

my thought, and i do have one...is how did it take so long for this to become an issue? i am sure that the peanut lobby is doing what they can to make sure they keep their spot on planes, but i have to tell you i think it's just nuts! people with peanut allergies can have quick, violent and sometimes deadly reactions when coming near a peanut, so much so that stores that serve food (like my folk's store) and restaurant menus have to indicate when peanuts or peanut remnants can be found in their food. now, i do think that people who have allergies have to take extra steps to ensure their own safety, but i have always thought it was silly to introduce a known, common allergen, like peanuts, into a confined space! you would think that the airlines would think so too, if for no no other reason than to cover themselves. what is your point?