Indian siblings with nut allergies allegedly told to ‘sit in the loo’ by airline

Two Indian-origin siblings, with severe nut allergies, say they were told by cabin crew to ‘sit in the loo’ while food containing cashews was served on the flight.

Airline Food Source: iStockphoto

24-year-old Shannen Sahota and her 33-year-old brother Sundeep Sahota say they were flying from Birmingham in the UK to Dubai, en route to Singapore for their parents' joint 60th birthday when the alleged incident occurred.

Source: Supplied

They claim they had informed Emirates Airlines three times about their allergies.

“Prior to booking our tickets via our travel agent; a few days before we were to fly out, (we were) asking them have you got our details? We checked with them thrice,” Shannen said on Britain's national

This Morning

show.

But 40 minutes into the flight, they scanned through the flight menu and found that chicken biryani with fried cashew nuts was on the list.

The duo says they panicked and called for assistance from cabin crew.

'We were stunned'

However, instead of addressing their concern, they allege one staff member told them they might feel more comfortable if they moved into a toilet with cushions and pillows.

Furious over the suggestion given by airline staff, the two say they spent the next seven hours in the flight sitting at the back of the plane with blankets covering their face.

"We were stunned when a supervisor told us 'one way round it' was for us to spend the flight in the cabin loo," said Shannen, an analyst from Wolverhampton.

"We felt so degraded and embarrassed - it was horrible," she said, adding that "it was meant to be a happy occasion as we were going to celebrate our parents' 60th birthday but the start of our holiday was ruined."

'We cannot guarantee completely nut-free flights': Emirates

An Emirates spokesperson told SBS Hindi, “We are sorry to hear about Ms Sahota’s complaint. Emirates tries to cater to all passenger-specific needs by offering a number of special meals that cover as many medical, dietary and religious requirements as possible. However, Emirates cannot guarantee completely nut-free flights.

We’ve looked into Ms Sahota’s booking and our records do not reflect any mention of a nut allergy. All passengers who alert us of a nut allergy prior to travel are informed of our policy and it is also outlined on our website here:

https://www.emirates.com/english/before-you-fly/travel/dietary-requirements.aspx

. When alerted during the flight, our crew tried their best to offer Ms Sahota and her brother alternative locations in an open space in back of the aircraft cabin to minimise their proximity to other passengers who may be consuming meals with nuts.