My husband, two sons, and I flew JetBlue from Charleston, South Carolina, to Boston on January 16, 2025. Charleston Airport is over two hours from where we live, but we make the drive because it’s the closest airport that offers JetBlue, and JetBlue has always been amazing with our allergies.
My 8-year-old has a life-threatening peanut, tree nut, and sunflower allergy. When purchasing our tickets, I noted the allergies, and upon arriving at the gate, I informed the desk agent. She assured us that we could pre-board to wipe down our seats and said she would notify the flight attendants.
We pre-boarded and wiped everything down without any issues. As the plane filled up and we prepared for takeoff, no announcement had been made regarding a buffer zone for allergies. The family seated behind us took out Chick-fil-A and a salad with peanut dressing. My husband immediately spoke to the flight attendant, who responded dismissively, saying, “Well, you obviously didn’t tell anyone at the gate.” My husband firmly stated that we had informed the gate agent and were assured that the flight crew would be notified.
The flight attendant then approached the mother behind us and said, while pointing to my son, “This kid has a nut allergy, and you can’t eat that food because you’re in the buffer zone.” The mother responded, “Well, that’s ridiculous. I’m not stopping eating.” Shockingly, the flight attendant started laughing and told them to “eat quickly before we noticed.” I overheard the entire conversation.
When I addressed the flight attendant about not announcing the allergy buffer rows, she dismissively replied, “Well, I can’t make people stop eating.” At this point, the mother behind us started yelling, saying she didn’t care if my son had an allergic reaction and that she wasn’t stopping her family from eating. The flight attendant continued laughing and then walked away. I was furious.
I requested to move our seats, but I was told the flight was full and that they couldn’t disrupt the seating arrangement. Throughout the flight, the mother continued making insensitive and inappropriate remarks.
Upon landing, the pilot and another flight attendant were standing near the exit. I asked the second flight attendant about the allergy protocol for passengers with life-threatening allergies. He acknowledged he was aware of the situation but said there was nothing he could do. When I asked again about the official protocol, he explained that it was to notify the rows in front and behind the passenger with allergies. I informed him that our flight attendant never made that announcement and that we had to remind her multiple times about the allergy. I also described how the mother was mocking us and how the flight attendant had laughed along.
The pilot, who had joined the conversation, expressed that he was appalled by the behavior of both the mother and the flight attendant and assured us he would address the matter. I told him how uncomfortable it made us feel that the flight attendant specifically pointed out our son’s allergy to the mother, as well as how unprofessional it was for her to join in the mockery.
The pilot apologized but reiterated that he couldn’t force people to comply. I explained that we travel over two hours to an airport with JetBlue because of their typically excellent handling of food allergies, yet this flight experience was scary, uncomfortable, and completely unnecessary. I also pointed out how disgusting it was to have someone openly say they didn’t care if my son had a life-threatening reaction, only for the flight attendant to laugh in response.
This experience was deeply upsetting, and I hope JetBlue takes serious action to ensure that passengers with life-threatening allergies are treated with the care and respect they deserve.
