A RYANAIR passenger who has a severe nut allergy said crew “refused” to stop selling Kinder Buenos on board after she informed them she was allergic to the hazelnuts.
Ayah Wafi then claimed crew argued that she wouldn’t have an allergic reaction to them, despite her being a university expert on allergies.
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Ayah, a masters student researching allergies at University of Manchester, decided to spend a spontaneous weekend in Milan with her best friend in January.
During the return flight on January 3, Ayah says she spotted another passenger with a Kinder Bueno.
The 22-year-old had informed the crew when boarding she had allergies to nuts – prompting them to announce they wouldn’t be selling products containing them.
Yet after staff had come around selling food, Ayah noticed the passenger next to her had the chocolate snack, which is 10.5 per cent hazelnut, and asked her where she had got it.
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Telling Ayah that flight staff had sold it to her and reassuring her she wouldn’t eat it, Ayah said she promptly informed a staff member who apologised and went to speak to colleagues.
But Ayah said the flight attendant returned to tell her there was only a tiny amount of hazelnut in the product and it wouldn’t cause her to have an allergic reaction.
Not wanting to cause a fuss, Ayah, who can have allergic reactions even just by smelling nuts, spent the final hour of her holiday nervously on the lookout for people eating the chocolate treats.
When Ayah has previously just smelt nuts, she said she’s had breathing difficulties, a swollen face and a break-out of hives around her body.
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Ayah, who lives in Manchester, said: “I told staff Kinder Bueno contains hazelnuts and they refused to stop selling it – telling me the amount is so little that it would not cause me to have an allergic reaction.
“I was very anxious until I got off, I was constantly looking around to see if anyone was eating.
“I just felt [the staff member] doesn’t really know – she hasn’t been trained properly to understand the seriousness because different people are affected in different ways.
“I wasn’t angry because I don’t think it’s her fault that she hasn’t been trained but I was a little bit annoyed and frightened, really.”
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Ayah, from Birmingham, is now calling on Ryanair to find experts to teach their staff ‘in more detail’ about allergies and is urging severe allergy sufferers to be wary.
Ayah said: “”I want the staff to really understand what allergies are. It would be amazing if they could get people who work in allergies to come and talk to their staff and teach them about allergies in more detail.
“I’d like an apology. I would expect their staff to be vigilant of the products they are selling on board and to understand ingredients and stop selling products with nuts if a nut allergy sufferer comes on board and asks them to.
“I would tell allergy sufferers to be wary and if they suffer from severe allergies perhaps look into an alternative airline.”
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “Customers with nut allergies are asked to inform cabin crew when boarding the flight and a public address is then made informing other customers and advising that no products containing nuts will be sold on board.
“While other customers are asked not to open peanut products on board, Ryanair cannot guarantee a peanut-free aircraft.”
