Khaberni - A flight crew from the Dutch airline "KLM" forced a British couple to leave the flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam after their request to stop serving desserts containing almonds was denied, due to their severe allergy to nuts.
According to the "Daily Mail", Pretoria Driver, aged 22, and Ronan Kelly, aged 25, had prepared for a celebratory trip on the occasion of their wedding and his birthday, but their journey turned into a harsh experience after the crew unexpectedly refused to take their medical warning seriously.
Driver confirmed that she had previously informed the company via electronic form about their health condition, and had arrived at the airport two hours before departure to clarify the seriousness of the situation to the staff.
Upon boarding the plane, the couple was shocked to find that the company was distributing free cake coated with almond slices, and after requesting either to stop the service or to make an announcement to passengers not to consume products containing nuts, the crew refused.
They were told that they could either leave the aircraft or continue on the flight relying on the epinephrine pens available onboard in case of an emergency.
The couple recorded the discussion on video, showing a crew member explaining that the company was obligated to serve the meals that passengers had paid for.
Kelly responded that most other airlines usually cooperate in such situations, explaining that he felt discriminated against, adding that continuing the flight while distributing products containing almonds would have immediately endangered their lives due to the airborne allergy that Driver suffers from.
The couple had no choice but to leave the plane and incurred a loss of about £700 for their flight, while they expressed hope in getting their money back.
In an official statement, "KLM" expressed regret for the incident, acknowledging the seriousness of nut allergies but stating it could not guarantee that the cabin would be free of products containing them, indicating that the company allows the crew to make an awareness announcement upon request, but it does not have the authority to prevent passengers from consuming their own food.
