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EasyJet has announced it’s banning the sale of peanuts on flights.
Not only will the British-based budget airline no longer serve peanuts, passengers are also being asked not to consume products containing nuts in order to protect travelers with allergies.
The move comes after mounting consumer pressure, which has seen airlines such as Qantas, Southwest Airlines, Lufthansa and British Airways remove peanuts as snacks from all flights.
However, most say they cannot guarantee a “nut-free environment” due to “cross-contamination.”
This means customers with peanut and peanut-dust allergies still need to indicate their allergies when booking flights and at the airport. EasyJet, which primarily serves European markets, has a specific option on its booking page for such requests.
“The safety and welfare of all of our customers and crew is our highest priority so we have a number of procedures in place to assist customers traveling with a nut allergy,” a spokesperson for the low-cost airline said in a statement to CNN Travel.
“We ask that any customers with a nut allergy notify us ahead of travel and we will request that other passengers traveling on the flight do not consume any products containing nuts that they have brought with them onboard.
“We have also stopped the sale of peanuts onboard and will be removing the last product from our inflight range which contains nuts in the coming months.”
While the airline concedes that it’s “not possible to ban nuts on all flights,” as other passengers may bring them on-board despite being requested not to, it will take action in extreme cases.
“When a passenger who suffers from a severe nut allergy, which can result in anaphylaxis, is traveling with us we will request that other passengers traveling on the flight do not consume nuts that they have brought with them onboard,” the spokesperson added.
Courtesy Alaska Airlines
The best airplane liveries: Pop culture tie-ins are one of the airline industry's favorite reasons to deck out a plane in a fancy new coat of paint. Here are a few of our favorites. The latest airline to join in on the fun is Alaska Airlines, who debuted a new plane in honor of "The Incredibles 2."
Shutterstock
Nok Air -- Birds: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Thailand's Nok Air has settled this question once and for all: it's a bird plane.
Courtesy Shanghai Disney Resort
China Eastern -- 'Toy Story': This movie-airplane tie-in makes a perfect excuse to say "to infinity and beyond!"
Daniel Slim/AFP/Getty Images
Alaska Airlines -- Eskimo: Alaska Airlines' Eskimo logo isn't based on any one person; he's designed to
represent native Alaskans.
Air New Zealand/Getty Images
Air New Zealand -- 'Lord of the Rings': The "Lord of the Rings" phenomenon transformed the Kiwi travel industry, so it was fitting that national carrier Air New Zealand got in on the fun.
Flickr
KLM -- Delft: In honor of its beloved blue-and-white pottery, the Netherlands' national airline put the pattern on a plane.
courtesy Icelandair
Icelandair -- Northern Lights: Not only is the livery of Icelandair's Boeing 757's Hekla Aurora design impressive, cabin lighting inside the plane also mimics the Northern Lights.
Kulula/Gary Shephard
Kulula -- Flying 101: If there's a better or more striking way to understand what's underneath the skin of a plane that Kulula's Flying 101 livery design, we've yet to see it. There's even a pointer to highlight the location of the "black box" flight data recorder.
Lucasfilm Ltd/ANA
ANA -- 'Star Wars': Arguably the world's most popular robot, in 2015 R2-D2 took to the skies in the form of All Nippon Airways's livery. Japan's largest airline has subsequently added C-3PO and BB-8 planes to its fleet.
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Brussels Airlines -- Tintin: Brussels Airlines's A320 takes the form of a 37-meter shark submarine from the Tintin adventure "Red Rackham's Treasure." Passengers can even read Tintin books inflight in English, French and Dutch.
courtesy EVA Air
Eva Air -- Gudetama: The hugely popular Sanrio character Gudetama -- a morose and lazy egg yolk -- graces an Eva Air plane that flies the Taipei to Tokyo route.
courtesy Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic -- 'Where's Waldo?': Virgin Atlantic marked the 25th anniversary of "Where's Waldo?" with a special livery.
courtesy Azores Airlines
Azores Airlines -- Whale: In a nod to the Azores' claim to being one of the largest whale sanctuaries in the world, the Azores Airlines transformed its livery into a blue sperm whale.
courtesy PNG Air
PNG Air -- AIR: PNG Air's new livery on its fleet of ATR 72-600 aircraft was designed to reflect Papua New Guinea's diversity and the traditional iconography of its people.
courtesy qatar airways
Qatar Airways -- Barcelona: As a sponsor of F.C. Barcelona, Qatar airline launched a Barca-themed plane featuring the club's flag. A natty shading element on the flag design appears to make it move during takeoff.
courtesy Westjet
Westjet -- 'Frozen': Canadian airline Westjet teamed up with Disney and brought in painters from Canada, the United States and Germany to bring this "Frozen"-themed livery to life.
courtesy Jetstar
Jetstar -- Singaporeans: This aircraft design featuring a black-naped oriole -- a bird commonly found in Singapore -- and the faces of 50 everyday Singaporeans was Jetstar's way of marking Singapore's 50th National Day in 2015.
courtesy British Airways
British Airways -- Fashion: This British Airways 777 aircraft livery was created by fashion designer Masha Ma. The east-meets-west design depicts a bamboo and a rose and pays homage to European impressionistic artistic techniques and Chinese ink-and-wash painting.
According to a study by medical journal JAMA Network Open, one in 10 adults in the US have a food allergy, with peanuts and shellfish among the most common.
In 2017, a separate study published by in the World Allergy Organization Journal found that around 2.2% of onboard medical emergencies were caused by allergic reactions.
Still, not everyone supports removing certain foods from the friendly skies.
Last year, Southwest’s decision to remove peanuts from its flights caused some pushback, with the National Peanut Board, a peanut industry group, vehemently disagreeing with the airline’s decision.
“We were disappointed to learn about Southwest’s decision to stop serving peanuts, which even the airline considers an iconic part of its history and DNA,” the board said in a statement.
“It is an unnecessary step that will disappoint many of Southwest’s customers. It is also out of sync with the latest science, which shows education and preparation – such as allowing passengers to pre-board flights to wipe down their seats – do the most to benefit the one percent of Americans with a peanut allergy.”