But what makes an airline allergy-friendly?

There are some best practices that indicate how willing an airline is to assist allergy sufferers, including:

• Allowing preboarding for allergy patients so they can wipe down their seat and surrounding area
• Allowing passengers to bring their own food, especially on long-haul flights
• Educating flight crew about the difference between food allergies (risk of anaphylaxis) and food intolerances (e.g., lactose or gluten free meals)
• Carrying emergency doses of epinephrine (EpiPen) on board and
• Instructing staff how to use administer emergency medicine
• Offering a variety of snacks with limited cross-contact
• Awareness of crew about food allergy policies

There is one thing all US based airlines have in common: the law prohibits them to deny allergic passengers to fly with them. However, safety measures and allergy policies in place differ a lot between airlines.

4 most allergy-friendly domestic airlines

Delta airlines

• Will not serve peanuts 48 hours before allergy patient boards if notified in advance
• Will advise catering to board additional non-peanut snacks
• Allow preboarding and wiping down the seat
• Display list of meals with ingredients on website
• Crew is accommodating and will make courtesy announcements

Southwest airlines

• Do not serve peanuts (but snacks may be packaged in the same facility as peanuts)
• Allow preboarding and wiping down the seat
• Crew is accommodating and will make courtesy announcements
• Will print allergy notices on your ticket

JetBlue airlines

• Do not serve peanuts (but serve tree nuts and food items that may be cross contaminated with peanuts)
• Provide snack menu free of top 9 allergens
• All crew members are trained in administering epinephrine (EpiPen)
• Crew will create allergy-free buffer zone for allergy patients
• Crew is accommodating and will make courtesy announcements
• Offer full refund for passengers whose allergies make it impossible to travel with them

Alaska airlines

• Crew is accommodating if notified in advance
• Guarantee that passengers can wipe down their seat
• Will move passengers to new seats if allergens are eaten close to them
• Allow allergy patients to bring their own food
• Will ask passengers to refrain from eating allergens around allergy patients
• Carry EpiPens on board

3 worst domestic airlines for food allergy patients

American Airlines

• Do not offer allergy-free buffer zones for allergy patients
• Will not ask other passengers to refrain from eating allergens around allergy patients
• Do not offer special meals for allergy patients (only for intolerances)
• Acknowledge peanut allergies, but serve other nuts that may be cross contaminated with peanuts
• Allow preboarding and wiping down the seat

United Airlines

• Do not serve pre-packaged peanuts, but meals and snacks can include major food allergens
• Do not create allergy-free buffer zones for allergy patients
• Will not ask other passengers to refrain from eating allergens around allergy patients
• Do not guarantee a clean area
• Will serve snacks with allergens in them

Frontier Airlines

• Explicitly state they cannot guarantee an allergy-friendly environment
• Will not ask other passengers to refrain from eating allergens around allergy patients

Little information on allergy policies