People with peanut and tree nut allergy are sometimes worried about hundreds of people opening packets of peanuts or tree nuts at the same time. While some airlines choose not to serve peanuts or tree nuts as snacks, others do. If you are worried about this, you can contact the airline to ask whether they serve these snacks before buying your air tickets.
Research shows that the risk of anaphylaxis caused by inhaling food particles is extremely low.2
Can people with food allergy react to food particles in the air of the plane cabin?
Aerosolising means changing something like a food into particles small and light enough to be carried in the air. This does not happen easily with most food proteins.
A review that looked at all the recent studies of allergic reactions during flights found that reactions to airborne food particles are very rare.2
Aerosolisation of nut allergens from other passengers removing the shell of peanuts or other nuts and eating them has not been shown to cause anaphylaxis, even in small, closed-in spaces, like on a plane.2
However, allergen particles can stick to surfaces such as tray tables, screens and seat belts, for example.2 If someone touches a surface that has an allergen on it, they could experience an allergic reaction. Most reactions caused by touching an allergen cause mild to moderate skin reactions that can be treated with antihistamines. Touch reactions rarely lead to anaphylaxis unless a contaminated hand is put in the mouth.
A study found that when 84 children with peanut allergy were put in a room and sat half a meter away from a bowl of peanuts for 30 minutes, there were no moderate to severe allergic reactions, and only two children (2%) had mild symptoms during the hour of observation sitting in the room near the bowl of peanuts.3
Studies show that peanut allergens that can be transferred through touch are more of a risk than the breathing in of nut particles in the air when other passengers eat nuts during a flight.2
Some people with food allergy do not like the smell of the food they are allergic to. This is the case for many people with peanut allergy, for example. Smelling peanut butter or satay can make them feel uncomfortable. However, the particles responsible for the smell are not the proteins that trigger allergic reactions. Wearing a face mask may reduce the smell of the allergen.
Can food allergens be spread through aircraft cabin ventilation systems?
Companies that make air filter systems, including those for planes, use HEPA filters that remove 99.97% of particles, including allergens. Air circulation in the cabin moves across the plane rather than along it and is also filtered many times. This helps prevent the spread of airborne particles.2
2. Turner P, Dowdall N. Flying with nut and other food allergies: unravelling fact from fiction. Arch Dis Child. Published online December 28, 2024. doi:10.1136/archdischild-2024-327848
3. Lovén Björkman S, Sederholm U, Ballardini N, et al. Peanuts in the air – clinical and experimental studies. Clin Exp Allergy. 2021;51(4):585-593. doi:10.1111/cea.13848