Believe it or not, Ryanair once banned a passenger for eating a packet of nuts. While this may sound preposterous, there was a valid reason behind the airline's action.
During the flight, the airline repeatedly warned passengers not to eat nuts because a young girl on board had a severe nut allergy. Her condition was so serious that she could develop symptoms simply if someone nearby opened a packet of nuts.
When a packet of nuts caused chaos mid-flight
On August 5, 2014, Fae Platten was travelling with her mum Katy, dad Dean and six-year-old sister Izzy when the incident occurred.
The four-year-old's mother informed the flight attendants about Fae's allergy, following which the airline staff decided not to sell any nuts. The staff also warned passengers not to eat nuts during the flight.
But despite the warnings, Fae started developing symptoms just 20 minutes into the flight.
First, she told her mother that her face hurt. Soon, she started scratching her cheeks. Her mother then approached the flight attendants and told them what had happened, saying that someone had been "incredibly selfish" by eating nuts despite the warnings.
Fae reportedly went into an anaphylactic shock. "For a few moments Fae stopped breathing. Her airway was compromised and she was unconscious," her mother later revealed.
The airline staff gave her a flannel and some ice to ease the itching, but soon her tongue began to swell, her lips became blistered and her breathing began to deteriorate.
Thankfully, there was a nurse and an ambulance driver among the passengers who came forward to help. They administered medication using Fae's Jext "epi" pen, which helped revive her. She was then taken by ambulance to Broomfield Hospital in Essex after the flight landed.
Fae's mother later took to social media to ask passengers to be aware of fellow travellers with nut allergies and to be considerate. "Please I beg you, take note when they say do not eat nuts as people on board are allergic," she wrote. "DO NOT take their life into your own hands. DO NOT open the nuts."
Although the identity of the passenger was never revealed, Ryanair reportedly identified him and banned him from flying with the airline for two years.
