Love Island’s Jack Fowler has called out “complete negligence” of Emirates Airline after experiencing a near-fatal allergy attack onboard a flight.
On Monday (17 June), the reality TV star, 28, shared a video of himself using his EpiPen during an Emirates flight to Dubai, and told his followers he had suffered an allergic reaction after being served chicken curry containing cashew nuts, despite allegedly informing a flight attendant that he had a severe nut allergy.
Fowler, who is known for appearing in season four of Love Island and later winning Love Island Games, has called out “complete negligence” of the airline during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, where he discussed feeling frightened once he realised the in-flight food contained cashews.
“I’ve had a few anaphylaxis reactions before and this is my second time on an airline, unfortunately. To happen once is scary enough,” he told hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls.
The reality star alleged that he informed the flight attendant who was serving food that he had a severe nut allergy multiple, but was not shown an allergens menu.
“I was in economy, it was my first trip for a little while, I wasn’t given any menu and I’m aware on a flight it can be dangerous for me,” he said. “But I just went along with it, cabin crew said ‘do you want chicken or fish?’ and I said, ‘What hasn’t got nuts in?’ and they said, ‘Neither’ so I had the chicken curry.
“My friend also said at the time, ‘There’s a severe nut allergy here so make sure there’s no nuts’. When the food came, I said again, ‘Just to make sure, there’s no nuts in this food?’ and they said, ‘No, just chicken and rice’. So, I trusted them and started to eat what I thought was something safe and it contained the one thing I couldn’t have. Cashew is the worst nut for me. Straight away I knew my throat was closing up, I couldn’t breathe.”
Fowler said he could tell there were cashews in the curry after the “first bite” and then asked to see the menu, which, he said, read the words: “creamy cashew nut chicken curry”.
After the incident, Fowler wrote on Instagram that there was “real possibility’ he could have died on the plane because he needed emergency treatment.
“I was given five tanks of oxygen, as well as administering my Adrenaline Pen (EpiPen). I told the flight supervisor, ‘If you don’t land this plane soon, I will die on this plane,’” Fowler recalled, which prompted the pilot to “speed up the journey.”
An adrenaline pen, often referred to by the brand name EpiPen, is an auto-injectable device that delivers epinephrine – a life-saving medication used to treat severe allergic reactions, also known as anaphylaxis.
Once the Emirates plane landed, the reality star said he was rushed to the Dubai International Airport hospital where he received further treatment.
The reality star told the ‘GMB’ hosts that he received hundreds of messages from fans “completely relating” to his experience, and wondered what it will take for airlines to adopt a blanket nut-free policy on flights.
“The rate of allergies in young people is on the up and I feel like it’s a sign of the times where people need to be looked after on these flights. People really need to understand the severity of allergies and there’s a lot of ignorance in some people.”
The Independent has contacted Emirates Airlines for comment.
