Wigan girl’s nut allergy sparks row on flight to Disney

A mother is calling for better training for airline staff after feeling like she had to “beg for assistance” with her daughter’s severe airborne peanut allergy on board an Air France flight.

Sarah Bacon, from Wigan, said she notified the crew of her seven-year-old daughter Savannah’s allergy – which means even particles of peanuts in the air can cause a potentially life-threatening reaction – months before the Manchester to Paris flight last month.

But she said staff were “reluctant” to make an announcement asking passengers not to consume peanuts, as was normal procedure on all the flights Ms Bacon had previously taken with her daughter.

Air France has been approached for comment.

Ms Bacon said she and her daughter were on the way to Paris so that Savannah could take part in a dance performance at Disneyland.

She said a flight attendant notified the people in the seats around Savannah but she had to “push” for the general announcement to be made.

However, she said on the way home the flight attendant initially refused to make an announcement at all, forcing her to notify the passengers around her herself, before a “muffled” announcement was eventually made after several requests.

“I felt like I had to beg for assistance,” Ms Bacon said.

She said she wanted airline staff to have better training, given passengers were at higher risk in confined places like planes.

Ms Bacon said: “We always carry two EpiPens but there’s never a guarantee that they will work.”

She said the incident had made her anxious about flying in future, including for a booked holiday to Florida later this year.

“It makes me so anxious, it has affected me mentally,” she said.

“All we can do is trust other passengers and staff to keep us safe. We want more knowledge and training.

“I don’t think people understand when they hear the message that for some people it is life or death.”

Ms Bacon said she had travelled with Savannah about 10 times before on various airlines and “never had an issue previously”.

But it is not the first time the family have faced complications over Savannah’s allergies, which were diagnosed when she was six months old.

In April Ms Bacon highlighted the “sighing” reaction of shop staff after she asked them to check for allergens in a pick-and-mix selection.