A woman presented a note to flight attendants warning that she was highly allergic to the smell of coffee, cashews, jet fuel, and fragrances. How should a passenger like this be handled?

No Coffee For You: Woman Tells Flight Attendant She Is “Highly Allergic” To Smell Of Coffee

Can you imagine stepping onto a flight and having a seatmate who hands a note like this to flight attendants?

She not only says that she is highly allergic to the smell of coffee (I doubt it…), but of cashews, cologne, perfume, scented soap, body lotion, gasoline, and airplane fuel. To address these concerns, she demands that nuts and coffee not be served on the flight.

I have a cashew allergy so if you could refrain from serving nuts I would appreciate it.

I am highly allergic to the smell of coffee and would appreciate it if you could refrain from brewing coffee. As even the smell can stop my breathing.

Right…and the smell of narcissists sends me into cardiac arrest.

View From The Wing correctly points out that the passengers are not nuts!

She also asks for a large bottle of water:

I also have several medications that I need to take and as a result drinks a lot of water. If you could spare a large bottle from the onset of the flight that would be greatly appreciated, this way I don’t have to constantly ask you for more water.

Who does she think she is, an off-duty flight attendant? (I cannot count how many flights in which off-duty flight attendants are proactively handed 2L bottles of water from their working colleagues)

Ok folks, maybe I’m just in a bad mood over the AF1 controversy, but how do you handle a passenger like this? You deny her boarding. While I am highly sympathetic to those with tree nut allergies, this is something far different…and since it’s rather impossible to fully avoid nuts, coffee, and any scented fragrance on a crowded flight without advance notice, it’s best to keep her off the plane…for her own safety, of course.

Accommodation laws do not apply when they threaten the safety of the disabled passenger or others onboard. The key is reasonable accommodation, not limitless accommodation. An airline may refuse to provide transportation to any passenger on the basis of safety, as provided in 49 U.S.C. 44902 or 14 CFR 121.533.

It’s just too much here…it’s the sort of liability that an airline should not have to take on.

Hat Tip: View From The Wing