On 13 July 2023, a 27-year-old woman named Leah William took a flight from London, United Kingdom to Dusseldorf, Germany. She booked a return ticket with Eurolinks. Leah is allergic to peanuts. Peanut allergy is one of the most common causes of severe allergy attacks. For some people with peanut allergy, even tiny amounts of peanuts can cause a serious reaction that can even be life-threatening. Peanut allergy signs and symptoms can include:

• Constriction of airways

• Swelling of the throat that makes it difficult to breathe

• Hives, Body Itching 

• A severe drop in blood pressure

• Rapid pulse

• Dizziness, lightheadedness, or loss of consciousness

If the peanuts consume a lot of peanuts, then the person can even die. Such people have to carry their medication with them at all times. Because if they get an allergic reaction, then they can immediately take medicines and get saved. Otherwise, it can be very dangerous. Once when she was on a plane, once broken out in hives after someone had opened a bag of peanuts near her flight. She was not ready to take any chances this time. Earlier that day, Williams had flown from London to Dusseldorf for a work trip on the same airline.

On that flight, the cabin crew was considerate of her allergy and refrained from serving nuts, even making an announcement about her condition. However, when she boarded the return flight to London, the cabin crew refused to comply with her request to make a similar announcement. Williams felt frustrated with the flight attendant who dismissed her request. While many airlines choose not to sell or serve peanuts on flights, passengers are still allowed to bring them on board. To prevent any risk of exposure to peanuts, Williams decided to purchase all the available packs of peanuts on board. She told Insider, "I'll buy them all so you can't serve them. I don't care how much it is. If you're not willing to help me, this is the only thing I can do." The flight attendants counted all 48 packs to charge her the correct amount, which was 168 euros (Rs 15,326 approx). She paid 50 euros for her flight. The peanuts were more expensive than the flight tickets. Surprisingly, the crew then asked if Williams wanted to keep the peanuts, to which she declined. Instead, they placed the packs in a plastic bag at the front of the cabin.

Williams has expressed her disappointment with Eurowings and has lodged complaints seeking a refund for the peanuts. She hopes the airline will change or update its policy to prevent the sale of peanuts. However, Eurowings is yet to respond to her emails and phone calls. A Eurowings spokesperson said, "We are very sorry that the flight with us did not go as smoothly as planned and we regret any inconvenience this has caused Leah Williams. One thing in advance: Leah Williams was not forced to buy all packages of peanuts on board - on the contrary, our purser tried to offer her an alternative solution by informing all passengers sitting around her about Leah's allergy. She agreed at first but then decided to still buy all the packages." The airline added that it was unable to guarantee the aircraft is free of foodstuffs that may trigger allergic reactions such as peanuts as passengers sometimes bring their own food onboard. The airline has urged passengers that they should bring their allergy medication in their hand luggage and inform cabin crew in advance. "Our medically trained cabin crew always has access to medication to provide emergency medical care in the event of an intolerance or allergic shock on board," the spokesperson said.

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