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Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut

fporter
Explorer C

…or, sometimes you’d rather have pretzels.  On our Southwest flights, you always have that option, but right now, we just might be making that decision a little bit harder for you with the return of that perennial favorite--honey-roasted peanuts!  Each year at this time, we begin to transition our peanut selection, so as the old year ends, we are singing “Auld Lang Syne” to our dry-roasted nuts, and “ringing” in 2009 with the honey-roasted variety. 

One thing you may not be aware of is that Southwest Airlines can actually designate a flight as a “non-peanut” flight if we are alerted to the fact that we have a Customer with a peanut dust allergy traveling with us.  After receiving this type of accommodation request, we will make every effort to suspend service of packaged peanuts on that Customer’s scheduled flights.  We do ask the Customer to advise our Customer Service Agent each time at checkin for a flight (at least an hour in advance of departure) of his/her allergy to peanut products.  Our Agent will then complete a Peanut Dust Allergy Form and advise the Customer to present the form to one of our Flight Attendants upon boarding.  Of course, we cannot guarantee that another Customer will not bring their own peanut products onboard the aircraft or open a package they’ve saved from an earlier flight.  We will try to do everything possible to accommodate these types of requests, however, as our Customers’ wellbeing is of great importance to us.

Even Customers without peanut allergies can opt for pretzels, which it appears many of you are doing, judging by the fact that our pretzel usage is on the rise.  (Just my opinion, but maybe the low-carb craze is coming to an end.)  Whichever product is your favorite—pretzels or either of our two varieties of peanuts—all of us at Southwest look forward to serving you in 2009. 

 

15 Comments
drew
Adventurer B
I'm curious to know when the pretzel usage increase began. Perhaps about this time last year? :) Three cheers for the return of bee-kissed nuggets o' protein!
Erin12
Explorer C
So is the rotation yearly, quarterly, or something else? I much prefer the dry-roasted peanuts, so I'm curious when I have them to look forward to again. 😉 (We fly Southwest at least once a year.)
OneSweetMama
Explorer C
Bring on the honey-roasted peanuts!...but not all my attendants on SWA flights offer the current full selection...they just hand me the peanuts. Now, I will know to ask! Keep up the great work, SWA! Why does anyone fly any other airline?? No fees...and now, honey roasted peanuts. Does it get any better?? 🙂
Buran
Explorer C
I hate honey-roasted peanuts and am trying to follow a low carb diet. I think those of us who want salted peanuts should always have the choice -- what I eat is my concern alone; if you don't want to eat peanuts, that's fine, but removing one food in the name of health reasons doesn't account for diabetics, like me, who for health reasons must have the very food you are removing in favor of a higher carb food. It is not right that one affliction is used as an excuse to belittle those who suffer from another affliction and treat them as if their health issues are inconsequential. Diabetes is not something I enjoy coping with and it is a struggle to watch what I eat and having my choices artificially limited (and diabetes can and does have severe consequences if patients aren't careful) smacks of "your disability isn't as important as mine".
Anonymous4269
Explorer C
THANK YOU for keeping your fees for bicycles at $50! Almost ALL the other airlines have raised their prices so that it costs at least $100 ONE WAY for a bike to fly! Anyway, you have totally won me as a customer because I do a lot of travelling with my bicycle. I wish you flew to more cities. You guys are awesome--and by being the best airline to fly with a bike---you reward those passengers who are trying to reduce their carbon footprint. I *heart* SWA.
lreynolds
Frequent Flyer A
Erin, We rotate peanut flavors once a year. So honey-roasted peanuts will be making the rounds until next January. We hope you'll still LUV to fly with us! Buran, We're sorry to hear that honey-roasted peanuts are not a part of your diet. If pretzels are too high-carb for your personal dietary needs, you are more than welcome to bring your own snacks with you onboard. It’s important to keep in mind that, from a procedural standpoint, an allergy to peanut dust (triggered by inhaling) is handled differently than an allergy to or medical need to avoid peanuts or other snacks (triggered by ingesting), and the differentiating element is whether or not the person has influence over inciting the reaction. Naturally, it’s nearly impossible for individuals who have an allergy to peanut dust to avoid triggering a reaction if peanut dust is in the air (obviously, people have to breathe), whereas a person whose allergy or aversion is activated only by ingesting the food item can completely prevent a reaction simply by avoiding the food in question. Anonymous, Thanks for the kudos! Southwest loves their bike-friendly Customers, and offering them lower fees. Way to reduce your carbon footprint!
August
Explorer C
Coming over from JetBlue, and the big thing I miss are flights to places like Puerto Rico, Bahamas, and other Carribean or Mexico destinations. The 3 roundtrip awards I picked up under that program were fantastic because I could go somewhere nuts 🙂 If Southwest offered Hawaii / Mexico or Carribean flights, it would be fantastic. MX might be the best fit given no ETOPS required. Consider just running a once a week "award" flight to a fun place, and throwing open the availability 🙂 Looking forward to my first SWA award in a while, and hope the availability isn't too restricted. Honey nut peanuts are my favorite. 🙂 - August
jim
Adventurer C
You mention more Customers are opting for pretzels instead of peanuts and theorize this is maybe the end of a craze. May I suggest another theory? King Nuts peanuts are pretty lame tasting, and they've been going downhill for a while now. Grab some Southwest (King) peanuts and then next time you are in a grocery store, buy a jar of Planters peanuts and do a taste test. Southwest's nuts are going to lose - badly. I enjoy peanuts and snack on them regularly. But I've stopped eating them while flying SWA, they just aren't very good tasting.
Denna
Explorer C
Just wondering if the honey roasted peanuts contain any wheat products as I have gluten intolerance. If they do, I'll just bring my own snacks. Seems that in the past I read the label and they did, but I can't remember for sure. Also, a suggestion. I have tried to find an e-suggestion box on the website, but can't seem to find anywhere to leave an idea (so actually, that's my first suggestion :). So I'll put it here and see if it results in anything. I fly a lot, and I get a lot of Rapid Rewards and free flights, so I have a TON of those little drink coupons accumulating in my flight bag. I might get a glass of wine once in a while, but there's no way I will ever catch up! I was thinking that it would be really nice to be able to use my award drink coupons at the Starbuck's in the airport, before I get on the plane, to get a coffee drink, since we can't take any liquids through security. I would think that Starbuck's, being the progressive company they are, and Southwest, being the progressive company you are, could come to an agreement of some sort so that we could use our coupons there. Just a thought. Hopefully it will get to someone who can look into it. Thanks! Keep up the great work!
Squirrley1414
Explorer C
Honey-roasted peanuts taste the best, please keep them going year round, thanks! Oh yea, Southwest rocks.
Mista_T
Explorer C
Two reasons for me to now add a large bag of nuts to my carry-on: (1) I am disappointed at this recent practice of banning peanuts on flights involving a passenger claiming to be intolerant to peanut dust. I have seen it happen twice in the past month, having to go hungry as a result. SWA is inconveniencing the other 120 passengers on the plane to accomodate just one person. The peanut dust intolerant flier should wear a mask -- or take a train. (2) Also, return of the sugar coated peanut is unfortunate. Unaware that it is a seasonal practice, I had thought that SWA had finally ditched the sugar in recognition of public health concerns.
delivron
Explorer C
Nuts about Southwest Thank you for your peanut policy from the dad of an daughter who has a peanut allergy! Keep the FREE Peanuts coming I really enjoy the Honey Roasted nuts when not flying with my daughter.

Andrew deLivron
Pottersville, NY

KP
Explorer C
To anyone that thinks that the peanut policy is an extreme inconvenience: I've been on a flight that made an emergency stop when peanut dust sent a young passenger into anaphylactic shock. The most obvious "inconvenience" was for this poor child and his terrified parents. But the rest of us had to wait for the plane to be refueled and re-cleared for take-off. This added three hours to our two-hour flight and yes, many of us were VERY hungry by the time we landed. So if you really can't live without a low-carb nibble, bring a protein bar, cheese, dry-roasted edamame, or beef jerky in case you find yourself on a no-peanut flight.
John_Wisniewski1
Explorer C
Why do your peanuts have to have Wheat Starch on them. I am a celiac and that leaves me with no snack available. They should be peanuts, oil and salt
revcobb
Explorer C
Please know that there is a difference between a food intolerance and a life threatening food allergy. For you, it's an inconvenience. I understand that. For someone with a peanut allergy, the life-threatening part is real. You may not believe it, but your behavior really could kill my son. Even with all the precautions Southwest takes, there no way to eliminate the risk, just minimize it. For those of us who live with a child whose IgE levels are high, every flight is like stepping into a minefield, and generally we choose airlines that are safer than this one. If you decide to bring your big bag of nuts on a peanut-free flight we couldn't otherwise avoid, know that my response to you will be politely to ask you not open that bag of peanuts near my son. I am then likely to offer you an alternative snack I've brought on board for just such an occasion. But if you insist on your convenience for the next hour being more important than my son's ability to breathe, I may get less polite.