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Southwest Airlines Community

Peanuts

Dennisbarber
Explorer C

We need a letter writing campaign to "Save the Peanuts".    SWA wants to stop serving peanuts on 8.1.18.   

9 REPLIES 9

Re: Peanuts

Passenger1C
Aviator C

As an avid peanut loving passenger, I hear you.  But change is good right?

 

If you would like to express your concern with Southwest you can contact them via Twitter in a DM or you can call customer relations at 855-234-4654. 


SWA Passenger, Community Champion

Re: Peanuts

dfwskier
Aviator A

I believe that all other major US airlines have already stopped poviding peanuts.

 

Why? Answer: some pople have  a potential life threatening  alergy -- to peanuts. These people don't have to eat peants to have problems, they just have to be near them, smell them or touch peanut oil.

 

If a passenger on a past flight spills peanuts on the floor, or seat, and they don't get cleaned up, then a passenger on a future flight could have a real problem.

 

I like peanuts as much as the next guy, but in the interest of safety, Southwest is, IMO, making a good decision.

 

BTW, I joked with a flight attendant a few days ago about whether Southwet would be having a fire sale on peanuts on July 31. His response was that the company would likely have disposed of it's supply well before 8/1.

 

So if you want some of Southwest's peanuts, you better get on a n airplane soon.

Re: Peanuts

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@dfwskier wrote:

 

Why? Answer: some pople have  a potential life threatening  alergy -- to peanuts. These people don't have to eat peants to have problems, they just have to be near them, smell them or touch peanut oil.

 

If a passenger on a past flight spills peanuts on the floor, or seat, and they don't get cleaned up, then a passenger on a future flight could have a real problem.

 

I like peanuts as much as the next guy, but in the interest of safety, Southwest is, IMO, making a good decision.

 


This pains me personally, due to gluten issues I can't have the pretzels. But it is a big difference - I can probably eat one pretzel and be okay, the crumbs don't bother me, I can hold them in my hand, if the plane became filled with pretzel dust I'd be okay...that's not true for the peanut allergy people, espeically children that have severe reactions - I can't imagine getting onto a peanut dust-filled metal tube for the people that are most affected.

 

So although I'll miss the peanuts personally, I think it is the right decision by Southwest.

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: Peanuts

lhosey
Explorer C

I am disappoineted in Southwest to stop serving peanuts.  First when less than 2% of the population is allergic to peanuts, they give the right to the minority.  Why serve pretzels I am sure there are people aboard that have an allergy to gluten.  What is your add campaign going to be Fares for pretzels, doesn't have the same ring as fares for peanuts.  Southwest has grown yes but in this grown why are they losing their LUV attutude.  Rarely do we have a flight attendant giving the "rules ofthe road" at the beginning of each flight in the unique manner that made people pay attention.  In fact SWA got great publicity from a phoenix attendant making the National news for her delivery of the FAA regulations.  Now it is done where most people aren't paying attention and it seems sound like grownups in a Charlie Brown cartoon.  I still enjoy flying the "company plane" but you are making yourselves blend in to all the other airlines.  I urge you to return to the Maverick spirit that Herb instilled in the company.  Return the peanuts, after all you can remember what a flop New Coke was to CocoCola.

 

Les Hosey

RR member

 

Re: Peanuts

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@lhosey wrote:

I am disappoineted in Southwest to stop serving peanuts.  First when less than 2% of the population is allergic to peanuts, they give the right to the minority.  Why serve pretzels I am sure there are people aboard that have an allergy to gluten.  What is your add campaign going to be Fares for pretzels, doesn't have the same ring as fares for peanuts.  Southwest has grown yes but in this grown why are they losing their LUV attutude.  Rarely do we have a flight attendant giving the "rules ofthe road" at the beginning of each flight in the unique manner that made people pay attention.  In fact SWA got great publicity from a phoenix attendant making the National news for her delivery of the FAA regulations.  Now it is done where most people aren't paying attention and it seems sound like grownups in a Charlie Brown cartoon.  I still enjoy flying the "company plane" but you are making yourselves blend in to all the other airlines.  I urge you to return to the Maverick spirit that Herb instilled in the company.  Return the peanuts, after all you can remember what a flop New Coke was to CocoCola.

 

Les Hosey

RR member

 


I'm one of those gluten people you mentioned - I'll be missing the peanuts for sure, but I still support the change - the main difference to me is that many kids can be affected by peanuts, and it isn't just eating them but even being in contact with the dust or residue.

 

And the results can be very serious. You can throw the pretzels at me and other than the clean-up there isn't any issue withe me touching them, as long as I don't actually catch any in my mouth there won't be any side effects.

 

2% is a huge number - that's three people on each 737.

 

 

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.

Re: Peanuts

TiffanyV
Employee
Employee
Solution

Hi, @lhosey, thanks for expressing you concerns. With peanut-related allergies on the rise, it was time to understand whether it was in the best interest of our Customers and Employees to continue serving peanuts.

 

As you mentioned, two percent of the population, or about 6.5 million people, are affected by these allergies. That’s potentially 6.5 million people who don’t feel comfortable flying Southwest Airlines because our cabins present a very real threat to them.

 

We must approach peanut-related allergies differently from how we think of other familiar allergies. Reactions can be serious and even life-threatening and are induced by contact, inhalation, or ingestion and can result in anaphylaxis. While we have procedures in place to mitigate the risk of serving peanuts when a Customer with an allergy is onboard, severe allergic reactions can be hard to control while on an aircraft. It’s the protection and safety of these Customers that drove our decision, along with the reduced risk our Employees will have to face in managing alternate procedures.

 

Our Teams spent many months researching the impact of removing peanuts, including seeking input from Employees and polling a significant number of Customers during recent snack tests and with research directly focused on the removal of peanuts. Overwhelmingly, Customer response was neutral to positive on the change. Research showed Customers associate Southwest Airlines with our Heart more than our peanuts. It’s our Employees who make far more difference than peanuts ever could. Just as we’ve evolved as an airline to now serve 99 locations across the U.S., 10 additional countries, and plans for Hawaii, this is one more example of needing to change with the times so that we can continue to best serve all of our Customers.

 

Our goal is for all our Customers—those with peanut-related allergies included—feel welcomed, cared for, and appreciated, that’s the safe and hospitable environment we strive for on all of our flights.

 

We continue to serve free snacks, with pretzels as our primary gesture snack on all flights for the time being while we continue studying potential replacement options.

 

 

Tiffany
External Communications
Southwest Airlines Community

Re: Peanuts

Seafarer12
Explorer C

Well then you should make an option for people who can’t eat wheat. I just flew on a flight and was disappointed to get a bag of crackers and a bag of pretzels. Either that or do away with snacks all together. I will bring my own nuts from now on. Cats set off my asthma but I carry an inhaler and I am not saying southwest should stop letting cats in the cabin. Maybe I should. 

Re: Peanuts

dfwskier
Aviator A

@Seafarer12 wrote:

Well then you should make an option for people who can’t eat wheat. I just flew on a flight and was disappointed to get a bag of crackers and a bag of pretzels. Either that or do away with snacks all together. I will bring my own nuts from now on. Cats set off my asthma but I carry an inhaler and I am not saying southwest should stop letting cats in the cabin. Maybe I should. 


Sorry to hear  that you are disappointed at not being able to get peanuts.

 

Peanut allergy is a real, potentially life threatening, situation. No airline serves them anymore, not just Southwest. No airline wants an inflight medical emergency (or worse) either.

 

I suspect Southwest will not do away with all snacks as many people do want them. Asyou observed, you are free to being yor own snacks on board instead.

Re: Peanuts

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@Seafarer12 wrote:

Well then you should make an option for people who can’t eat wheat. I just flew on a flight and was disappointed to get a bag of crackers and a bag of pretzels. Either that or do away with snacks all together. I will bring my own nuts from now on. Cats set off my asthma but I carry an inhaler and I am not saying southwest should stop letting cats in the cabin. Maybe I should. 


There was some mention before that an additional offering would be in the works.

 

On longer flights I enjoy the frito's to avoid gluten, but it is tough on the short flights with only pretzels offered.

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.