AllergyPassAirline Peanut
Allergy Policy, Compared
The answer is different at every airline, changes without notice, and is often buried in an accessibility or special-assistance page. This guide shows how to compare the operating carrier's current snack, meal, buffer-zone, pre-boarding, and codeshare rules before you fly.
Compare the policy that applies to your flight
A carrier's name is not enough. Check the operating carrier, flight number, route, aircraft, and any codeshare segment. Use the checklist below when reading the current airline policy or speaking with special assistance.
| Question | What to verify | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| What does the airline serve? | Peanuts, tree nuts, nut-containing meals, and products sold for purchase on this route | “Peanuts are not the snack” does not mean meals, desserts, or other passengers' food are nut-free. |
| Can I request a special meal? | Meal code, ingredients, deadline, route availability, and which carrier loads it | A special meal is a substitution, not a custom kitchen or allergen-free cabin. |
| Is there a buffer zone? | How to request it, its size, notice period, announcement, and whether it applies on the exact sector | A buffer is a request to nearby passengers, not an inspection or enforceable cabin-wide ban. |
| Can I pre-board or clean my seat? | Whether the operating carrier allows it, how it is requested, and what the crew can provide | Wiping a surface may reduce contact but cannot guarantee removal of allergen residue. |
| What food may I bring? | Departure, transit, and arrival-country customs rules for sealed or homemade food | A backup meal is useful only if it can legally pass through each airport and border. |
| How will I communicate onboard? | Whether a booking note reaches the crew, and carry a written allergy card in the relevant language | Gate notes and booking records may not reach every crew member on a changed or partner-operated flight. |
Airlines change their snack menus and assistance procedures without notice. Use the checklist above alongside the carrier-by-carrier summary below: it's a snapshot as of publication, and policies change and should be checked live with the operating carrier rather than treated as a permanent record.
North America
| Airline | Peanuts as a snack? | What actually happens if you declare the allergy |
|---|---|---|
| United | No pre-packaged peanuts | Buffer zone available on request; mandatory by law on flights to/from Canada once requested. No guarantee otherwise, and trace peanut may still appear in other food items. |
| Delta | Stopped fleet-wide on request | File an Accessibility Service Request in advance and Delta will pull peanuts from that flight's service, substituting a non-peanut snack for everyone. Pre-boarding to wipe your seat is allowed on request. |
| American | Not served, but tree nuts are | American's own policy states it will not create a buffer zone or ask other passengers to avoid nut products. Pre-boarding to wipe your seat has been allowed since 2018. |
| Southwest | No peanuts; added pistachios Jan 2026 | Standard pretzel/cookie snacks don't contain nuts, but Extra Legroom rows now carry pistachios. No buffer zone or nut-free guarantee offered. |
| Alaska | Peanut-free snack service | Generally rated accommodating by allergy advocacy groups, but the airline does not formally guarantee a buffer zone. |
| JetBlue | Not served | Offers a buffer zone (typically one row in front and behind your seat) where nuts won't be served or opened. No cabin-wide PA announcement. |
| Frontier / Spirit / Allegiant | Varies; often sold for purchase | Budget carriers generally offer the least formal accommodation. Frontier and Allegiant explicitly say they cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment and don't commit to withholding specific snacks. |
Europe
| Airline | Peanuts as a snack? | What actually happens if you declare the allergy |
|---|---|---|
| British Airways | Not served or used as an ingredient | Still serves tree nuts (walnuts, cashews). Will suspend nut sales cabin-wide and make an announcement on request; pre-boarding is allowed if you show your epinephrine auto-injector at the gate. |
| easyJet | Not sold onboard at all | easyJet stopped selling any nut products fleet-wide. Select "I have a nut allergy" during booking, or notify gate staff on the day, and crew will ask nearby passengers not to eat their own nut snacks. |
| Ryanair | Sold, unless notified | No advance-notice system. Tell the cabin crew when you board; they'll make a PA announcement and stop selling nut products for the rest of that flight. Consistently rated well by allergy-travel reviewers for how reliably this actually happens. |
Build a multilingual allergy card before your flight, so a gate agent or a flight attendant who doesn't share your language still understands the allergy immediately.
Build My Allergy Card →Asia-Pacific and the Middle East
| Airline | Peanuts as a snack? | What actually happens if you declare the allergy |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore Airlines | Not as a loose snack | Signature dishes like satay and nasi lemak do contain peanuts, and other nuts (cashews, almonds) are served. A non-strict Nut-Free Meal (NFMLA) can be pre-ordered 48 hours ahead but is not a strict guarantee. |
| Cathay Pacific | Served; no nut-free meal offered | Cathay's own policy states it cannot provide a peanut- or tree-nut-safe meal at all. Severe allergy passengers are asked to submit a physician's statement 72 hours ahead and are advised to bring their own food. |
| Thai Airways | Served; no restriction on request | Thai Airways states it cannot guarantee a peanut-free environment due to cross-contamination in its catering network, and will not stop distributing nuts to other passengers even when notified in advance. |
| ANA (All Nippon Airways) | Being phased out fleet-wide | ANA is actively removing peanuts from its Group-operated menus (other tree nuts remain). Offers a formal allergy buffer zone on request, plus 8-allergen and 28-allergen-free meals on international routes. Still no guarantee of a peanut-free cabin. |
| Japan Airlines (JAL) | Peanut-free meal available | One of the few carriers offering a fully peanut-free meal, orderable roughly 49 hours ahead, plus a special seat-cleaning request with about 96 hours' notice. Cross-contact during manufacturing is still possible. |
| Korean Air | Removed fleet-wide | Korean Air pulled peanut snacks and peanut ingredients from its meals fleet-wide after a widely reported incident. Onboard medical kits carry epinephrine in vial form. |
| Emirates | Served on all flights | Emirates is direct about this. It serves nuts as a snack or meal ingredient across its network and recommends allergic passengers bring their own food, since it will not restrict other passengers. |
| Qatar Airways | Served; no special accommodation | Requires a signed liability waiver and a Medical Information Form 48 hours ahead for severe allergies, but doesn't describe a specific nut-withdrawal or buffer-zone accommodation. Bring your own food. |
| Turkish Airlines | Served, unless notified | Will prepare an allergen-free menu for a declared peanut or hazelnut allergy if notified at least 48 hours ahead through its own sales channels. |
What a "buffer zone" actually means
A buffer zone is a request that nearby passengers not eat the declared allergen. Its scope, notice requirement, announcement, and crew process vary. It is not an inspection of other passengers' bags or a cabin-wide ban, and it cannot remove food that another passenger brought onboard or residue already present on a surface.
Canada has specific accessibility guidance for severe allergies; read the current Canadian Transportation Agency guidance for the route and request process. Other buffer zones may be voluntary carrier policies. Do not assume that a rule applying to one country or route applies to every segment.
Special meal codes and what they don't cover
Airlines use meal codes, but the code list, recipe, availability, deadline, and handling vary by carrier and route. A vegetarian or Asian-vegetarian meal is not automatically suitable for a peanut or tree-nut allergy. Ask for the ingredient information and the carrier's cross-contact wording; there is no meal code that turns the cabin into an allergen-free environment.
Even a correctly labeled special meal may be prepared in a catering facility that handles the allergen. Treat any airline meal as an option rather than your only safety plan, and bring enough sealed food you know you can eat for the itinerary, subject to customs rules.
Frequently asked questions
How should I compare airline peanut allergy policies?
Compare the operating carrier's current rules for onboard snack service, special meals, buffer zones, pre-boarding, seat cleaning, notice deadlines, and codeshare segments. Do not rank airlines from an old summary: a policy can differ by route, aircraft, country, and partner. Choose the documented process that fits your own action plan, then confirm it before departure.
What is an airline allergy buffer zone?
A buffer zone is a request that nearby passengers not eat the declared allergen. Its size, notice requirement, announcement, and legal status vary by carrier and route. It is not an inspection of other passengers' food or a cabin-wide ban.
Can I ask an airline not to serve peanuts on my flight?
You can ask, but the answer depends on the operating carrier and route. Some may change their own snack service or make an announcement; others may offer no formal accommodation. No carrier can control every food another passenger brings onboard, so keep your own plan ready.
Do any airlines offer a fully peanut-free meal?
Some carriers offer a special meal that excludes a named allergen, but the meal name, ingredients, kitchen controls, deadline, and route availability vary. A special meal is not a peanut-free cabin and may be prepared in a shared catering facility. Read the current carrier wording and bring backup food you know you can eat.