Flying with a Severe Food Allergy
Published by FlyingWith5 min readSources checked
Airline and government rules change. Check your airline's current rules before you travel.
FlyingWith editorial team
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No airline can promise an allergen-free cabin. Tell the airline when you book, keep epinephrine on you, and on flights covered by Canadian rules, request a buffer zone at least 48 hours before departure.
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No airline can promise an allergen-free cabin, and it's worth being wary of any claim that suggests otherwise. What you can do is reduce exposure, make sure the airline knows in advance, and keep your emergency medication within reach for the whole journey. This guide covers the practical plan and the accommodations Canadian rules require airlines to offer on request.
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Part of: Flying with Allergies, Flying with Kids, Flying with Medical Equipment
What changes by airline
- The airline's allergy policy
- Whether it will provide a buffer zone or pre-boarding on your flight
- Which supporting documents it asks for
General advice: applies wherever you fly
Start with your doctor
Ask your allergist or doctor about your risk in an aircraft cabin, how many epinephrine auto-injectors to carry, and whether a written emergency action plan or a letter describing your allergy would help. Airlines may ask for supporting documents before arranging accommodations.
This guide is general travel information, not medical advice. Your own emergency plan comes first.
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General advice: applies wherever you fly
Before you fly
Checklist
- Read the airline's allergy policy before you buy. Policies vary between airlines, so compare them if you have a choice.
- Tell the airline about your allergy when you book, and confirm it again before departure, at least 48 hours ahead for flights covered by Canadian rules.
- Pack safe food for the whole journey, including possible delays, rather than counting on finding something safe at the airport or on board.
- Bring wipes to clean your seat, armrests, tray table and seatbelt buckle.
- Keep your epinephrine auto-injectors and other allergy medication on you or in the bag under the seat in front of you, never in the overhead bin or in checked baggage.
Official rules: Canada
Canada: accommodations you can request
Under Canada's accessible transportation rules, a person with a severe allergy can ask the airline for a buffer zone: a seat in a bank of seats where the allergen isn't located and that doesn't face a bank of seats where it is, with the other passengers in that section told that someone nearby has a severe allergy and what the allergen is.
Let the airline know well in advance, and at least 48 hours before departure. You can also ask to pre-board so you can clean your seat. You may be asked for supporting information or documents, including a medical certificate.
These rules don't cover every airline and route, so when you book, ask the airline to confirm it will provide these accommodations on your flight. They reduce the risk of exposure; they don't guarantee an allergen-free flight.
Official rules: Canada and the United States
Carrying epinephrine through security
In Canada, CATSA treats emergency treatments such as epinephrine auto-injectors as medically necessary items that aren't subject to the usual 100 ml limit. Tell the screening officer you're carrying them.
In the United States, TSA allows medically necessary liquids in reasonable quantities above 3.4 oz (100 ml) as long as you declare them at the checkpoint.
General advice: applies wherever you fly
If you have a reaction on board
Checklist
- Follow the emergency action plan your doctor gave you, including when to use epinephrine.
- Press the call button and tell the crew it's a severe allergic reaction, and whether epinephrine has been given.
- Ask the crew to check whether there's a medical professional on board.
- Follow your doctor's instructions about getting medical care afterwards, and let the airline know what happened.
Official sources
Rules and amounts change. Before you rely on anything marked as an official rule, check the source. These are the official pages we used.
- Travelling with severe allergies · Canadian Transportation Agency
- Medical needs, medication and allergies · Canadian Transportation Agency
- Flying with medication through airport security · Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA)
- Disabilities and Medical Conditions · Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
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Related guides
- Flying with Medication and Medical DevicesHow to pack, declare and screen medication, liquids over 100 ml, insulin, syringes, EpiPens and CPAP machines, with the official CATSA and TSA rules.
- Flying with Epinephrine Auto-InjectorsWhere to keep the devices, what Canadian screening allows, how to request an airline accommodation, and why an airline's own supplies are not part of the plan.
- Carry-On Checked at the Gate? What to Take Out FirstWhat has to come out of a bag going into the hold at the gate, what to keep with you, and what to ask about getting the bag back.
- Flying with Kids: An Age-by-Age GuideIdeas that can help at each age, from infants to teens, plus Canada's family seating rules, the U.S. DOT seating dashboard and the AAP's advice on ears and car seats.