Flying Icelandair with a peanut allergy

Iceland rocks! Icelandair Rocks! Icelandair rocks when you’ve got a peanut allergy! I think I am a fan of Icelandair 😛

Never have I felt so comfortable flying than this past Christmas holiday when we went from Frankfurt to Toronto via Reykjavik. My husband and I always wanted to take advantage of the extended stopover you can do with Icelandair. So I read up on flying Icelandair with a peanut allergy, found positive things about it, and booked the tickets.  And let me tell you it was all right. 

Here’s what I did:

After I had booked the flight, I contacted the customer service asking them about their peanut allergy policy, phrasing it a hypothetical question, because I have had bad luck with airlines in the past (almost not being allowed to board). They emailed me back pretty quickly with the details of what I need to do. Here is the email:

 NUT ALLERGY
Passengers with nut allergy
Please contact our call center on tel.1-800-223-5500 once you have made your reservation and advice them of your severe nut allergy.
We request a letter from your doctor with all information regard ing you nut allergy

We will do our very best to offer a nut free flight,however we hope you understand that we cannot guarantee 100% or control that passengers on our flights may be bringing their own products containing nuts or nut derivatives on board our flights.

We will also not be able to guarantee against accidental cross-contamination that may occur within flight kitchens in our network and the possibility of residues of nut or other nut oils being passed on to the upholstery and other surfaces, or circulated via the air conditioning systems.

Once again, we request that you take all necessary precautions, bearing in mind the risk of exposure. If you have any concerns about your fitness to travel, we recommend that you discuss your travel plans with your doctor, bringing along this information.

Once I had the doctor’s letter, I called the number given and spoke to a very helpful customer service agent. I had to email her a copy of the letter, and that was about it. She advised me to bring the letter with just in case, but it shouldn’t be a problem. On the flights, they would make an announcement about an allergy onboard and not serve any nuts during the flight. 

a quick overview of the flights:

The experience to North America differed from that to Europe.

To North America: Frankfurt > Reykjavik
When I got on board the plane in Frankfurt, I asked if they knew of my allergy. No one knew about it but were happy to make an announcement and not serve any nuts on the flight.

To North America: Reykjavik > Toronto
The same thing happened on this trip, where they were also not informed about it. They made the announcement and did not serve nuts. About half way through the flight, the flight attendant told me that there was a note, but no one had seen it. I was happy to see that the work of getting a doctor’s note was worth it and it was good to see how they responded even if not informed.

See Also

Traveling with food allergies: Ten essential items to bring on the plane for kids

During the trip, I saw the flight attendant taking out small packs of nuts that were part of the pre-packed meals for purchase! That made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I also got a special meal, which was a surprise since you have to pay for food. I didn’t eat it because I have more than just a nut allergy. My husband was pretty happy to eat it instead and didn’t have to buy his meal! I had a packed meal as I always do on long flights.

To Europe: Toronto > Reykjavik
When we checked in, the lady at the counter saw that I had the allergy and made a note of it for the flight attendants. When I boarded, I asked if they knew, which they did. The flight attendant also asked if it was just peanuts or all nuts, which it is and they made the announcement for all nuts. Again I was given a special meal but wanted to sleep instead, so I refused it.

To Europe: Reykjavik > Frankfurt
Easy peasy! The flight was smooth, they knew about the allergies, and you can hear the announcement here:

If you are looking to fly from Europe to North America or visa verse, I would highly recommend Icelandair. And if you are interested in taking advantage of the stopover, YOU SHOULD! You can also read about my time eating in Reykjavik with food allergies.

i ❤️ iceland