Passenger with allergy ‘forced’ to sign waiver saying airline wouldn’t be responsible if she died

A plane passenger with a severe nut allergy was ‘forced’ to sign a waiver saying that the airline would not be held responsible if she died on board.

Abbie Tomlinson, 26, flew from London Heathrow to Vietnam on October 9 through Bamboo Airways – an airline she says she ‘would never fly with’ again.

In the waiver, the doctor had to agree that the plane would not make an emergency landing if she went into anaphylactic shock.

Before the flight she claims that she informed the crew of her allergy and ‘politely’ requested they would not serve peanuts.

But Dr Tomlinson recalled the cabin crew ‘laughing in her face’ and claimed they said ‘you cannot possibly ask people not to eat nuts’. 

‘They would not accept that I had a severe nut allergy that is airborne,’ she said on Twitter.

‘This is not something I chose to have nor is it something I can magically fix.’ 

Dr Tomlinson said that Heathrow staff came onboard the QH24 flight to help with the ‘language barrier’ but the crew continued to protest that nothing could be done.

She alleges that they told her: ‘Just have your EpiPen’.

Abbie Tomlinson, 26, was ‘forced’ to sign a waiver saying that the airline would not be held responsible if she died on board

The doctor then claimed: ‘I was forced to sign a piece of paper handwritten by the airline saying that if I have an anaphylaxis on board, they will NOT do an emergency landing and if I fly I do so at my own risk and they are not liable if I die on the flight.’

Dr Tomlinson also claimed, in her Twitter thread, that she was only allowed to fly because she said she was a doctor. ‘In 2022 I should not be discriminated for having a medical problem I was born with,’ she added.

‘An epipen buys you 30 minutes of time, but you need to have further hospital treatment following any anaphylaxis.’

Dr Tomlinson also said ‘something needs to change’ as she stated that ‘one person on every flight’ has an allergy.

Speaking to The Independent, the Newcastle doctor, who was travelling with her best friend Anna, said: ‘It was really scary, I didn’t take my Covid mask off throughout the whole 14 hour flight or eat on the plane 

‘I would never fly with Bamboo Airlines again, to be honest I’m also put off flying from Heathrow too, as they were so unhelpful.’

The doctor said that although she has experienced issues flying in the past, this was the first time she had been ‘asked to sign something’ that stated the plane would not emergency land.

Dr Tomlinson recalled the cabin crew 'laughing in her face' and claimed they said 'you cannot possibly ask people not to eat nuts'

Dr Tomlinson recalled the cabin crew ‘laughing in her face’ and claimed they said ‘you cannot possibly ask people not to eat nuts’

Dr Tomlinson, who was travelling with her best friend Anna, took to Twitter to describe the ordeal that left her 'traumatized'

Dr Tomlinson, who was travelling with her best friend Anna, took to Twitter to describe the ordeal that left her ‘traumatized’ 

A Bamboo Airways spokesperson said: ‘As a service provider, Bamboo Airways is very sorry that the experience of passenger Abbie Tomlinson on flight QH24 Heathrow to Hanoi on 9 October 2022 was less than satisfactory.

‘Upon receiving a notice from passenger Abbie Tomlinson about her severe allergy to nuts, we checked the policy and consulted with experienced partners at Heathrow airport.

‘In fact, not only the physical nuts but also other types of nuts, such as cooking oil and sauces made from nuts, etc., could also do harm.

‘In addition, this was a 12-hour long-haul flight, and we had to serve meals to the passengers on board to ensure their health and privileges.

‘Therefore, we recommended that passenger Abbie Tomlinson reschedule to another flight with a more deliberate preparation for meals to ensure her absolute health.’

The spokesperson added that Dr Tomlinson wanted to make the flight and therefore ‘we gave her a waiver form to sign, which is generally applicable to passengers with special health requirements’.

A Bamboo Airways spokesperson 'we gave her a waiver form to sign, which is generally applicable to passengers with special health requirements'. (File image: Bamboo Airways crew)

A Bamboo Airways spokesperson ‘we gave her a waiver form to sign, which is generally applicable to passengers with special health requirements’. (File image: Bamboo Airways crew)

How did Natasha Ednan-Laperouse die? 

Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, died in 2016 after she suffered a severe allergic reaction to sesame in a Pret baguette.

The 15-year-old knew she was allergic to milk, eggs, banana, nuts and sesame seeds so along with her dad, Nadim, had checked the label carefully.

But the artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette contained sesame seeds that were baked into the dough and were not visible or listed in the ingredients.

She went into anaphylactic shock within minutes of take off on a British Airways flight to France.

Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, died in 2016 after she suffered a severe allergic reaction to sesame in a Pret baguette

Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, died in 2016 after she suffered a severe allergic reaction to sesame in a Pret baguette

Despite efforts to give her adrenaline shots, she was unable to breathe and suffered a heart attack and later died in a French hospital on July 17, 2016. 

Nadim, 56, administered two Epi-pens — which delivered potentially lifesaving adrenaline to his daughter as she struggled to breathe.

But they did not work and she suffered multiple cardiac arrests.

The airline claimed that the passenger signed the waiver and they ‘took special care’ of her and ‘did not receive any complaints or requests for medical assistance’ during the flight.

The spokesperson added: ‘We deeply regret that differences in culture and communication may have led passenger Abbie Tomlinson to misunderstand that our staff acted disrespectfully upon her allergy notation.’

London Heathrow have been approached for comment. 

In 2016, 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died after going into anaphylactic shock within minutes of take off on a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Nice, France.

She suffered a severe allergic reaction to sesame in a Pret baguette.

The 15-year-old knew she was allergic to milk, eggs, banana, nuts and sesame seeds so along with her dad, Nadim, had checked the label carefully.

But the artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette contained sesame seeds that were baked into the dough and were not visible or listed in the ingredients.

Despite efforts to give her adrenaline shots, she was unable to breathe and suffered a heart attack and later died in a French hospital on July 17, 2016.

Nadim, 56, administered two EpiPens — which delivered potentially lifesaving adrenaline to his daughter as she struggled to breathe.

But they did not work and she suffered multiple cardiac arrests.

Natasha’s parents have been campaigning ever since for airlines to clamp down on nuts on planes to avoid other potential tragedies involving passengers with allergies. 

In June, a 14-year-old girl Poppy almost died after suffering a life-threatening reaction on a flight from Antigua to Gatwick after another passenger carried on eating nuts despite being asked not to.

Natasha’s parents, reacting to the news, said: ‘Planes can be coffins for people with severe allergies – as we know all too well. And there are far too many stories where passengers lives are being put in very real danger on flights.

‘Simply put, if British Airways and other airlines cannot enforce a ban on people eating nuts on planes, then the law needs to change.’

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