BBC presenter slams airline for 'disgusting' behaviour after being kicked off flight over daughter's allergies
A BBC weather presenter hits out at an airline for kicking her off a flight after claiming they'd refused to announce her daughter's nut allergy.
On 21 May, Georgie Palmer boarded a SunExpress plane from London Gatwick to Dalaman Turkey, alongside her husband Nick Sollom and their two daughters, Rosie, 12, and Annie, 14.
Rosie has an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts, meaning that the presence of the food on board has the potential to be fatal.
So Palmer had asked flight attendants to make an announcement to ask their fellow travellers to refrain from eating nuts, however, she claims that airline staff on the plane refused to do so, as they said they had 'updated' their allergy policy.
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Palmer said that she then 'gently' asked other passengers not to eat nuts - to which she claims everyone did so happily.
At the time, Palmer took to social media to discuss the situation, writing: "We gently asked the passengers at the front of the plane to share our request.
"Row by row, all the passengers turned back to kindly ask the row behind to please not eat nuts on the flight."
However, the presenter alleged that this made the captain 'angry', telling The Daily Mail: "How we were treated was disgusting. The captain decided because of my daughter's allergy he didn't want to fly with her on board.
"When he found out I had spoken to the other passengers he was screaming at me from the cockpit. He was so angry, the next thing I knew we were told to get off the plane.
'It is really beautiful how every passenger on that plane was so wonderful but nobody working on that plane showed one ounce of compassion."
The following day, the family booked an additional flight with EasyJet, which, amongst other things, cost them an extra £5,000.
SunExpress has since issued a statement regarding the situation, saying they take passenger safety 'very seriously'.
"Shortly after boarding our flight, the passenger raised a concern about one of his family group having a serious peanut allergy." the statement continued.
"They requested an announcement to other passengers. We refrain from making these kinds of announcements.
"Like many other airlines, we cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment on our flights.
"Nor can we prevent other passengers from bringing food items containing allergens on board.
"Due to the insistent behaviour of the passenger to others on board, the captain decided it would be safest if the family did not travel.
"When this was explained to the passenger, he behaved aggressively towards our crew members and tried to gain access to the cockpit.
"To ensure the safety of our crew and our passengers on board, we cannot tolerate aggressive and unruly behaviour on our flights."
They added that their website says that passengers 'must notify us 48 hours in advance of any special care required due to a medical condition'.
"No such notification was received from the passengers in this instance." they said.
The spokesperson added: "However, we are fully aware that this was an upsetting situation for the family.
"We are taking the incident as an opportunity to conduct a review of the information provided during our booking process.
"This will ensure more effective solutions for passengers with allergies."
However, Palmer has denied the claims of aggression, telling the BBC that it was 'absolute nonsense', adding: "It's simply not true. There was no aggressive behaviour from us."
Tyla has reached out to SunExpress for comment.
Topics: BBC, TV And Film, Real Life, Parenting, Health, Travel
Rhiannon Ingle