American Airlines will allow customers who would like to
wipe down their seats due to nut allergies to pre-board flights, beginning Dec.
12.
Such customers will need to ask for that permission at the
gate.
"Though we do not serve peanuts in flight, we can't
guarantee our customers won't be exposed to peanuts or other tree nuts during
their trip," airline spokeswoman Michelle Mohr wrote in an email.
Most U.S. airlines have stopped serving peanuts due to
allergy-related health concerns. One exception is Delta, which states on its
website that it will refrain from serving peanuts on a specific flight if it
receives notification of a peanut allergy from a passenger ahead of time.
Mohr said American "strongly encourages" customers
with allergies to take all necessary precautions before flying.
"We've seen reports from a few outlets suggesting that
there could be passengers who fake having a potentially life-threating nut
allergy in order to board early," she wrote. "We don't think we'll
see rampant abuse with this policy change. We certainly hope that is the case."