Air Canada, WestJet come through for teen flying with allergiesRunway Girl

As a dancer with Canadian ballet company Ballet Jorgen, I am increasingly booking gigs that require some travel. My mother, RGN operations manager Becca Alkema, usually accompanies me, as I am only 14 years old. 

But on a recent trip between Toronto and Saskatoon — without my mom in tow — I had to be my own advocate when imparting my needs to the airlines. I flew Air Canada Rouge on the outbound and WestJet for the return.

I am allergic to many things but I risk anaphylaxis when I come into contact with eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and mangos. 

Twenty-four hours prior to departure my mom sent an email to alert Air Canada about my allergies. The carrier responded within an hour, adding a buffer zone and pre-boarding requirement to my file.

Air Canada’s website says it requires 48 hours advance notice in order to make these sorts of accommodations so, needless to say, we were delighted at this speedy and positive response!

Air Canada defines a buffer zone as “a small group of seats on board the plane where we advise the passengers around you to refrain from consuming your allergen if you have a food allergy or using a scented product if you have a scent allergy.”

According to its policy, a minor who requires a buffer zone cannot fly without a chaperone who is at least 16+ — unless medication can be self administered. Therefore when we arrived at Toronto Pearson, the director of my dance troop accompanied me to the gate and we were both allowed to board before the other passengers.

Pre-boarding ensures that I can look over the seating area and have someone help me remove anything risky that might have been missed during the cleaning process — a stray peanut, for instance!

Because we are a large dance company, I was flying with other dancers who are aware of my allergies. Nonetheless, a cabin crew member made an announcement to those seated in the rows around me, informing them of my allergy and asking them to refrain from eating nuts during the three-hour flight, if possible.

Given the cramped space in economy class onboard Air Canada Rouge’s A321, I was grateful that a buffer zone was offered. No one wants to see a kid go into anaphylactic shock at 30,000ft. The menu looked interesting, though I would love to see more allergen-free snacks.

My experience with WestJet was a bit of a different story. While the presence of a prescribed EpiPen is usually enough proof of my condition, WestJet requires documentation from a physician at least 48 hours or more prior to departure. Because I would not have time to see my family doctor before leaving, I could not provide the necessary paperwork.

We emailed WestJet to say that we would not have time for the paperwork but to at least inform the cabin crew. A day later, the airline sent a stock reply, reiterating the same statement as found on its website.

Because I would be sitting with my dance company, my mother was not overly worried. But I’m happy to say that when I arrived for my flight the gate agent allowed me to pre-board!

While the agent was at first hesitant to let my chaperone board as well, WestJet’s policy stipulates that minor children with allergies must fly with an adult. So they ultimately followed their own policy and allowed my chaperone to accompany me to look over my seat and adjacent seats on the Boeing 737-800.

Once the rest of the passengers had boarded, a flight attendant came to my seat and asked a few questions regarding my allergies including where my EpiPen was located and if those around me knew how to administer it to me in the event of a reaction. It was a nice end to an otherwise slightly confusing process.

I was certainly nervous to fly without my mom by my side, but I have grappled with these allergies since I was a baby and I’ve learned how to advocate for myself. Airlines often get a bad rap for how they handle severely allergic passengers. Thankfully, both Air Canada and WestJet came through for me.

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All images credited to the author