Weeks after suffering a near-fatal allergic reaction to fish, Bethenny Frankel had another traumatic incident — this time, at 30,000 feet.
On Thursday, the Real Housewives of New York star boarded a flight that, after takeoff, she learned was serving bass for dinner, despite her having called the airline in advance to confirm there would be no fish present. As a result, the captain decided to turn the plane around to ensure Frankel’s safety.
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The reality star, 48, said she tried to stop the action, so as not to inconvenience other passengers. But according to one travel expert, the pilot was in the right, given the circumstances — especially since the airline was seemingly at fault for ignoring the dangerous allergy warning.
Called airline mult x to say I have fish allergy. Got on & they’re serving bass. They couldn’t not serve it they said. Then they were turning around which I protested bc it would delay people. Cabin asked to not serve it & pilot made announcement to plane. That was fun. #epilife
— Bethenny Frankel (@Bethenny) January 3, 2019
“When it comes to allergies, it’s really up to the passenger to inform the airline in advance of boarding, so that the crew can make the necessary accommodations,” says air travel expert Tracy Stewart, content editor at the travel deal site Airfarewatchdog.com.
“Once the airline has a passenger’s allergen info, they know to avoid, for example, serving nuts, or in this case, fish, or boarding a cat when someone has reported a severe pet dander allergy,” he continues. “Sometimes flight attendants will make an announcement over the intercom to ask fellow passengers to refrain from eating nuts due to another passenger’s allergy.”
According to Frankel, she did exactly that.
“Called airline mult [iple] x [times] to say I have fish allergy. Got on & they’re serving bass,” she tweeted.
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“In this case, it sounds like the carrier really dropped the ball on putting her request through,” says Stewart. “As much of an inconvenience as it may have been for her fellow passengers, it could have been even worse for Frankel.”
He adds that, “How an airline reacts to an allergic reaction mid-flight would really depend on the severity of the reaction.”
Frankel’s allergy is life threatening, according to her account of her scare in December.
“I had soup, itched & was unconscious for 15 mins then to ER & ICU for 2 days w BP of 60/40,” the Skinny Girl founder tweeted of the earlier episode. “I couldn’t talk, see, thought I had a stroke & dying & told if 5 mins later I’d be dead. 911 & EPI saved me. I’ll never not carry an #epipen.”
Because of the severity of her allergy, Stewart notes, “Being in an enclosed environment where every other passenger is eating bass could have been fatal. The pilot definitely made the right call.”
It is currently unclear which airline Frankel was flying at the time of the incident, but the reality star said they “know who they are.”