But if this happens to you or your loved ones on a flight, you might not be so lucky. The Federal Aviation Administration must require airlines to include epinephrine autoinjectors in their emergency medical kits to save passengers' lives.
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The airline emergency kits do carry epinephrine, but in vials that only trained medical professionals may be able to use in the event of a heart-related issue, for example. There is a growing movement to add epinephrine auto-injectors to address allergies on commercial airlines.
If adrenaline is available in the form an ampoule, a needle and syringe are required and flight crew rely on a doctor or nurse being on the flight (as passengers) to have it administered in an emergency.
Allergic Living reports that Auvi-Q epinephrine auto-injectors are now included in emergency medical kits on the main fleet of American Airlines planes.
This is not the first severe food allergy reaction to take place during a flight. Since 2003, the FAA has required all airlines to carry epinephrine in their onboard medical kits.
If you are at risk of a severe allergic reaction while you are away, carry an adrenaline (epinephrine) injector such as an EpiPen® or Anapen®, a mobile phone and an Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) Travel Plan for people at risk of anaphylaxis.
You're welcome to board early and clean your seat area in case of traces of allergens but you must bring your own cleaning materials. We also recommend that if you have a significant allergic reaction, you bring appropriate medications on board (e.g. EpiPen®).
Keep your epinephrine with you. Do not put it in your checked luggage or store it in the overhead bin. Let your traveling companions know about your allergies. Make sure they know what to do in case of an emergency on the flight and where your auto-injector is.