Sun, Mar 15, 2009
Some People Just Aren't Nuts About Peanuts
Travelers aboard Southwest Airlines may someday have more
choices to abate their hunger besides the usual fare of
peanuts.
Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins told The Fort Worth
Star-Telegram that the airline is considering selling food items on
its flights to "improve the customer experience" and increase
revenue. "We're kicking around the idea, among a lot of ideas we're
looking at. We don't have any specifics, and there aren't any plans
to implement it anytime soon," he said.
For years, the low-cost airline has kept fares low partly by
refusing to provide frills such as in-flight meals, becoming
infamous for its small packages of peanuts served as a snack
enroute. But with the economy taking a toll on ridership, Southwest
is exploring other ideas to boost revenue.
Actually, serving food is not a new idea for Southwest. Two
years ago,
ANN reported airline officials were considering the
idea, as well as charging for priority boarding and
assigned seating -- which, so far, has failed to materialize.
After last year's merger of Delta Air Lines and Northwest
Airlines, the introduction of peanuts as a snack food aboard
Northwest flights
resulted in an outcry of opposition, most
pointedly from those allergic to them.
Over 3 million Americans suffer some form of allergy to peanuts
or tree nuts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. The most severe reactions can lead to difficulties with
breathing, hospitalization, and in rare occurrences, death. Even a
small amount of peanut dust introduced into the air can lead to a
reaction, if an allergy sufferer is seated nearby.
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