A British woman has accused Turkish Airlines of stranding her 2,000 miles from home after kicking her off a flight due to her nut allergy.
Hanna Olsen, a jewellery designer from London, says she was flying from Manchester to Cape Town with Turkey’s flag carrier, with a connection in Istanbul, when the incident happened.
Despite having no problems on the first leg of her trip, Ms Olsen says that when she reached Istanbul and boarded her second flight to South Africa, an issue arose when she asked flight attendants about the food they would be serving.
“I asked for an ingredients list for the meals they were serving, as I had on the flight from Manchester,” she told The Mirror.
“My allergy is mild; it is not airborne. I wasn’t asking them not to serve nuts or for it to affect anyone else on the flight, I simply wanted to know so I could decide that what I was eating was safe for me.”
Ms Olsen posted the handwritten ‘form’ she says airline staff made her sign
(Hanna Olsen/Instagram)
She explained to reporters that, though her nut allergy is not life-threatening, she can feel sick and itchy for hours if she accidentally ingests nuts.
Ms Olsen claims staff began to panic at this point.
“I was given a blank piece of A4 paper to sign. They said I had to sign the form to say that I take responsibility if something happens. It was a blank bit of paper, not a form,” she said.
“I told them I don’t have to eat anything if it’s going to be a issue.”
Although she agreed to sign a statement, Ms Olsen says staff then came back 10 minutes later and said the captain was refusing to transport her on the flight. She claims she was removed from the flight in Istanbul for this reason.
“I got really upset, it was embarrassing and dehumanising.” she said. “I was crying and other passengers were getting annoyed as the flight was delayed.”
She found herself stranded in Istanbul for 24 hours, where she claims she paid for a night’s hotel accommodation herself.
Before Turkish Airlines would allow her on a subsequent flight to her destination, she says, they told her she would have to pay £700 for the replacement seat, and again asked her to sign a handwritten statement on a piece of paper.
Ms Olsen was eventually allowed to travel without paying an additional fee, but says she would never feel comfortable declaring her allergy…
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