World’s First ‘Allergy-Friendly’ Flights Take Off
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Swiss International Air Lines(NEW YORK) — Allergy sufferers, you’re in luck. Especially if you’ve got plans to visit Switzerland.
Swiss Airlines is now the world’s first airline to be designated as “allergy friendly,” as determined by the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF).
The airline will, beginning in May, offer an “individualized service product for travelers with allergies.” That includes lactose- and gluten-free food and beverage alternatives such as lactose-free coffee cream and a lactose-free version of the popular Swiss chocolate bar.
The airline will also use pillows stuffed with synthetic materials as an alternative to down in the first and business class cabins. The airline will also stop use of decorative flowers and air fresheners “that might cause nose and throat irritations,” and the on-board toilets will now feature soaps that are “gentle” on the skin.
The airline’s website added that its high-efficiency air conditioning system filters out pollen from outdoors and animal hair from pets on board. Swiss cabin crew members are trained to respond to an allergic emergency, the website said, and “histamine tablets are available if needed.”
ECARF, in a joint press release with the airline, said more than 30 percent of Europe’s population is affected by allergies. In the U.S., the Asthma and Allergy Foundation estimated 35 million people suffer from hay fever because they are allergic to pollen.
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