The tradition of taking your seat, lifting off, and enjoying a free bag of peanuts aboard Southwest Airlines flights is coming to an end.
The airlines will end the long-standing offering of free peanuts aboard all its flights beginning Aug. 1.
In a statement, Southwest said, in part, the "difficult" move is being made in order to address any concerns passengers with peanut allergies may have.
"Peanuts forever will be part of Southwest’s history and DNA. However, to ensure the best on-board experience for everyone, especially for customers with peanut-related allergies, we’ve made the difficult decision to discontinue serving peanuts on all flights beginning August 1 ... We’ll miss the peanuts, but, at the end of the day, it’s our Southwest Employees and the Hospitality they deliver that set us apart, far more than peanuts ever could."
Southwest passengers will be able to enjoy free pretzels and other snacks on longer flights.
It's unclear if any one incident prompted the action, but according to the airline's website, peanuts still may find their way on flights.
According to the Southwest's "customers with disabilities" section of their website, the airlines "is unable to guarantee a peanut-free or allergen-free flight," and they can't stop other passengers from bringing peanuts or products containing peanuts onboard — so it's still best for those with severe peanut allergies to exercise caution.
