Flight Attendant Meal Mix-Up Forces Singapore Air Emergency Landing After Passenger Suffers Severe Allergic Reaction
- Singapore Airlines is world renowned for its award-winning inflight service but one passenger claims a flight attendant served her a dish containing shellfish despite being told that she had a severe allergy to shrimp.
A Singapore Airlines flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to New York JFK was forced to make an emergency medical diversion after a flight attendant served a dish containing shellfish to a passenger who had already told the crew she was severely allergic to shrimp.
The potentially life-threatening incident occurred on Singapore Airlines flight SQ26 on October 8, 2024, and resulted in the passenger being rushed to the hospital by ambulance, where she underwent emergency medical treatment.
Doreen Benary is now suing Singapore Airlines in a New York district court with a recently filed complaint detailing exactly what went down on Flight SQ26 last October.
Benary says that as soon as she boarded the aircraft, she told the flight attendant who would be serving her that she could not eat shrimp because of a food allergy, but that warning went seemingly unheeded by the crew member.
During the first meal service that started only a short time after takeoff from Frankfurt, the flight attendant served Benary a dish containing shrimp.
Benary says she had no idea the meal had shrimp in it and only became aware after she took a bite.
Almost immediately, Benary started to feel ill and called over the flight attendant, who allegedly admitted that she had made a mistake.
Benary’s allergy was so bad that the pilots decided to immediately divert to Paris Charles de Gaulle, where an ambulance was waiting to rush her to a nearby hospital.
The complaint claims that Benary was left ‘seriously injured’ from the incident and had to be treated in two separate medical facilities before she was able to continue her journey to the United States.
Benary is now suing Singapore Airlines under Article 17 and Article 21 of the Montreal Convention, claiming the airline was negligent in its duty of care to her.
What is Article 17 of the Montreal Convention?
The Montreal Convention is an international treaty that was ratified in 1999 and enacted in 2023, which is designed to guarantee passengers certain rights, especially in relation to injury or death, as well as how baggage and cargo is handled.
Article 17 of the Montreal Convention makes airlines liable for injuries sustained by passengers during the course of an international flight, stating:
“The carrier is liable for damage sustained in case of death or bodily injury of a passenger upon condition only that the accident which caused the death or injury took place on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking.”
Airlines have few defenses against a claim under Article 17 of the Montreal Convention, but they can be found not liable if they prove that the passenger’s injury was a result of their own negligence or caused by another passenger.
What is Article 21 of the Montreal Convention?
Article 21 of the Montreal Convention details the maximum compensation that passengers can claim if they succeed in an Article 17 lawsuit.
The compensation limit is quoted in Special Drawing Rights (SDR), which isn’t a currency but rather an international reserve asset that was created by the International Monetary Fund.
The simplest way to review SDR is as a ‘basket’ of currencies made up of the US dollar, the Euro, the Chinese Yuan, the Japanese Yen, and the British Pound.
Just like currencies, the value of SDR also fluctuates.
When the Montreal Convention was created, the compensation limit was set at 100,000 SDR, but this limit has been increased on several occasions. Most recently, in December 2024, the limit was increased to 151,880 SDR.
151,880 SDR = US$ 214,118
On June 19, 2025
How Can Passengers With Severe Food Allergies Protect Themselves?
When we talk about passengers with severe allergies, we often focus on an airborne allergy to peanuts and other nuts. However, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) lists nine leading causes of food allergies, which could be included in the ingredients of an in-flight meal:
- Milk
- Eggs,
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Tree nuts
- Peanuts
- Wheat
- Soybeans
- Sesame
Federal regulations require all foods with two or more ingredients to have an ingredients list, but it’s important to note that foreign international airlines may have very different food allergy rules.
Don’t just take the flight attendant’s word that a dish is safe to eat. The in-flight menu might list major allergens in each dish, but if it doesn’t, ask to see detailed menu information with all of the ingredients listed.
This is normally a document provided for the aircrew, and if it’s available, the flight attendant should be more than happy to let you view it. If it is not available, then you should treat all food as suspect.
An ingredient like shellfish could be included in a variety of sauces, and its presence might not be immediately obvious.
Key takeaways
- Always inform the cabin crew and ask to see detailed menu information, which lists all key allergens.
- Don’t trust menus – allergens can be hiding in sauces.
- If in doubt, skip the in-flight meal and bring food from home.
Get further advice here:
- Food Allergies: The “Big 9” – USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Food Allergy Labelling – Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Living With a Food Allergy – FARE
Regarding severe allergies:
Watch out in restaurants, weddings, ships, etc. where there is a buffet-beware any dish in close proximity to one containing an allergan as utensils from one dish may be used to pick up another and thus contaminate it.
Always verify if an allergan is present both at the time food is ordered and the time it food delivered.
Make no secret about your severe food allergy as you never know who might be present if you have a reaction.
Have a safe National Safety Month.
This is unfortunate BUT if I had such a severe allergy, I would have reiterated the fact to the flight attendant when he/she handed me the food. Telling a FA when you board is a recipe for disaster as they likely have a million things that go through their heads before they actually serve the meal and chances of them forgetting is high.
Everyone should always be aware of motorcycle and people with allergies. They cant take care of themselfs so its up to everyone else.
If you’re that hyperallergic to certain things, it’s ultimately on you to limit your exposue to that which irritates your system. You cannot (and should not) expect everyone else to cater to you like that. Even well intentioned people forget who is allergic to what (this whole things starts tp remind me of WN and wheelchairs, but thats another subject).
My sympathy here is very limited. The rest of the world is not here to do everything your way.
It was an unfortunate incident. Did she indicate this allergy when she purchased her flight or checked in? I know they give that option. She should’ve also repeated her allergy when the FA gave her the food. For insurance, she should’ve ask for vegetarian option.