Plane Carrying Bethenny Frankel Turns Around Because Fish in the Meal Service Could Have Killed Her (UPDATED)
The Real Housewives of New York City mogul Bethenny Frankel again survived a close call with her rare food allergy.
UPDATED JANUARY 4, 2019 12:32 PM ET: In a pair of followup tweets the morning after the incident, Bethenny Frankel clarified that the plane did not turn around, although the pilot and crew were originally prepared to initiate that protocol.
"I ask airlines @UnitedAirlines@AmericanAir@Delta@JetBlue@SouthwestAir@VirginAmerica etc. stop serving airborne allergens. I’ll stay on this until you do. The one that initially refused & pilot who called me out on speaker knows. Cabin backed me up. Plane didn’t turn around."
In an additional tweet, she wrote, “1)I called ahead mult x 2)fish cooked in plane NOT the same as restaurant.3)been allergic since birth to fish NOT shellfish 4)plane didn’t turn bc cabin voted 5)pilot called me out to whole plane 6)airlines should NOT serve airborne allergens. & 7)who the F wants fish on a plane?”
Original story continues below…
Bethenny Frankel has once again stared down the potentially lethal consequences of her food allergy: The Real Housewives of New York City businesswoman boarded a plane on Thursday and realized that the flight crew was serving fish — and it is the "rare fish allergy" that nearly killed her just weeks ago. She had previously called repeatedly to confirm for her safety that fish would not be served on the flight.
When she called attention to the matter, the pilot announced to passengers that the plane would be required to turn around.
Bethenny tweeted her account of the incident: "Called airline mult[iple times] to say I have fish allergy. Got on & they’re serving bass. They couldn’t not serve it they said. Then they were turning around which I protested bc it would delay people. Cabin asked to not serve it & pilot made announcement to plane. That was fun. #epilife”
Responding to a follower question on Twitter, Bethenny wrote, "To clarify, some allergens are transmitted by touch & air. Fish is one & is fatal. The more exposure to them, the more susceptible. It’s not like an immunity thing where more exposure means less susceptible. It’s opposite. I’ve always kept it quiet but that’s over now."
Bethenny did not disclose on Twitter the name of the airline involved with the incident.
On the same day, Bethenny took to social media to share a news story of an 11-year-old Brooklyn boy named Camron Jean-Pierre who died from a fish allergy. "This is bringing me to tears," she shared. "When it's happening to you, you know you're dying. Poor baby."
In December, Bethenny survived her own harrowing allergic reaction to fish in soup, which led to a 15-minute period of unconsciousness, and stints in the emergency room and the ICU. She credited emergency responders and 911 for saving her life.
