Delta, Korean Air apologize after teens were booted from flight over peanut allergy

Delta Air Lines and Korean Air have apologized after two unaccompanied teenage Indian brothers were booted from their connecting flight from Seoul, South Korea.
The teenagers, aged 15 and 16 were going from Atlanta to Manila in Philippines, where their father Rakesh Patel is working. They came to Atlanta to visit their grandfather, who was in hospital, according to reports.
Rakesh Patel and his wife Prajakta appeared on Good Morning America segment of ABC and narrated the plight of their sons.
They flew to Seoul on a Delta flight. The elder brother is allergic to peanut and the family had alerted the airlines while booking the ticket.
Once they reached Seoul for the connecting flight with Delta partner Korean Air, they alerted the ground staff about the allergy.
A gate agent told them that peanuts would be served in the plane, media reported. They were told that they could either take the flight, or leave. Though both boarded the plane, they were soon booted off, Fox news reported.
‘The gate agent came on the plane and told my sons to get off,’ the mom said. ‘One of my kids was shaking — they’re alone in a different country. Where were they supposed to go?’
The teens told flight officials that they were willing to sit in the back of the plane, wearing a mask, which was also denounced.
The boys called their parents. ‘We were frantically calling Delta to help us figure it out,’ Prajakta told Yahoo. ‘They said the boys could fly a different carrier, but we didn’t know their nut policy, so they flew Delta back to Atlanta.”
By the time they reached Atlanta (again), the teens had been traveling for 39 hours.
‘We’re sorry for this family’s ordeal, particularly during what is already a difficult time for them,” a Delta rep said. ‘Delta and our partner Korean Air are communicating with the family and examining the processes surrounding this incident; we will use our findings in our work to create a consistent experience for customers flying Delta and our partner airlines.’
A spokesperson for Korean Air, said: "Korean Air is aware that peanut and food allergies are an industry issue and no airline can guarantee a food allergy-free environment. But we are reviewing ways to deal with this issue in a safe and feasible way. We totally understand the risks faced by passengers with nut and food allergies and will certainly try to accommodate them better in the future.”