A North Carolina woman is suing Qatar Airways for $5 million after her three-year-old daughter, who is allergic to dairy, was allegedly given chocolate by a flight attendant, triggering a life-threatening allergic reaction mid-flight.
What happened on the Qatar Airways flight?
According to the lawsuit filed in a Virginia federal court on October 31, 2025, Swetha Neerukonda and her daughter boarded Qatar Airways Flight QR710 from Washington Dulles International Airport to Doha, en route to India. Neerukonda says she clearly informed the crew multiple times that her daughter was severely allergic to dairy and nuts.
During the 14-hour flight, she briefly went to the lavatory, leaving her child under the supervision of a flight attendant. When she returned, she was shocked to see her daughter eating a KitKat bar, a chocolate known to contain milk.
The lawsuit alleges that when Neerukonda confronted the crew, the attendant “mocked and minimized” her concerns rather than taking the situation seriously. Within minutes, the child began showing signs of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can close airways and be fatal if not treated promptly.
How severe was the child’s reaction?
Court documents claim that the girl’s “mental status and vital signs declined rapidly.” Acting quickly, Neerukonda administered an EpiPen injection. However, the mother alleges that the cabin crew failed to follow emergency medical protocols, no PA announcement was made, no onboard medical assistance was sought, and no telemedicine support was requested from the ground.
Attorney Abram Bohrer, representing the Neerukonda family, described the incident as “inconceivable,” telling The Independent, “They took it upon themselves to give the child the allergen?”
The child reportedly spent two days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after landing in India, recovering from an anaphylactic reaction. She experienced a second reaction after landing, suggesting the initial response mid-flight may have been inadequate.
Why the lawsuit matters
The $5 million lawsuit accuses Qatar Airways of negligence, failure to train its staff adequately, and violation of its own in-flight emergency protocols. It also alleges emotional distress, stating that the crew’s indifference worsened the crisis.
Airline allergy incidents are not new, but this case reignites debate over how well international carriers are prepared to handle severe food allergies, especially among young passengers.
Allergists have long warned that air travel poses heightened risks due to limited medical resources and confined cabin air. The lawsuit underscores how critical it is for airlines to follow standard procedures and take parental warnings seriously.
Qatar Airways and allergy safety: A growing controversy
This is not the first time Qatar Airways has faced public scrutiny over food-related negligence. Recently, the airline was accused in another lawsuit of serving non-vegetarian food to an 85-year-old vegetarian passenger who later choked to death.
In that case, the crew allegedly told the man to “eat around the meat” and failed to make an emergency landing even after he became unresponsive. His family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
These incidents have raised broader concerns about Qatar Airways’ in-flight service training and its ability to accommodate passengers with dietary restrictions or allergies, issues that can have life-or-death consequences.
What legal experts say about airline liability
Aviation law specialists note that international airlines can be sued under U.S. jurisdiction if the alleged negligence occurred before or during a flight departing from a U.S. airport.
Under the Montreal Convention, which governs international air travel, airlines can be held liable for injuries or deaths that occur onboard. However, proving negligence, especially in medical or allergy-related cases, can be complex, requiring evidence that the airline failed to act with reasonable care.
The Neerukonda lawsuit could therefore become a landmark case in determining the extent to which airlines’ duty of care extends in cases involving food allergies.
What airlines can do to prevent allergy-related emergencies
Experts say prevention and preparedness are key. Airlines can significantly reduce risks by:
- Clearly labeling all food items and ingredients
- Training staff to recognize and respond to anaphylaxis
- Ensuring EpiPens and oxygen are easily accessible
- Allowing passengers with allergies to pre-board and sanitize their seating area
- Taking parental warnings seriously and documenting them in flight records
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S.-based airlines are required to accommodate disability-related needs, but international carriers vary in policies and enforcement. This creates inconsistencies in passenger safety for those flying long-haul international routes.
The growing issue of food allergies on planes
Food allergies affect an estimated 33 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among children, the prevalence of severe allergies, especially to dairy, nuts, and shellfish, has risen sharply in the past two decades.
When incidents occur thousands of feet in the air, even a few minutes’ delay in treatment can prove fatal. As more parents travel with young children, experts say airlines will face increasing pressure to adopt transparent, standardized allergy safety policies.
TL;DR
- A North Carolina mother is suing Qatar Airways for $5 million.
- Her 3-year-old daughter, allergic to dairy, was allegedly given a KitKat bar mid-flight.
- The child suffered a severe anaphylactic reaction and spent two days in the ICU.
- The lawsuit accuses the airline of negligence and failure to follow emergency protocols.
- This incident adds to recent controversies surrounding Qatar Airways’ handling of food-related issues.
