The latest change to Southwest Airline’s in-flight service is making some travelers hesitant to fly with the budget carrier.
The Dallas-based airline recently announced it would be adding pistachios to its onboard snack options in early 2026.
The new selection, Wonderful Pistachios No Shells in both Roasted & Salted and Honey Roasted flavors, will be available for passengers in the airline’s new extra legroom seats starting on January 27, 2026.
“These new onboard offerings provide more options exclusively for Customers in our most premium seats, while harkening back to our history with a nod to the lightly salted and honey roasted peanuts we previously served onboard,” Southwest said.
However, passengers with tree nut allergies are up in arms about the change, saying offering pistachios on board poses a threat to those with sensitive reactions to dust or residue in the air or on surfaces inside the plane cabin.
Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), a nonprofit that advocates for allergy awareness, said it’s “deeply concerned” by Southwest’s plan to serve pistachios. “As a tree nut allergen, pistachios pose serious risks to passengers with life-threatening nut allergies. While no travel environment can be completely allergen-free, adding a common allergen to in-flight service without clear mitigation measures is alarming.”
The airline nixed peanuts from its in-flight snack options in 2018 due to similar allergy concerns. The majority of major airlines in the U.S. have eliminated the once-popular package of peanuts from their complimentary snack offerings. However, some carriers still serve bowls of mixed nuts to passengers in first and business class, which sometimes includes tree nuts like cashews, almonds, or pecans.
In order to make its flights safer for travelers with tree nut allergies, FARE is urging Southwest to add guidelines like ensuring every flight has epinephrine to treat allergy reactions and allowing affected passengers to board early to wipe down their seats and other surfaces.
Southwest has been making major transformations to its travel policies and in-flight experience in 2025. In addition to introducing its extra legroom premium seats that come with perks like early boarding, the carrier has also made significant shifts like eliminating its signature open seating policy and charging for checked luggage.
Many of its revamped rules have been unpopular with its most loyal fliers, but the airline reported record third-quarter revenue with Southwest executives attributing the financial success to the transformed policies.
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