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A Welsh student with a severe nut allergy had to abandon her plans to fly to her destination and make a long journey by road instead after she claims airline staff refused to stop serving nuts on board.

Meleri Williams, from Hendy , Carmarthenshire , was boarding an Aerolineas Argentinas flight from Buenos Aires to Esquel in Argentina when she told airline staff about her allergy and the fact that any contact with nuts risked her going into anaphylactic shock.

The 20-year-old was due to start volunteering in a Spanish and Welsh Primary School in Patagonia when she walked onto the plane, and as with every flight she boards she asked staff if they could not serve nuts on board.

But she was shocked at the response she received.

"I boarded the plane and as I always do told a member of staff that I have a severe nut allergy. Usually, they make an announcement that they will not be selling nuts on the flight and advise the passengers not to consume any nuts on the flight as it could be very dangerous," said Ms Williams.

(Image: Meleri Williams) (Image: Meleri Williams) (Image: Meleri Williams)

"I explained that I could develop an anaphylactic shock if I was in an enclosed environment where nuts are consumed but they didn’t seem to understand," she claimed.

"The only food they had for their passengers was packets of dried fruit and nuts. They said that it would affect a greater number of people if nuts wouldn’t be served," claimed the Cardiff University student.

"My allergy is very severe and could lead to anaphylactic shock where my airways could close up and I could potentially die. I do carry an Epipen but did not want to put myself in a position where there was a high risk and I could suffer from an allergic reaction mid-flight."

After contacting the organisers of the volunteer program so they could explain in Spanish and handing airline staff Spanish translation cards explaining her allergy, she claimed airline staff maintained that they must serve nuts.

Staff on board insisted guests must be offered nuts despite the flight being a short two and a half hours, she claimed, so Meleri and her friend Sara had no choice but to walk off the aircraft.

Here's what happens when you have an allergic reaction:

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"There was a lot of fuss, I was very upset by the end, I must say, and then having to just walk away was awful. It was very distressing trying to explain everything," said Meleri.

After the incident the 20-year-old found herself stuck in a foreign country not able to speak the language and with nowhere to go.

"We stayed in Buenos Aires another night and had to book a 26-hour bus to Esquel which meant missing out on days of volunteering," said Ms Williams.

(Image: Meleri Williams) (Image: Meleri Williams)

Despite the severity of her allergy, Meleri said she had never encountered problems flying before.

"Everything had been very easy until this incident. We flew from Gatwick to Buenos Aires with Norwegian Airlines and they were very attentive and helpful."

On the journey home from Argentina, Meleri tried to book with the airline again but claimed she was met with the same response.

"We tried booking another flight and thought maybe if we gave them a warning it would be ok, but once again, they said it would be impossible. They would only change my food, meaning that there would still be nuts served on the plane," she claimed.

(Image: Meleri Williams)

The 20-year-old said she was yet to receive any response from the airline.

"Being told that I would be unable to travel because of my allergy was the worst experience of my life. I haven't received an apology and I'd like to stress how important it is that airlines explore their on-board allergy policies urgently.

"Thankfully when we arrived everyone we met expressed disgust and embarrassment that an Argentine airline had acted this way," she added.

Aerolineas Argentinas has been subject to recent criticism by passengers after strikes from the airline caused up to 10 hour travel delays and flight cancellations.

And in 2019, independent company AirHelp, which assists passengers with flight compensation claims ranked the airline as one of the worst in the world based on on-time performance, quality of service, food and drink options and how easy it was to claim a refund.

Aerolineas Argentinas has been asked to comment on the incident.