Mom Sues Airline After 3-Year-Old Has Near-Fatal Allergy Attack on Flight

A North Carolina mother is suing Qatar Airways after her 3-year-old daughter allegedly suffered a severe allergic reaction when a flight attendant ignored repeated warnings and served the child a candy bar containing dairy.

Swetha Neerukonda, 33, was traveling with her daughter from Washington Dulles International Airport to Doha, Qatar, on April 9 when the incident occurred, according to a lawsuit obtained by The Post. Neerukonda had informed the cabin crew multiple times about her daughter’s severe allergy to dairy and nuts.

The lawsuit claims that while Neerukonda stepped away to use the bathroom, she asked a female flight attendant to watch her daughter and reminded her again of the “potentially life-threatening allergy.” When Neerukonda returned, she discovered her daughter had been fed a snack containing dairy, reportedly a Kit Kat bar.

The complaint alleges that when Neerukonda confronted the flight attendant, the crew member mocked her concerns, telling her she “knew better than” the mother. Within minutes, the child began suffering severe anaphylaxis. Neerukonda administered an EpiPen, but the flight crew reportedly failed to make any announcement over the loudspeaker, a potential procedural violation.

The mother also claims a flight attendant prevented her from sharing information about the incident with a fellow passenger, citing airline policy. After landing, paramedics cleared the child to continue on her connecting flight to India. However, the child suffered a severe rebound reaction upon arrival and was admitted to the ICU for two days.

Neerukonda’s attorney, Abram Bohrer, described the ordeal as “beyond bizarre” and “unforgivable,” adding that “a mom should be able to trust that a flight attendant could keep an eye on her child for a few minutes.”

The lawsuit seeks $5 million in damages for the economic loss and the “great pain, agony, and mental anguish” the child endured.