Passenger sues SIA after allergic reaction, claims served meal containing shrimp despite warning crew
The incident occurred on SIA flight SQ026 in October 2024.
PHOTO: The Straits Times
PUBLISHED ONJune 21, 2025 1:28 AMBYIan Cheng
SINGAPORE - A New-York based paediatrician is suing Singapore Airlines for allegedly serving her a meal containing shrimp even though she claimed she had notified the cabin crew that she was allergic to shellfish, causing her to suffer a severe allergic reaction.
According to a June 17 lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Dr Doreen Benary, 41, had informed a cabin crew member about her allergy after boarding SIA flight SQ026 on Oct 8, 2024. The flight was bound for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York from Frankfurt, Germany.
However, Dr Benary, who was in the Business Class, was allegedly served a meal containing shrimp, which she was unaware of.
Upon eating a portion of the food, Dr Benary detected the presence of shrimp and began to feel ill. She then questioned the cabin crew member, who admitted that she had made an error and apologised, according to the court document.
Dr Benary subsequently suffered a "severe allergic reaction" and "fell violently ill", which required the aircraft to perform an emergency diversion to Paris, France, where she underwent emergency medical treatment at two separate medical facilities.
Dr Benary said via the court document that she had suffered - and will continue to suffer from - great pain, agony and mental anguish, and that she was required to undergo painful, emergency medical treatment.
She claims that this also caused her to be "deprived of her enjoyment of life, pursuits and interests", which she believes that in the future, she will continue to be deprived of.
Dr Benary is asking SIA to pay her "full, fair and reasonable damages" in an amount to be determined at trial, together with "interest, costs and disbursements of this action".
The document does not state if Dr Benary was carrying an EpiPen or other auto-injectors. These products, which are used to treat severe allergic reactions, are filled with epinephrine, a life-saving drug used by people at risk of anaphylaxis and other reactions.
Dr Benary's attorney, Mr Abram Bohrer, told The Independent newspaper that he was unable to discuss the lawsuit without her permission.
When contacted by The Straits Times for more information, an SIA spokesperson said the airline is "unable to comment on matters before the court".
Tropomyosin, present in shrimp, prawns and other crustaceans such as lobster, crab, and crayfish, is a protein involved in muscle contraction.
According to a Woodlands Health shellfish allergy brochure, cooking the shellfish does not remove the allergen.
Symptoms associated with food allergies can range from mild irritation such as tingling or itching in the mouth, hives and swelling, to more serious ones like wheezing or shortness of breath, nausea, vomitting, loss of consciousness or anaphylaxis, when breathing stops, which could lead to death.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
