Peanut crackdown: Southwest Airlines goes all-in on pretzels

People with peanut allergies can rejoice at this little piece of good airline news: Southwest Airlines is going to stop serving peanuts on all of its flights. For years, one of the few free snacks Southwest offered was a tiny bag of the legumes. Now, the company says it will give passengers pretzels instead.

“Peanuts forever will be part of Southwest’s history and DNA. However, to ensure the best onboard experience for everyone, especially for customers with peanut-related allergies, we’ve made the difficult decision to discontinue serving peanuts on all flights,” a Southwest spokesperson told Fox News.

Peanuts were long a symbol of discount airlines. Instead of offering free meals and other bells and whistles, passengers could save money and only get a small snack bag to munch on. This trend has begun to wane–at least where peanuts are concerned.

Some estimates say about 1.4% of the U.S. population has a peanut allergy. While the allergy is not typically life-threatening, there have been recorded deaths due to only mild contact with the food. So Southwest’s decision makes sense.

The airline says it will stop offering the food on August 1. If you want the remaining free peanuts, you better book a flight and fast.