Wed 15 Nov 2006
More Nursing Drama (updated)
Posted by Liza under Current Affairs, Opinion
Lizzie pointed out this stressful story about a mother who was kicked off her Delta Airlines flight for nursing her baby.
Since we fly to DC on Friday, on Delta, this gets bad news bonus points from me.
But I am a frequent Delta flier, and have a special number I get to call where they don’t usually leave me on hold. So I called.
It was a frustrating conversation.
Basically, the woman both told me that there was no rule against nursing on their planes, and that the Vermont woman in the article might have been kicked off because other people complained. Huh?
She also suggested that “if I was worried” I should nurse the baby in the bathroom.
Obviously I’m worried, or I wouldn’t be calling. Also gross! And totally unhelpful in takeoff and landing, the key time to nurse the baby on the plane, so he doesn’t cry and annoy everyone else on the plane because his ears hurt. (Hey, I forgot to ask, if Noah cries and people complain, will we get kicked off?)
According to the Delta representative, I should pump or bring a pacifier for takeoff and landing. Again, if I’m worried.
Um.
That’s not exactly the ringing, “we support healthy babies” response I was hoping for. Both Georgia and Virginia, where the flight takes off and lands, have laws protecting the right of mothers to breastfeed in public.
We went around in circles for about 5 minutes, with me trying to get the Delta Rep to reassure me that I wasn’t going to get kicked off the plane for nursing Noah, and the Delta Rep saying things like “we don’t have a nursing section” and similar pointless and unhelpful things. Then I gave up and got off the phone.
Wish us luck?
And good luck too, to Emily Gillette in her lawsuit against Delta.
Delta has an online contact form! Tell them what you think.
November 15th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Man, that pisses me off. And they better not mess with you - they don’t know who they’re dealing with!
(Nor with me, when we fly to MI in December.)
November 15th, 2006 at 1:24 pm
I think I am just as appalled and frustrated about your conversation with them, and I dont even breastfeed!
In the tiny stinky bathroom? Why dont THEY go eat in the bathroom or with a hot, germy stinky blanket over their head?
I am really anxious to hear more about how Delta is going to react. I know fingers are flying with nasty emails to Delta. I know one company of 25,000 who has just canceled all their Delta flights and vows to never yse them again.
This whole thing is outrageous!
I would have not voluntarily gotten off the plane. I would have caused a scene, but thats me.
November 15th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
we’re taking delta next week… if there is a screaming child, i might try complaining that the mother is NOT breast feeding (to shut the child up). maybe they’ll force the mother to breast feed.
November 15th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
p.s. much better to get off the plane and sue than cause a scene. you won’t be able to breast feed if the TSA locks you up in airport jail for refusing to get off the plane, and a criminal record isn’t going to look good on your resume. it’s not going to help your civil rights case any either.
you do not want to mess with airport security. it’s not like causing a scene in starbucks.
November 15th, 2006 at 3:13 pm
good point Jen (in md). I just think that in this day and age these kinds of issues shouldnt even exist and I’m mad.
I’ll go cause a scene in Starbucks
November 15th, 2006 at 6:09 pm
No one should be watching a mother breastfeed. Stick your nose in reading material, take a nap, whatever. We better NOT have this problem this weekend!!!!!
November 15th, 2006 at 7:14 pm
That blanket thing is horse hockey. Echo Lizzie about the germs — someone with flu was probably snoedeling that blanket on the previous flight!
Given the woman’s seating arrangement, who could see her but the flight attendant? And what’s the attendant’s issue with seeing the globular side of a breast that has the nipple covered by a human head?
Reminds me of when they passed a law protecting public breastfeeding in Ohio last year. A state rep who’s a lawyer (no offense, Liza) unsuccessfully tried to insert a clause protecting businesses from liability if someone were to slip on spilled breast milk on their premises. I am not joking.
Good luck, Liza. This flap will not help Delta’s re-emergence from bankruptcy. By the way, I don’t know if it serves Atlanta, but Midwest gave me no trouble nursing Adam (I just didn’t like it because there was turbulence on the landing) and has direct flights to Milwaukee.