Woman 'humiliated' by flight attendant after using breast pump on plane

Updated
Woman 'humiliated' by flight attendant after using breast pump on plane
Woman 'humiliated' by flight attendant after using breast pump on plane



A woman who claims she was asked to stop using her breast pump on an American Airlines flight says she was "humiliated" by the incident.

Dawn Brahos, from Indiana, US, said a female air stewardess told her she could not use her breast pump on the flight from Minneapolis to Chicago on 18 April.

The 38-year-old mum-of-three explained that she was allowed to use the pump on two other American Airlines flights the week before, but she says the flight attendant called her a liar.

Speaking to New York Daily News, Brahos said: "I started it off being quiet and discreet, but the flight attendant wasn't discreet at all. She came back three times to my seat and was really loud about it. She was like, 'You absolutely cannot pump.'"

The mum, who was travelling with her husband and without her children, added: "She was just dismissing any possibility of me resolving my situation. She got angry with me and then wasn't willing to give me her name.

"It was humiliating. She kept saying I had to be mistaken, that it must have been a different airline.

"She was loud and cold and argumentative. At least a third of the plane knew my business. I could see them talking amongst themselves."

According to Travelers Today, American Airlines confirmed it does allow breastfeeding mothers to use Medela-brand pumps on flights.

American Airlines spokeswoman Andrea Haguely said: "We apologise for the experience Ms. Brahos had on a recent flight. Our in-flight personnel are trained to handle these situations with professionalism and discretion. American does not have a policy prohibiting the use of breast pumps in-flight."

Brahos accepted the airline's apology but said she hopes they do more to improve the training of staff and make the policy clear to them.

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