Brest-pump mom 'humiliated' in the flight by the Reckless flight attendant. Latest embarrassment suffered by a passenger at our nation’s airports, an Indiana mom says she was "humiliated" in-flight when an American Airlines flight attendant caused a public commotion over her brest pump.
According to the CS Monitor on April 27, 38-year-old Dawn Brahos says a female flight attendant vociferously forbade her to plug in and pump milk from her brsts during an April 18 flight to Chicago.
The response from the flight attendant when Brahos calmly explained she'd pumped without problems during two other American Airline flights in the prior week?
According to Brahos, the woman said, “You’re a liar.”
"It was humiliating. She kept saying I had to be mistaken, that it must have been a different airline," Brahos said.
"She was loud and cold and argumentative," Brahos recalled. "At least a third of the plane knew my business. I could see them talking amongst themselves."
An American official offered an apology to Brahos and said the airline does indeed allow brestfeeding moms to plug in pumps as needed during flights.
"We apologize 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 brast pumps in-flight," American spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said.
The Medela pump brand Brahos had would have simply fit into the outlet by her seat, giving her the privacy she required.
While Brahos said Thursday she appreciated the apology, she hopes American Airline has learned its lesson.
"Pumping is already awkward and uncomfortable enough without having to worry about the individual discretion of whoever happens to be working that day," she said. "The rules have to be clear. It's not like you can fight with a flight attendant these days."
According to the CS Monitor on April 27, 38-year-old Dawn Brahos says a female flight attendant vociferously forbade her to plug in and pump milk from her brsts during an April 18 flight to Chicago.
The response from the flight attendant when Brahos calmly explained she'd pumped without problems during two other American Airline flights in the prior week?
According to Brahos, the woman said, “You’re a liar.”
"It was humiliating. She kept saying I had to be mistaken, that it must have been a different airline," Brahos said.
"She was loud and cold and argumentative," Brahos recalled. "At least a third of the plane knew my business. I could see them talking amongst themselves."
An American official offered an apology to Brahos and said the airline does indeed allow brestfeeding moms to plug in pumps as needed during flights.
"We apologize 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 brast pumps in-flight," American spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said.
The Medela pump brand Brahos had would have simply fit into the outlet by her seat, giving her the privacy she required.
While Brahos said Thursday she appreciated the apology, she hopes American Airline has learned its lesson.
"Pumping is already awkward and uncomfortable enough without having to worry about the individual discretion of whoever happens to be working that day," she said. "The rules have to be clear. It's not like you can fight with a flight attendant these days."