American Airlines: Please change your policy about checked pumped breastmilk!

A few weeks ago, the San Diego Nursing in Public Task Force was contacted by Theresa Morawski Pulickal about an incident she needed help resolving with America Airlines.  Theresa has already done an amazing job advocating for herself and almost completely resolved the situation she had with the airlines, but she needs your help to change American Airline's policy regarding transporting breast milk.  She doesn’t want another mother to have to deal with the challenges she dealt with a few weeks ago. 

Here is her story.  

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I am trying to change an American Airlines policy after an experience I had traveling from Puerto Vallarta to Phoenix to San Diego a few weeks ago. While in Puerto Vallarta, I pumped breast milk for my child home in San Diego. He was not traveling with me. At the Puerto Vallarta airport I was told by the TSA agents that I could not carry my breast milk on the plane. I tried to tell them that the rules in the US state that it's okay to carry pumped milk onboard the plane and it could be tested, but they gave me a firm ‘NO’. I took my breast milk coolers to America Airlines (AA). I told them I was told to check my breast milk by the TSA agents. The American Airlines ticket agent generated a check bag tag and said it would cost $499MXN pesos. I asked if the could be waived, as it is breast milk. I told them I was not expecting a fee. They said, no, because the baby was not with me and that it was company policy to charge a fee and that he (the AA Agent) didn't agree with it either, but had to charge me.  I paid the fee, as it was very important to me to bring home my milk. I checked the bag to Phoenix. In Phoenix, I spoke to the AA customer service representative. The agent told me that they should not have charged me for the bag in Puerto Vallarta, but he was unable to reimburse at his location. He told me there is no one to call and I would have to make a claim online through the comment/compliant website. I picked up my bag and went through TSA in Phoenix to San Diego with no problem. They looked at my milk and tested the cooler bag. I was allowed to carry on. 

When I got home, I submitted a complaint on the AA website and I posted my experience on Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp. 

The next day I received a call from Jana at AA’s customer relations explaining she was contacting me due to my social media posts.  She reiterated that AA’s policy is that you only get a free bag only if the child is along with you for travel and that milk is not considered a medical necessity so it does not qualify to be free. I asked how I could get the policy changed and she said I had already voiced my concern and it was now being handling internally.  I was offered a $50 voucher (that I did not want) and instead asked her to follow up with the policy change. 

I posted my updated status on Facebook.  Later I received a message through Facebook saying that AA will reimburse me for the bag in 7-10 days.   I wrote back thanking them for the reimbursement, but asked if this could lead to a policy change. I received a generic message saying they appreciated my feedback. 

Last week, I received a formal letter from American Airlines’s customer relations stating that they had done a thorough investigation of my incident.  The letter included this paragraph: “We apologize for the inconvenience caused when you were unable to carry-on your breast milk with you from Puerto Vallarta to Phoenix. Our customer service personnel are expected to be knowledgeable of our baggage policies including information about exempted articles such as medication and other assistive devices. Please accept our sincere apology for our service failure as well as any resulting anxiety or inconvenience this may have caused you.”  I was then offered a full refund for my checked breast milk bag. 

After I received this formal email, I called back to clarify American Airline’s policy and was told by the agent that a fee would still be charged if breast milk is checked because it was not considered a medical necessity.

While I am very appreciative that American Airlines worked so quickly to resolve my incident, I would like to take this opportunity to ask American Airlines to change their baggage policy with regards to checking pumped breast milk.  I am reaching out to other mothers and advocates of breast feeding/pumping/nursing to get this policy changed. I feel that even though my child wasn't with me and TSA wouldn't allow my breast milk to be carried on that American Airlines shouldn't be charging a fee to check pumped breast milk.  I think it should be free, just like a cane, a diabetic’s insulin, or an oxygen tank. To some babies, pumped breast milk is a medical necessity and a mom shouldn’t have to pay to bring it home to her baby. That is what I want to see changed.

Call to action: How you can help!

Let’s see if we can get American Airlines to change their policy on checked breast milk!  Here are some easy ways to have your voice heard:

Post the following message on American Airlines’ Facebook page:

Thank you for refunding a mom’s baggage fee when she had to check her pumped breastmilk due to a TSA mistake.  How about instating a policy update where all moms are exempt from paying a baggage fee if TSA requires them to check their pumped milk with your airlines?  What a great way to support your passengers and their families!

Copy this email and send it to American Airlines’ Customer Relations Department

(Make sure to use these parameters: Topic (Customer Relations), Subject (Complaint), Reason (Other), and when it asks 'Is your comment or concern related to your flight', choose 'No')

Dear American Airlines,

As a breastfeeding advocate, I am asking that you consider updating your policy so that breastfeeding/pumping moms may check their pumped milk on your flights, at no charge.  Whether a mom is traveling with or without her child, she depends on bringing home her pumped breastmilk safely so that she can provide nourishment to her child at the end of her travels.  The benefits of breastmilk are vast and beyond any other substitute, which is why a mom works so diligently to pump and bring home her milk to her child.  While TSA is supposed to allow a mother to carry her pumped milk on board, sometimes TSA agents make a mistake, which require a mother to check her pumped milk.  I am asking you to consider adding pumped breastmilk to your list of items that are exempt from baggage charges, such as a cane, booster seat, or stroller.  Breastmilk is DEFINITELY a medical necessity! This would help your airlines stand out among the others as being supportive of all families and their needs.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Why TSA Needs Some Serious Professional Development Classes about Breastfeeding

I have to admit that I was completely dumbfounded when I read the article about how a TSA worker required a breastfeeding, working mom to pump in a public airport restroom to save her $200 pump from being confiscated.  Were the bottles filled with over 3.4oz of breast milk (which is completely legal) – NO!  Was her breast pump any different than a battery-operated computer or DVD player – Nope!  So, what was this man possibly thinking?  Apparently, he wasn’t thinking, which is an enormous problem when dealing with public safety.

Amy Strand, a breastfeeding mother of four, was forced to pump, next to the sink, in a public airport restroom.   Having just poured out her precious pumped breast milk, so that she didn’t have to justify carrying liquids in her carry-on luggage, a moronic TSA agent made the audacious request that Amy must pump her breast milk into the bottles to prove that this is what they were used for.  Otherwise, he would confiscate them.

As a breastfeeding advocate, I am mortified by this news story.  Why?

1. When society makes life more difficult for breastfeeding mothers, we see a decline in breastfeeding rates.
2. When breastfeeding mothers feel an increased risk for being humiliated in public for breastfeeding or pumping, we see a decline in breastfeeding rates and an increased risk for postpartum depression.

As an avid traveler, I am also disgusted by this news story.  Why?

1. What type of education level are we requiring for someone to work for TSA and protect my safety as a frequent flier?  Middle School diploma, perhaps?  Now that’s scary!

How many of you breastfeeding moms have flown, carrying pumped milk in your carry-on?    

Did you find that this was somewhat stress-provoking?

I remember when my son, Ryan, was 6 months old, I flew up to Northern California to visit my newly-born niece, leaving my son at home with my mom.  I wanted to bring my breast pump as a carry-on, just in case.  What if my luggage was lost?  How would I preserve my milk supply without my pump?  Standing in the security line, I began to panic.  What if I had to explain what the pump was used for?  What if they took away my freshly pumped milk?  Sure enough, I got pulled out of line to explain my pump to a kid that looked no older than 21.  While I was mortified as I took out all of the pump pieces and my bottles of breast milk, the TSA agent was obviously more embarrassed.  I explained what everything was and that the liquid in the bottles was breast milk that I planned to bring home to my exclusively breastfed son.  As I put all of my pump pieces and bottles back into the pump case, I remember thinking, “I bet this kid won’t bother another pumping mom again.”  I had hoped it was a little glimpse into the breastfeeding world for that kid.

Apparently, I was the lucky one.  At least I wasn’t required to demonstrate how my pump functioned in front of a bathroom full of complete strangers.  Amy Strand wins the Breastfeeding Mother of the Year Award in my mind.  Not only did she withstand utter humiliation, but she stood up for what she believed in. 

As for TSA, I think it is quite apparent that it is time to retrain your agents about your policies and procedures.  Moreover, maybe consider hiring the professional development staff from Nordstrom to teach the basics of customer service!

Know Your Rights!

Moms, here are the TSA Guidelines for Traveling with Children and Traveling with Formula, Breast milk, or Juice.  Maybe we should all print these out and pack them in our carry-on bag, just in case the TSA agent didn’t receive the proper training!