Mom Slams Airline After Flight Attendant Demands She Stops Breastfeeding Her Son At Takeoff

Jan 24, 2019

Breastfeeding in public is still shunned upon even after so many awareness campaigns. Just recently, a Mormon mother of four lost her temper when she was told she could not breastfeed in church.

Breastfeeding in public is legal in most parts of the globe but you will still find people who frown upon and discourage it.

The Daily Mail reports of another mother of four who called out Easy Jet after she was ordered by one of the flight attendants to stop breastfeeding her baby. The drama began when 36-year old Kelly Edgson-Payne was on a flight going to Fuerteventura from London Gatwick. She was in the company of her husband and her other children.

She had started breastfeeding her little one just before takeoff when a male flight attendant approached her and warned not continue doing so in the plane. According to her, she was ‘mortified’ and her other children started crying as a result. She told the Daily Mail, "I was mortified. I’m not afraid to breastfeed my baby wherever — I’ve stopped at a breakpoint during a marathon before and fed him — but this left me embarrassed and in tears."

The flight attendant was adamant and forceful about the situation which made her uncomfortable and embarrassed in public. What made it worse is the family was told that there was not any Easy Jet’s standard policy against breastfeeding in the flight. She was told that mothers are allowed to breastfeed as long as they are “discreet”.

It was not the first time Kelly Edgson was traveling with the Airline. “I had to very quickly cover myself up — but my breasts were still leaking milk because I had stopped mid-feed,” she said.

The issue came as a surprise because she has been breastfeeding her other children in the past in the same airline and has never been asked to cover up.

“I find it really disappointing that an airline I trust, and who we fly with all the time, actually broke the law in discriminating against me as a breastfeeding mother,” she said. 

Her 9-year-old Maya was well aware of the situation and knew what was being asked of her mom was unfair and uncalled for.

“Mummy, they can’t tell you not to breastfeed him,” she recalled her daughter saying.

Upon landing, she decided to take up the issue with the authorities. It did not come as a surprise when she was told that passengers can breastfeed their babies as long as they are “discreet”.

“What annoys and disappoints me is that there is no consistency. On their website, they state, ‘We support breastfeeding mothers and you can feed your baby on board at any time,'” she said.

She thought a follow-up email with the customer care would yield a different result much to her disappointment.

“When I emailed their customer services about it afterwards, I was told, ‘Passengers are allowed to breastfeed their babies on board the aircraft, as long as you are doing this in a discreet manner,'” Kelly explained.

Easy Jet was quick to distance themselves from the situation blaming another carrier that was operating the plane on its behalf.

In a statement by the company, “easyJet supports breastfeeding and customers flying with easyJet can breastfeed at any time during the flight. It is not our policy to ask mothers to be discreet and we make this very clear in our training.”

The statement continued, “This flight was operated by another airline on our behalf and while they should follow easy Jet policies we are sorry this did not happen on this occasion. We have followed up to ensure this does not happen in the future.”

Because of the situation, Kelly was given a £25 voucher as damages to use on her next flight. According to her, the problem is far greater than that and needs to be addressed. She wants the airline to be familiar with the law.

Breastfeeding is always a discreet process and mom should not be denied to do so. Kelly’s case is just one among the several that go unreported. Airlines need to take responsibility when such things happen in their plane. Kelly was a longtime customer who wouldn’t have thought that she could be stopped from breastfeeding her baby.

Her parting shot was this: “I just want them to make themselves aware of the law so no other mums have to go through this.”

What did you think of this experience? Do you agree with with the airline's actions? Let us know - and make sure to pass this along to your friends and family!