Delta Apologizes After Breast-Pump Kerfuffle

When nursing mother Lauren Modeen tried to board a Delta flight from Atlanta to Minneapolis on a business trip last week, she was told she'd first have to consolidate her luggage—a purse, a cooler to carry breast milk, and a standard carry-on that included her pump. Modeen protested that her carry-on contained a medical device, which much like strollers Delta doesn't count against its carry-on allowance. "She then said the computer just gave her a message stating that all passengers starting with me would need to check their bags," Modeen tells CNN. "When I later entered the jet bridge, passengers lining up behind me had their suitcases."

A passenger who witnessed the exchange says there were at least five open spots in the overhead bins. Delta, along with Southwest and American Airlines, explicitly states in its carry-on policy that it allows breast pumps to be taken on board, and it has since apologized to Modeen for her "experience," reports Time. Modeen has since talked with Delta CEO's executive assistant and created a Facebook page, Boobs on Board, to encourage airlines to post their breastfeeding and pumping policies inside all aircraft so that flight attendants, gate agents, and mothers will be aware of what is and isn't permitted. (In 2013, Delta was ranked the least respected brand in America.)