NEW YORK — A mother claims she was not allowed to temporarily sit in her in-laws’ first class seat on a Delta flight so she could breastfeed privately.
WNBC reported that Alix Anfang tweeted that she was on a nine-hour flight with her 4-month-old baby and was told she couldn't take an alternative option when the outlets in the plane's restroom weren't working for her to pump. She was on a nine-hour flight from Nice, France, to New York.
“Hey @delta the outlets in the bathroom not working so can’t pump except at my seat in front of strangers. Tried alternative but you won’t let me sit in my in laws‘ first class seat to do it privately,” she wrote Wednesday.
Hey @delta the outlets in the bathroom not working so can’t pump except at my seat in front of strangers. Tried alternative but you won’t let me sit in my in laws‘ first class seat to do it privately
— Alix Anfang (@alixanfang) May 29, 2019
A representative for the company replied, asking for flight information and apologizing for the nonworking bathroom outlets.
“Hi Alix, I do apologize regarding the outlets on working in the bathrooms. Can you please DM your flight information? I would be delighted to forward this on to maintenance. Regrettably, you would not be able to move to the first class cabin to pump.”
Hi Alix, I do apologize regarding the outlets on working in the bathrooms. Can you please DM your flight information? I would be delighted to forward this on to maintenance. Regrettably, you would not be able to move to the first class cabin to pump. TMC
— Delta (@Delta) May 29, 2019
"But what do I do right now to feed my 4 month old on a 9 hour flight?" Anfang asked.
The representative suggested Anfang reach out to a flight attendant, who might’ve been able to seat her in the back of the plane to pump privately, but Anfang said she asked and was not allowed to do so.
I appreciate people agreeing this in an important issue. I spoke with 2 @delta reps who thanked me for speaking out and promised they’d do better in the future
— Alix Anfang (@alixanfang) May 29, 2019
The Delta website includes pumps and suction devices under medical devices. For any medical device, the website says outlets on Delta aircraft are not made for medical device use.
“We do not provide onboard sources of power for medical devices, so you must bring a source of battery power if you’re planning on bringing a device,” according to the accessible travel services section of the site. The site also says passengers have to bring batteries to power their medical device.
“Your assertive device must have 150% of your actual flight time in battery life, regardless of how long you choose to use the item,” the site said.
The airline issued the following statement, according to WNBC:
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience or discomfort our customer felt during her experience. Delta’s flight attendants aboard flight 413 from Nice to JFK worked directly with her to provide a number of options and found a private alternative to enable this customer to pump during the flight. Unfortunately, the power outlets on board this aircraft and in general are not equipped to operate a breast pump or other similar medical devices.”
Anfang did not tweet what the resolution was for the her specific incident, but she wrote that two Delta representatives thanked her for raising the issue.
"I appreciate people agreeing this in an important issue. I spoke with 2 @delta reps who thanked me for speaking out and promised they'd do better in the future," she wrote.
Cox Media Group
