Originally Posted by
kbins
Let's be clear - she wasn't kept off the plane for having the breastmilk. They would have let her through if she dumped the bag of milk. She chose to leave the airport (taking her milk with her) rather than dump the milk.
This is a personal issue with me - I made a few trips, 2 international ones, as a lactating mom and I've transported breastmilk dealing with the current stupid restrictions. Basically, you can't pump outside the secure area and bring the milk thru the checkpoint. She shouldn't have pumped in the AA office; she should have gone inside the secure area and then pumped. If she had, she could have carried the milk on her flight and to her destination. She also can pump on the plane (disgusting but you can pump in the lav - I've done it quite a few times) to maintain your milk supply.
According to the article, the woman "said she explained that she was carrying several days of food for her infant daughter". But also said she was only carrying 3 oz of milk? Doesn't add up - 3oz is about a third of a single meal for a 10 month old (the same age as my son, he drinks 3 9oz bottles a day of milk). Doesn't add up.
She just got really lucky that she got away with it on prior trips. I frankly wouldn't risk having to dump all that milk - I packed a cooler and checked it to transport my milk home after my trips (and prayed it wouldn't get lost).
According to the article, the TSA also said she'd have to check her pump. That's hard to believe, I never found any issue carrying my pump as long as it was within carryon limits. I couldn't carry on gel ice packs per regulations. But I always was able to bring my pump through checkpoints, as well as empty (6oz) containers.
Of course, the issue here is why the TSA has a restriction on breastmilk when you're NOT with your baby, though you can carry breastmilk if you have your baby with you....
We all know that milk is perfectly safe while in the breast, but as soon as it comes out it takes on a magical explosive property that makes it totally unsafe.
This is all just part of the liquid idiocy and does nothing for security. It doesn't mean a damn thing that it's "by the book." The whole reason she was denied was because it was in a larger than 3 oz container, not the fact that she was carrying breast milk.
Of course, there are several issues in this story as well.
Originally Posted by the article
No container of liquid brought on the plane may have a volume of more than three ounces, Uselding said. The rules concern the capacity of the container, not how much liquid is in it, she said.
Which is why they let people bring empty bottles thru all the time.
"Container size is very important… based on intelligence testing and a security measures," Uselding said. "The security officers are highly trained, and they know what the threats are, and they have the final discretion."
There is no intelligence whatsover used in their testing. If there were, it would be pretty easy to see how stupid this was. If TSA really knew what the threats were, they wouldn't have this liquid lunacy while ignoring other threats, like unscreened cargo.
She said American Airlines security and officials came to her aid and told the TSA staffers that she had just pumped breast milk in their office. In response, Cirillo-Tarica said the TSA officers asked, "How do you know she pumped, did you watch her pump?" Her husband called the question "demeaning."
Damn right that's demeaning. The article isn't clearn, but it appears she was already on the secure side at one point. Would she REALLY need to bring a bomb thru again if she had already been there?
While TSA spokeswoman Laura Uselding could not comment specifically on Cirillo-Tarica's specific case, she reiterated the rules for carrying liquids on a plane.
Where's the video for this? There should be audio with it as well.
Super