GUWonder

Even on flights to/from Afghanistan and to/from Saudi Arabia -- and between the two -- breast-feeding of babies has taken place without issue.

I suspect that some of these issues made of in-flight breast-fed babies on US airlines is driven by a kind of general dislike of infants/toddlers on board the planes.

HMPS

Surprising how much negative feelings rule breast feeding. We need a psychologist to see if these are the people who missed out on being fed thru the breasts.

Indelaware

Not the same - but similar. It is perfectly reasonable for a woman nursing to have a bit of skin showing. Likewise, it is perfectly reasonable for a woman to go without a top anywhere a man can likewise go. The common problem is that people - particularly Americans (and certain portions of the Middle East and South/Central Asia) - are incredibly uptight about skin.

Everyone should get a grip and just go on with life. Don't like skin, put your head in the ground or otherwise avert your eyes; no need to think a woman should feel shame about her body.

VickiSoCal

Yep. This is my older daughter about 2 months after her sister was born. When you asked her what she was doing she would say "I'm feeding my baby"

It'sHip2B^2

Lol.

That pillow looks way more comfortable than my hand-me-down boppy!

VickiSoCal

It was awesome. I was still working on my dissertation and I could type while she nursed.

channa

Airplanes cross all sorts of lines -- states, countries, continents, etc., and that includes cultural lines.

Flying from conservative Houston to a more progressive part of the world results in differences in thought regarding appropriateness of something like this.

While I personally think the FA's actions were wrong, and I wouldn't be offended by a breastfeeding mom, it's also tough to fault the FA because they didn't think they were doing anything wrong. With their upbringing, what he saw was considered inappropriate, and he provided a blanket to help cover it up.

Maybe some policy clarification on this topic is in order, but nothing more.

Just like the FA needs to understand that breastfeeding in public is OK, the customer needs to understand in parts of the world, this sort of thing may be frowned upon in public, so OK, she got embarrassed, but asking for the FA to be disciplined is a bit too much. She was flying out of conservative Texas, after all. And wanting the company to verify that he was disciplined is ridiculous as well. She needs to respect the employee's rights in this situation, and can't reasonably expect United Continental Holdings to keep her abreast (!!) of this personnel situation.

So, if he was a CO FA, he'll end up with a talking to, and that's it. If he's a UA FA, they'll begin termination proceedings for comping the blanket in Y, since the breastfeeding issue is a bit too complicated to attack. And everyone will get a memo on breastfeeding in the cabin.

Ulotka

+1.00

Indelaware

So it is proper for a person who doesn't know what is proper to act improperly?

The FA should know that it is not his job to conclude that a passenger's private, non dangerous, behavior is inappropriate. Moreover, FA didn't simply provide a blanket, he shoved it onto the women. At the very most, he should have asked if the woman would like a blanket.

There is no reason why we should excuse the FAs hateful behavior.

pruss2ny

+1

i was flying a couple years ago domestic F and crossed my leg...the gentleman next to me started oddly fidgeting and finally kinda snapped at me "WOULD U TAKE YOUR FOOT OUT OF MY FACE".
my foot wasn't in his face
and i was no where near "his" space....
but it dawned on me that in some areas of the world, its highly offensive to show the sole of your shoe to someone (or something like that)

instead of tweeting the rudeness of my fellow passenger
instead of demanding that my right to relax be upheld in american airspace
i simply put down my foot.

where is the line? and do we always have to shrivel into a defensive state claiming abuse when we find ourselves at that line?

Anna Phor

FWIW, Texas law protects public breastfeeding.

gglave

The line is 'reasonable accommodation.'

Putting down your foot is reasonable, provided that, for you, it wasn't uncomfortable to do so.

Ditto my wearing long trousers and long sleeves visiting certain holy sites in the middle east.

However, in my value system, asking someone to put a hot stuffy blanket over their baby isn't reasonable.

Indelaware

As do 45 other U.S. states plus DC & VI. That means the vast majority (if not all) of the states which UA flies to guarantee this right.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/...tate-laws.aspx

+1 And telling a person to do so is even more unreasonable.

CBear

Funnily enough, as I'm catching up on this thread, I'm also watching a young lady in 6" heels and a very very short skirt bend over and accidentally showing much more skin than any breastfeeding mother I've ever seen.

Where's the outrage? It's a public space. Not one person asked her to cover up.

Again just proves my point it's not the visible skin that gets people uptight, it's having a baby attached to a nipple. Far too many people have some kind of aversion to breastfeeding because they see boobs they think sex and nothing else.

It'sHip2B^2

Here! Here!

And I don't know what being "conservative" has to do with anything either. I'm a bible loving, George Bush voting, only slept with one man ever, porn-hating conservative woman. Popping the boob out to feed my baby happens anytime and anywhere. It is the best thing for him and as a mom that's what I choose to give him. I have absolutely no bad feelings about it what-so-ever save for the perverts who stare and hover. And you know what? It's not my son who is the problem. It's the sexual deviants who choose not to look the other way ir act out who are the problem. Those people are the jerks who make breast feeding an "issue". But instead of chastising and humiliating them into behaving in a socially acceptable way we graciously avert our eyes to their d-baggery and blame the baby and the mom. We criminalize the innocent to avoid calling out poor behavior in a very, very minuscule segment of our population.