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Breastfeeding Mother Wins Legal Victory in Australia

by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor on December 20th, 2007

What’s with the airline industry and its poor treatment of breastfeeding mothers and babies? An Australian woman booked a business class ticket to San Francisco on Qantas Airlines. For some reason, the airline’s booking agent advised the woman to put her baby on the ticket of her companion who was traveling in economy class. The agent assured the woman that the baby could visit business class whenever the baby needed to breastfeed, and the pair had no problems on the initial flight. On the return flight, however, flight attendants refused to allow baby Alexandra to visit business class to breastfeed, insisting that business class passengers could visit economy, but economy passengers could not visit business class. The mother, who felt embarrassed and traumatized and resented the poor treatment she received after the incident, filed a claim with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. According to news.com.au, the Tribunal ordered Qantas to pay the mother AUD $1,000, refund half the cost of her flight, and credit her account for the 50,500 frequent flyer miles she used to upgrade to business class for the flight.

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POSTED IN: breastfeeding, law, nursing in public, travel