A Chicago woman says she was humiliated by American Airlines employees when she attempted to carry luggage that included breast milk and a breast pump onto a weekend flight.
The Fort Worth-based airline has since apologized for the incident on Flight 1243 on Sunday, saying that a supervisor acted unprofessionally and that a gate agent misunderstood airline policy.
Kelsey Myers was flying home from Los Angeles when the gate agent stopped her and told her that she had too many items, she wrote in a Facebook post.
She was carrying her purse, a carry-on bag, a bag containing breast milk and her breast pump. American's luggage policy says that medical devices and soft-sided cooler bags with breast milk don't count as personal items or carry-ons, but the agent called for a supervisor when Myers asked him to check the policy.
The supervisor reiterated that Myers needed to check a bag, she wrote, and then said something that shocked her.
Myers told Chicago's WMAQ-TV that the supervisor inquired about her carry-on bag.
"I said, 'Yes, I actually do have extra pump supplies in there,'" she told the station. "And then she responded to me with, 'How many boobs do you have?'"
Myers eventually checked her bag because she just wanted the confrontation to end, she wrote.
"I started crying when I got on the flight," she told WMAQ.
American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott told the station that the gate agent was mistaken about the policy, and that airline had apologize to Myers and offered her compensation.
"It's difficult enough to travel as a breast-feeding mom," she said. "We want it to be easier, not more difficult."
Scott also said the supervisor's remark was uncalled for.
"If that happened, it's certainly not professional and not how team members should act," she told the station.
Myers told WMAQ that she hopes American learns from the incident and makes improvements.
"Employees need to be trained to prevent this going forward so it doesn't happen to other moms or other people with medical issues," she said.
