I was notified of a flight delay when I arrived – The flight time for my next flight, Delta 2044, was pushed back from 8:30pm to 9:33pm. A few minutes later the flight was pushed back to 10:30pm. We were initially told that another flight to DCA would be available, but that flight was delayed too, so we were advised to go back to our original flight. At this time, 9:23pm, I received a text that my original flight was delayed until 12:28am. When we finally took off at 12:28am, we were rerouted on the runway due to concerns from air traffic control in Detroit.
During the hours in the terminal, I was able to access the mother’s room in the concourse. But, when my last delay was announced it was after 11pm. I called the number on the door to gain access to the mother’s room because for some reason it was locked, but no one answered at all from 11pm until my flight left. I had to express my milk into a toilet in the bathroom at one point because I was in pain due to how engorged I was. I told the gate agent that my pump was in my luggage. She pointed me to the mother’s room, but noted that without the pump, it wouldn’t be much more than a nice place to relax. She apologized for the flight delay.
When the flight landed, I received my baggage. I was able to nurse my baby at the airport pick up outside of baggage claim when my husband picked me up. It was 3am.
Where do we even begin? Delayed for four hours in the Detroit terminal, Shannon was denied access to her pump, even though it was in the bag that had been gate-checked at her departure terminal, and therefore should have been easily accessible. Although she initially was able to access the mother’s room (and thanks DTW, we appreciate that you have a mother’s room, in compliance with the FAM Act), it was locked at 11pm, an hour and a half before her flight took off. Because, evidently, Detroit airport staff believe that milk stops flowing after 11pm–despite the fact that babies famously wake to feed throughout the night. With a history of clogged ducts and infection, Shannon knew she couldn’t risk waiting out her engorgement, and she was forced to hand-express into a public toilet at the Detroit airport.
We are outraged at the way Delta employees repeatedly ignored her biological needs and their own policy. Military spouses are seasoned travelers. Working military spouses, even more so–we know how to pack efficiently in order to comply with all regulations and avoid situations just like this one. We call on Delta to make this right for Shannon and compensate her for the time and physical and emotional pain to which she was subjected. But more importantly, we want Delta–and ALL airlines–to train their employees to STOP treating breastpumps and expressed milk as anything other than what they are–valuable cargo and a medical necessity for the lactating parents and breastfed babies who rely on them.
Shannon O’Hara is the mother of 3, Navy spouse, and a well-known photographer. Learn more at www.shannonoharaphotography.com
