Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Stop airlines charging women extra for travelling with expressed milk

107 replies

SantasBigHelper · 04/01/2017 15:12

Please sign and share if you agree:

www.change.org/p/justine-greening-mp-allow-women-to-fly-with-expressed-breastmilk-free-of-charge

OP posts:
SpeakNoWords · 04/01/2017 16:17

I have a packet of 20 expressing bags. I wouldn't think twice about having them in hand luggage. What's the issue with them? Can you tell me where I can find out more about this regulation?

Original poster
SantasBigHelper · 04/01/2017 16:15

TeaBelle - did you read the link? My solution is on the petition.

Re safe temps, milk in the hold the hold is fine as long as the milk is in a cool bag. It will freeze during the flight and though it may start to defrost before you pick it up it will be kept cool by the cool bag.

OP posts:
TeaBelle · 04/01/2017 16:08

Also, if you propose to get on a long flight with expressed bm, how on earth would you keep it at Sade temperatures. The more I think the more this is a complete non issue

TeaBelle · 04/01/2017 16:07

What is the alternative that you are suggesting?

Original poster
SantasBigHelper · 04/01/2017 16:05

Chocchoc - 'I'd hope that if your travel was so important, you'd be being paid quite well for it and could afford the extra luggage capacity.'

Sadly not at the moment when I'm not working much and am trying to maintain a career through the early stages of motherhood. Also surely its the principal. Even if a woman can afford to pay extra, why should she have to?

Speakno - empty bottles are treated in exactly the same way as full ones. So you can only carry up to 7 x 100ml empty containers in your hand luggage - same for bottles or bags.

OP posts:
SpeakNoWords · 04/01/2017 15:54

I'm a bit confused about the empty bottles bit. Are you limited on the number of empty bottles you can bring? What about if you use bags to express into?

ChocChocPorridge · 04/01/2017 15:44

I breastfed both my kids. I had to occasionally travel for business, but I just dialled that back for the first 6 months and after 6 months it was less vital for me to express both boob-wise, and kid-wise, since they were eating food too. My kids were bottle refusers anyway, so I've chucked away what little breast milk I managed to express, and those few times that I was away for a few hours in the early days, I just expressed enough in the shower to keep me comfortable.

I think the number of women who want to exclusively breastfeed and express when on frequent travel away from their < 6 month old baby must be a vanishingly small number. I'd hope that if your travel was so important, you'd be being paid quite well for it and could afford the extra luggage capacity.

I suppose on the other hand, that it's a vanishingly small number means that the airlines could make the exception too.