A mom tried to board a Delta flight with her breast pump. Then the agent said she couldn’t because ‘You are not traveling with a baby’

Jordan Lally (jlalzdointhings) was taking a Delta flight recently when she claims she was almost denied check-in and boarding over her breast pump bag. In an Instagram post with over one million views, she filmed part of her conversation with the check-in agent, who tells her at the start of the video, “You are not traveling with a baby. That is the thing. If you are traveling with an infant, yes, we allow that.” 

Lally pushed back immediately and showed the agent screenshots of Delta’s own policy, which she said allows breast pumps as an additional carry-on item. She told the agent, “But why would traveling with an infant, you still have to pump? It’s breast pump parts with the baggage allowance.” She noted that the flight had a lot of empty seats and said, “It’s all nursing stuff. It’s breast pump and like parts. That’s just like, that’s what your policy says online.”

When the employee suggested that Lally could check the bag instead, Lally pointed out that she was concerned about the equipment getting damaged. The agent responded, “You check your own bag. It will not get hurt. It will not get damaged. They will just probably lose your bag.” Frustrated, Lally decided to check her initial carry-on bag instead to protect her breast pump.

Delta’s own carry-on policy appears to back Lally’s reading

In the caption, Lally explained what frustrated her most about the situation: “Delta you NEED to do better with properly training your employees. Pumping is not a choice, it’s a medical need for WOMEN. If sharing this can help even one parent avoid this stress, it’s worth sharing.” Only Lally’s account and a portion of the conversation are available, and the agent’s side of the exchange could not be verified.

Lally’s story sparked plenty of frustration toward Delta, echoing earlier viral cases where mothers faced pushback, such as one Texas mother who said she was asked to leave for breastfeeding. One commenter noted, “Literally the point of the pump is to collect milk when you aren’t able to nurse your baby.” Another quipped, “Apparently you can turn lactation on and off depending on the location of the breastfeeding child.”

Another user commented, “The FDA classifies breast pumps as medical devices regardless of if there’s a baby or not. Missing or delaying pumping poses an increased risk of physical and physiological complications for the mother.” Others described how they would have reacted, with one writing, “IT’S MEDICALLLLLLLL… I’d go full Karen.”

Delta’s own policy on children and infant items contradicts the agent’s claim. According to the airline’s website, under the section for “Other Carry-On Baby Items,” passengers are permitted to bring a “Breast pump and associated cooler bag” onto the plane as an additional free item. The policy does not state that a passenger must be traveling with an infant to carry these items.

Breast pump maker Perifit notes in a travel guide that breast pumps are widely treated as medical devices by the TSA and major airlines, and typically don’t count against a passenger’s carry-on allowance. The guide also advises travelers to carry a printed copy or screenshot of the airline’s official policy in case of confusion at the airport.