A Delta Air Lines passenger has criticized the carrier after a gate agent allegedly refused to let her bring a breast pump on board because she was not traveling with her baby.
This was despite the airline’s policy explicitly allowing the device as an additional carry-on item.
Jordan Lally posted a video of the confrontation on TikTok on October 10, and it has since gone viral, with netizens rallying to her defense.
“If she had a baby with her, she wouldn’t need the pump. How daft are these people?” one commenter asked.
Woman criticized Delta after gate agent refused to allow her breast pump without an infant present
Lally’s 73-second video shows her repeatedly trying to convince the Delta gate agent that lactation is not a choice and that she therefore cannot leave the device behind.
The employee, however, continues to insist that the airline’s policy does not permit it.
After a brief back-and-forth, the agent insists on inspecting Lally’s bag without providing a clear reason.
Lally agrees but asks, “What if my stuff gets damaged?”
Ultimately, she allows the agent to proceed, explaining, “Because I need to get on this f**king flight.”
The video then cuts to Lally sitting inside the plane as she calls out the airline, saying, “Delta, you need to educate your employees better. I got on with my breast pump bag, obviously, but it’s just ridiculous.”
Her post garnered considerable support from social media users.
Netizens demanded the dismissal of the Delta gate agent involved in the incident
TikTok users initially resorted to humor to address the controversy.
“You are not traveling with an infant, ok, but ‘I am traveling with my b**bs,’” one commenter wrote, while another quipped, “It would be convenient if we could leave it at home.”
“Oh, hello no, I dare them to do this to me someday,” a third remarked.
The conversation then took a more serious turn, with several users asking Lally whether she had obtained the agent’s name so she could file a formal complaint.
“Gate agent needs to be fired. The incompetence is unreal,” one person declared.
“This is illegal. Get a lawyer,” another suggested.
Notably, the dispute over the breast pump was only one part of the ordeal Jordan Lally experienced at the airport.
Lally also called out Delta over its handling of her other baby-care essentials
In a follow-up video, Lally revealed that employees had initially tried to charge her $100 each for a stroller and a car seat she had brought for her move overseas.
She said she was moving to Barcelona before giving birth and understood that traveling without her baby could raise questions.
However, she proceeded with her purchases only after checking the airline’s policy.
@jetlagjordy DELTA DO BETTER. #travelingmoms #pregnancyproblems ♬ original sound – jetlagjordy
She said she had even called Delta to confirm the rules, but none of her preparations prevented multiple disagreements at the airport.
According to Lally, a ticket counter employee initially quoted her the aforementioned fees before returning after consulting a supervisor.
She was then told that both items would be checked for free “out of goodwill.”
Lally, however, was less impressed by the explanation, as Delta’s published policy states that strollers and child restraint seats can be checked free of charge.
Delta has faced previous complaints over breast pumps
Juliia Abramova/Pexels (not the real image)
New mother Erika Geraghty sued Delta in February 2024 following an alleged incident involving her breast pump and expressed milk.
According to People, which obtained a copy of the lawsuit, Geraghty claimed the airline refused to let her board a four-hour flight to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, unless she agreed to check or discard one of her two carry-on bags.
One bag contained breast milk, while the other held her breast pump and additional milk.
Geraghty said she needed both to feed her newborn son, whom she was traveling to reunite with.
In her complaint, she alleged that Delta presented her with a “draconian dilemma” of choosing between “the vital substance for her son or the indispensable instrument for its procurement.”
Soly Moses/Pexels (not the real image)
She ultimately transferred the milk from her breast pump bag into her other carry-on and gate-checked the bag containing the device.
However, she claimed that she experienced painful breast engorgement during the flight and was “drenched in her own milk gushing from her breast.”
She also alleged that her breast pump was found “shattered in pieces” when she retrieved the bag after landing.
Geraghty sought both economic and punitive damages from the airline.
According to People, Delta denied all her allegations in its response.
“This is insane,” a netizen said about the argument between Lally and Delta
