Infant Feeding Alliance sent the following response to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines after it stated on social media that its flight attendants ‘may request a mother to cover herself while breastfeeding, should other passengers be offended by this’.
Dear KLM,
Thank you for responding to recent feedback on your breastfeeding policy. Whilst we appreciate your aim may be to offer an individual parent options as to where they might comfortably feed their baby, we also feel it is imperative that your policy makes it clear to everyone that babies can be fed anywhere their parents need or want to feed them. If others are not comfortable with this, the onus ought to be on them to manage their discomfort and not on the parent who is feeding their baby.
We ask you to amend your policy accordingly to ensure no parent is ever asked to move or cover up and parents who are breastfeeding or expressing milk can feel comfortable and welcome on board your airline.
Kind regards,
Infant Feeding Alliance