Breastfeeding and Travel: A Shocking Incident at a Virgin Australia Lounge

It’s 2025 and a mother was asked to leave the Melbourne domestic business lounge of Virgin Australia for discreetly pumping breast milk. This incident has caused shock and disbelief, especially since Australia is known to be a breastfeeding-friendly country.

Back in 1988, when the author was planning to move back to New York from Sydney after giving birth, she was mostly worried about how she would continue breastfeeding in a country where it was considered taboo. She ended up giving in to the social norms and stopped breastfeeding in public.

However, the prevailing wisdom at the time was that “breast was best,” and most mothers were comfortable nursing in public. But times have changed, and the feelings of women who can’t breastfeed on demand are now taken into consideration. Breast pumps have become an essential tool for mothers, allowing them to bottle their milk and involve fathers in feeding their babies.

This should have nothing to do with travel, but a recent incident at a Virgin Australia lounge showed otherwise. Dr.Elise Turner, a mother of six-month-old twins, was asked to pump milk in the toilet or leave the lounge. When she requested a private space, she was told she could hire a boardroom for an additional fee of $100.

This incident has caused outrage and raised questions about the airline’s policies. In most Australian airports, there are designated mothers’ rooms that are not located in the toilets. In the US, it is a legal requirement for large and medium airports to provide these rooms.

The supervisor at the Virgin lounge cited discomfort for other passengers, specifically men, as the reason for asking Dr.Turner to leave. This raises the question of why men’s comfort is prioritized over a mother’s right to feed her child. Dr.Turner’s video of the incident went viral, and the airline later apologized, but the humiliation she experienced will stay with her.

Breast pumps are not a radical or unpleasant device, as some may believe. They are essential for mothers who want to continue breastfeeding while traveling. In Dr.Turner’s case, she was trying to be discreet, but the supervisor made an issue out of it.

The idea that expressing milk is something unpleasant or disruptive in a tranquil airline lounge seems absurd, especially since these lounges can get crowded and noisy. Additionally, breastfeeding is not allowed in places of worship, but it is allowed in lounges.

Perhaps what disturbed the Virgin staff was the notion that business lounges are only for businesspeople, and a lactating mother did not fit into that category. This incident highlights the need for more understanding and accommodation for breastfeeding mothers, especially when traveling.

In conclusion, breastfeeding is a natural and necessary act for mothers, and they should not be made to feel ashamed or uncomfortable while doing it. Airlines, airports, and other public places should have designated areas for mothers to breastfeed or express milk, without having to pay an additional fee.