Airline: FA's Action Contrary To Company Expectations

Freedom Airlines -- a Delta connection carrier -- has disciplined the flight attendant who asked a breast feeding mom to get off a commercial flight.

As ANN reported, Emily Gillette was seated in the second-to-last row near the window breast feeding her daughter. When the flight attendant asked her to cover herself with a blanket she refused contending she wasn't doing anything wrong. The flight attendant notified a gate agent to remove Gillette, her daughter River and her husband Brad from the plane.

In an email to media outlets Freedom Airline spokesman Paul Skellon said, "We concluded that the flight attendant in question acted contrary to the company's expectations. We believe our disciplinary action was appropriate and was taken after considering all of the facts leading to this incident."

The airline declined to disclose the nature of the discipline.

The airline also said the captain of the flight apologized to the Gillette's the night of the flight and "immediately requested that they be re-boarded for their flight," which the family refused.

Gillette denies that claim. She told the Associated Press the flight she and her family were booted from was already three hours late and they "...would have jumped at the opportunity" to get on another flight.

Instead, she and her family spent the night in a hotel -- at the airline's expense -- and rebooked on another airline the next day.

Gillette has filed a complaint with Vermont's Human Rights Commission. The airline must respond to that complaint by November 27th.

FMI: www.delta.com