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British Airways flight attendant ‘exposes nursing mum’s breasts in front of passengers’

A California mother says she was left "violated" on a British Airways red-eye flight in June when a crew member lifted her nursing cover without consent, exposing her while she breastfed her infant daughter. Shayanne Wright, a Costa Mesa business owner and city commissioner, was traveling alone with her then 7-month-old on the long-haul flight. She says she alerted the crew ahead of meal service that she would be nursing her baby to sleep and asked for her meal to be served afterward, a request she says was denied. During meal service, Wright says the attendant tapped her thigh several times. "I stuck my hand out to wave him away," she recalled. "Then, without asking, he lifts the nursing cover up completely. It wakes her up. Both my boobs are out. And he doesn?t even apologize. He goes, ?Do you want your meal??" AIR CANADA REACHES TENTATIVE DEAL WITH FLIGHT ATTENDANTS, TO RESUME OPERATIONS Shayanne Wright holding her baby by a window, shared story of British Airways breastfeeding incident. Shayanne Wright of Costa Mesa smiled with her baby daughter in her arms. Wright said a British Airways attendant lifted her nursing cover mid-flight. (Courtesy of Shayanne Wright / FOXBusiness) Wright described further unwanted physical contact during the flight, including repeated touches on her leg and attempts to fasten her seatbelt for her. "There was just a very hostile, physically invasive vibe," she said. British Airways has acknowledged receiving Wright?s complaint. In a statement to FOX Business, the airline said: "We have looked into these allegations and have been in contact with our customer directly to resolve the matter." Wright disputes that, saying the airline never directly apologized and instead offered gift cards of $250 and later $1,000. "It honestly felt like I was complaining about a broken headset," she said. "It?s taken threatening legal action to get them to pay attention." Frustrated by what she describes as a form response, Wright turned to Reddit?s r/breastfeeding community. Her viral post struck a nerve, racking up more than 600,000 views. "It was extremely validating," she said. "So many women urging me not to let it go gave me the confidence to push forward." SPIRIT AIRLINES WARNS IT MAY NOT SURVIVE ANOTHER YEAR Shayanne Wright smiling in black top, shared viral Reddit post about British Airways breastfeeding incident. Shayanne Wright, a Costa Mesa business owner and commissioner, said her Reddit post about the British Airways breastfeeding incident went viral. (Courtesy of Shayanne Wright / FOXBusiness) Wright says she has characterized the incident to the airline as sexual harassment. "That?s what it was," she said, though she emphasizes that her original hope was for training and accountability rather than punishment. "At the beginning, my best-case scenario was that they would implement sensitivity training around this. They?ve just totally avoided any semblance of accountability." Some questioned her decision to travel with an infant in business class. Wright rejects that: "I paid the same amount of money as everybody else. I was wearing a cover. I waved him away. There?s nothing else I could have done differently." File photo of British Airways plane on tarmac in London A British Airways aircraft taxied at London City Airport in 2025. A California mom accused the airline of violating her privacy while breastfeeding. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images) She also reminds those who do not support young families traveling the legality of breastfeeding in public. "Feeding your baby is a basic need. A cover isn?t even required. It?s legal to do everywhere, and most airlines allow it regardless." Both U.S. and U.K. regulations explicitly protect the rights of breastfeeding mothers when flying. In the United States, the TSA exempts breast milk and formula from standard liquid restrictions, and in the U.K., breastfeeding is protected under the Equality Act 2010. While the airline's website lacks a dedicated breastfeeding policy, Cond? Nast Traveler reported that British Airways said, "We carry thousands of infants and their families on our flights every year ? And we welcome breastfeeding on board." GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO For Wright, the experience has solidified her determination to speak out. "Never apologize for protecting that space you?re creating for your child with nursing," she said. While she vows never to fly British Airways again, her message to airlines is simple: "Just because someone is nursing, that?s not an invitation to touch them, their cover, or their baby. Stay away from that space."
Shayanne Wright said she was left feeling ‘violated’ while feeding her seven-month-old daughter on an overnight flight (Picture: Shayanne Wright)

A mum from the US has accused a British Airways host of lifting up her nursing blanket and exposing her breasts in front of passengers.

Shayanne Wright said she was left feeling ‘violated’ while feeding her seven-month-old daughter on an overnight flight.

She had already asked flight attendants if her food could be served later because she would be nursing her baby to sleep during the meal service.

But the airline staff refused, with one male attendant rudely tapping her on the leg to rush her into eating dinner before lifting up her blanket.

Shayanne said: ‘I stuck my hand out to wave him away. Then, without asking, he lifts the nursing cover up completely. It wakes her up. Both my boobs are out.

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And he doesn’t even apologize. He goes, “Do you want your meal?”

‘There was just a very hostile, physically invasive vibe.’

London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom - 14 May, 2022: British Airways Airbus A319 (G-EUOE) departing for Edingburgh.
British Airways has confirmed they have been in touch with Shayanne (Picture: Getty Images)

Shayanne, a city commissioner from Costa Mesa, near Los Angeles, filed a sexual harassment complant to British Airways.

The airline said they have looked into the allegations and ‘have been in contact with our customer directly to resolve the matter’.

But Shayanne said they have not apologised to her and offered a $250 gift card, which they later rose to $1,000.

She said: ‘It honestly felt like I was complaining about a broken headset.

‘It’s taken threatening legal action to get them to pay attention.’

Metro has contacted British Airways for comment.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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