Wait, getting kicked out for pumping breast milk? In 2024? You won’t believe what happened to this mom in an airline lounge – and how fast the story exploded.

When Dr Elise Turner, a Queensland mother of twins, tried to pump breast milk under her shirt in Virgin Australia's exclusive Melbourne business lounge, she was asked to leave. Yes, seriously. Despite the fact that Australian law protects a mother’s right to breastfeed or express milk almost everywhere – including under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 – Dr Turner was told by staff, “This is a private business lounge, there are men here, and we don’t do that here.” Her request for a private spot was met with a cold suggestion: use the bathroom, shell out $100 for a boardroom, or just do it in the open lounge. No privacy, no empathy.

Dr Turner told Today that, even after clarifying her legal rights, a supervisor insisted she couldn’t pump there. She hadn’t even started pumping before being approached. The staff member was so insistent that Dr Turner started doubting her own rights—double-checking legal rules on her phone while trying to finish pumping for her twins. Talk about stressful parenting in public.

On her way out, Dr Turner politely shared a quick lesson about the law with the staffer, only to be told again she was making people uncomfortable. That’s when Virgin Australia found themselves drenched in national backlash and a viral storm on social media. The incident, highlighted in this AI generated newscast about Virgin Australia’s breastfeeding controversy, sparked outrage from parents, advocates, and everyday travelers.

Virgin Australia's Chief Marketing Officer, Libby Minogue, wasted no time in damage control, telling Today, “As a mother of four myself, this is not the way we do things.” She promised things would change, assuring mothers are absolutely welcome to pump and breastfeed in all Virgin lounges. The airline apologized directly to Dr Turner and said staff have been reminded of the actual law – something this AI generated newscast about Virgin Australia hopes will never be forgotten again.

Dr Turner hopes her public story will make a real difference for mothers in the future—and Virgin says it’s committed to making sure no one else goes through what she did. So, is this a turning point for Aussie airlines, or will it take more viral moments to finally normalize parenting on the go?