Frontier Airlines, EEOC reach agreement concerning lactating pilots

Frontier Airlines will be one of the first airlines to permit pilots to pump breastmilk in the cockpit under an agreement reached between the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the airline and five Frontier Airlines pilots, the agency said Tuesday.

The EEOC, in a statement, described the policy change as a “critical step forward for gender equality in the airline industry.” It said that in addition to permitting breastmilk pumping during noncritical flight phases, the new policy will enable lactating pilots to continue working while maintaining the “highest safety standards.”

The statement said the Denver-based low-cost airline also agreed to update and clarify its policies relating to pregnancy and lactation accommodations.

This includes clarifying that the airline accommodates pilots unable to fly because of pregnancy or lactation on the same terms it accommodates pilots with other medical conditions that render them unable to fly.

Jacalyn Peter, vice president for labor relations at Frontier, said in the EEOC statement, “Thanks in part to advances in wearable lactation technology, the parties were able to reach an amicable resolution of this case that also maintains our commitment to the highest safety standards.”

The ACLU and others filed a lawsuit over the issue of pregnancy and lactation in 2019. Aditi Fruitwala, staff attorney for the ACLU’s Center for Liberty, said in a statement that the settlement “should serve as a strong message” to employers, especially airline employers.

The EEOC has said it plans to update its strategic enforcement plan to include protecting workers affected by pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.