Although I am still "no mail," I wanted to pass this onto you from a friend
of mine who is a nursing mom and a flight attendant (F/A) with American. 
In their Sept. 97 procedural update newsletter, "American Flyer," page two
with headline "Nursing Mothers" reads:  "An occurrence on a recent flight
prompts us to offer the following guidance:  A mother was nursing her baby
onboard the aircraft and another customer expressed to the F/A that their
view of the nursing mother made them uncomfortable.  In a case such as
this, offer to reseat the customer who expresses discomfort, if possible. 
It is also acceptable to bring to the attention of the nursing mother the
comfort level of anyone who may be seated around her as long as you do so
sensitively, as part of an effort to balance everyone's needs and
sensibilities.  Keep in mind, bottle or breast feeding is a good way to
relieve the pressure in a baby's ears and should be recommended to a mother
with an infant who appears to be distressed.

It is not appropriate to express personal viewpoints, mandate that the
nursing mother do so only in the lavatory, or force the nursing mother to
cover up under a blanket.  American Airlines strives to provide safe,
friendly, reliable, transportation which respects the varying perspectives
and diversities of the people we carry.  To that end, do your best to be
considerate of any customer's rights and needs, while making every effort
to balance the rights and needs of other passengers onboard the flight."

Although no address is given where to write a letter, at the bottom is a
statement:  "Comments about or suggestions for American Flyer can be sent
to "American Flyer" MD 2559 HDQ."  Do any of you have anything to say about
this?  If so, please email me privately as well as to the list.  Thank you.

Susan Condon, BA, CLE, CLC
San Francisco, CA
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