Friendly Airport for Mothers (FAM) Act FAQs
Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Act: Are You in Compliance?
The Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Act supports breastfeeding mothers by requiring large and medium hub airports to provide a dedicated lactation area in every terminal by FY2021. Written by Senator Tammy Duckworth, this bipartisan initiative was incorporated into the FAA Reauthorization Act and signed into law in October 2018. The Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act (signed into law in October 2020), extends these requirements to small hub airports by mandating a dedicated lactation area for traveling breastfeeding mothers by FY2023.
The FAM Improvement Act has been endorsed by over 85 organizations, including the U.S. Breastfeeding Coalition, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, Association of Women's Health, and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, La Leche League USA, MomsRising, and the National WIC Association.
What do the FAM Acts mean for me?
The Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Act requires medium and large hub airports to provide a private lactation area beyond security in every terminal by September 30, 2020 (FY2021). The Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act requires small hub airports to provide a lactation area beyond security by September 30, 2022 (FY2023).
The lactation area must:
Not be a bathroom
Have a locking door
Include a place to sit, a table or flat surface, an electrical outlet and a sink or sanitizing equipment
Be accessible to, and usable by, people with disabilities (including those in wheelchairs)
What is the timeline for compliance?
Medium and large hub airports had two years from the date the law passed (October 2018) to come into compliance with the new law by September 30, 2020 (the start of FY2021). Small hub airports must be in compliance by September 30, 2022 (the start of FY2023).
Mamava’s wheelchair accessible XL pod, with standard secure-access smart lock—plus sanitizing dispenser add-on—meets requirements for airports outlined by the FAA Reauthorization Act.
