I had flown before just once while lactating, although I wasn't producing nearly as much milk as I am now. I suddenly found myself in a situation where I had to take a last minute flight out of town for a day. Naturally I would have to bring my pump and also pump while I was traveling. I wanted to share my tips and tricks that Ive learned along the way with you. But keep in mind, I do not travel a lot. I hardly fly. And Im in no way a pro at flying while pumping. There are plenty of other moms out there who have much more experience. So if you are one of those moms, feel free to comment below with any additional tips you have.
First thing I did was call my airline to get info from them. I happened to be flying Alaska Airlines. Of course they state the TSA's guidelines of the 311 rule that can be found here.
So again, I can only speak for my particular experience. The TSA agent I spoke to was the one who told me breastmilk is an exempt liquid that can have higher quantities that the 311 rule. There is no exact limit though as to how much you can bring. The "within reason" rule is really subject to your TSA agent. Thankfully I pumped before getting to the airpot from my departure. I was able to bring my breast pump on my carry on without a problem at all. You can also bring small coolers with get ice packs. Not a problem. I know some moms even bring larger coolers packed with dry ice to check in. I personally do not have experience with that but if anyone does I would love to hear how you do that (Ive also seem moms ship their milk back home, so that may be a good alternative option for some).
Once I got through TSA though I needed to pump at the airport. Again it really depends on the airport. I flew out of LAX last minute and was pressed for time. I found online that they did have lactation rooms however I didnt see any while I was there. They weren't easy to spot or at least not near my gate. My alternative was finding a bathroom to pump in. Not ideal but I made it work. My first tip is to find a handicapped stall. I have found that the majority of them usually have an outlet in them. Thankfully I was able to use my luggage to keep my pump off the floor. There really was nowhere to put my bottles and cooler, so as much as Id like to keep if off the disgusting floor, I did for a moment have to put the full bottles down to avoid spilling them. You just have to be real careful not to contaminate the milk. 
I flew into Seattle to the Tacoma Airport and finding a handicapped stall with an outlet proved to be much harder. The first bathroom I saw was totally closed due to repairs or something. The second bathroom I found had 3 handicapped stalls and none had an outlet. And the third bathroom I found had its handicapped stall out of order and locked. I was pretty desperate at this point. I finally found a family bathroom. It was there that I found an outlet. It actually had 2 outlets. Some have benches and counters to put your supplies on as well. Mine didn't have a bench but it did have a little ledge under the mirror which was perfect to place my pump on and to put my bottles on. If I had not found one then I probably would have just asked for a lactation room or something similar for an employee to direct me to. But thankfully it worked out for me. 
Now here is another thing to think about. I personally was not staying in a hotel. And even if I was, not all hotel rooms have a fridge or a freezer. I needed both to freeze my ice pack and to keep my milk cold. I was a little worried as to how I was going to do that. I actually went from the airport to a hospital to see a family member. I explained my needs to the hospital staff and they were more than accommodating. Willing to freeze my ice pack and keep my milk cold. They didn't have a problem with me asking for my cooler ever 3-4 hours to add my milk to the bottles. They were absolutely wonderful. I was also concerned that my supply would take a hit since I didn't bring any of my milk increasing supplements with me. (ok I actually did take 4 lactation cookies, but left the motherlove products and teas). To my surprise my milk actually increased. Probably because I was more on top of pumping and also because I didn't have my baby there to nurse in addition to pump.
Getting back to the airport to fly back home I did have milk with me. About 12oz to be exact. I pumped about an hour before leaving for the airport. They say to get there two hours before your flight so that you can get through security. I followed the TSA's rules of letting them know I have breastmilk with me. Now here is where I find different info. Again, could be based on the airport you are at. On the website it says you have two options, either let them put the milk through the X-ray scanner or let them test it. Some moms have a problem with putting it through the X-ray scanner as there is some concern as to weather it damages the property of the milk. There is no solid evidence to support this as far as I know. So its really a personal choice. I honestly wasn't given a choice, they just took my milk for testing. Im not sure how they actually test it or what they are testing it for. I know that it took a couple extra minutes and they took it to a separate counter all in front of. They brought it back and said it was fine. I was so relieved. By the time I went through security it was time to pump again and I found a bathroom and pumped. By the time I got on the flight I had about 15-16 oz of breastmilk with me. They do not check any liquids after passing through the TSA so you don't have to worry about that. The actual airline will allow whatever you have. I had an agent from Alaska Airlines say that they honestly don't care what you bring on board. If you made it through TSA then thats all that matters.
I am going to be experiencing one more traveling while pumping concern in the next few weeks though. Im going to be taking a two day mini vacation out of town. The hotel we are staying at has a fridge in the room. Im not sure it comes with a freezer. I absolutely need one. So I will update the blog after my trip to let you know how it goes. I certainly hope the hotel accommodates me and is able to keep my ice packs frozen.
