My breastfeeding email lists are buzzing this morning with news of a sweet-looking New Mexico mother, Emily Gillette. She was flying on Freedom Airlines, a Delta Connection provider, and she was breastfeeding her 22-month-old daughter. Do you know about breastfeeding on airplanes? Many mamas like me swear by it; the sucking action keeps babies' ears from popping and there's nothing better to keep a fussy child from crying.

But the flight attendant on Emily's airplane wasn't so pleased, and asked the mom to cover up, notwithstanding the Public Accommodations Act which protects public breastfeeding in Vermont, where the airplane was parked (most U.S. states have similar statutes). When she wouldn't cover the baby's head with a blanket, as the flight attendant insisted, Emily and her husband and daughter were escorted off the airplane by a Delta ticket agent. While Delta did find an alternate flight for the Gillettes and paid for their hotel that night, it's worth noting that the flight from Burlington to New York had already been delayed three hours -- so in one small act, a family was transformed from slightly frustrated customers to the lead on tomorrow's Good Morning America.

Mamas everywhere are incensed. "I wrote a letter to Delta and canceled my flight!" said one working mom. Another said she was "so mad." The buzz at Blogging Baby is intense with many commenters indicating that they're avoiding Delta or airplanes altogether.

You can argue extended breastfeeding all you like but the ramifications for Delta Air Lines, Inc. (OTC:DALRQ) could be interesting, especially given the unsolicited bid by US Airways Group, Inc. (NYSE:LCC). Could the breastfeeding brouhaha put Delta over the edge?