Pregnant Influencer Says She Was ‘Shocked’ When Male Flight Attendant Refused to Help Lift Her Bag into Overhead Bin

Gina KalsiMon, October 12, 2026 at 1:50 PM UTC

0

Dominique Elissa; A stock photo of a passenger putting a cabin bag into an overhead binCredit: Don Arnold/WireImage; Getty -

Pregnant influencer Dominique Elissa has said a male flight attendant would not help her lift her luggage into the overhead bin during a recent trip

The 31-year-old model, who told the story on the Big Small Talk podcast, said she had previously injured herself lifting luggage

Elissa said she was left feeling “shocked” by the incident, revealing that another passenger ended up helping her out

A mom-to-be has said she feels as though there is a “lack of respect” for pregnant women after claiming a flight attendant would not help her lift her bag into an overhead bin.

During an appearance on the Oct. 7 episode of the Big Small Talk podcast, Dominique Elissa explained that she’d recently asked a male steward to help with her luggage, claiming she’d instead been told to check in her nearly 9 lb. bag.

The 31-year-old model said she’d explained that she had previously injured herself by lifting her bag, but the staff member still said he “couldn’t help” her.

“I was on a flight the other day. I asked the flight attendant, ‘Can you please put my bag above my head, like I’m pregnant,’ ” Elissa told the podcast.

Dominique ElissaCredit: James Gourley/Getty

Elissa explained that her husband, Tom, told her not to lift the bag herself.

“And the flight attendant said, ‘If you can’t lift—,’ he didn’t lift it up. He goes, ‘I can’t help you, sorry.’ Yeah, he said, ‘I can’t help you.’ It was a man,” she added.

“And then I said, ‘Well, I’m actually pregnant; I’d really appreciate it if you could help me because last time I injured myself.’ He goes, ‘Well, if you’re not able to lift your bag above your head, you have to check it in.’ And it wasn’t a big bag,” the influencer explained.

A stock photo of luggage in an overhead binCredit: Getty

Elissa said the conversation left her feeling “so shocked,” and that she texted Tom saying that she didn’t know what to do “because the flight attendant didn’t come and help me.”

She added, “The guy next to me, I think he saw my text messages. He’s like, ‘Would you like me to get your bag?’ ”

Advertisement

“I feel this lack of respect for pregnant women at the moment, now that I’m pregnant,” Elissa said. She did not name the airline she traveled with.

Some social media users who claimed they were flight attendants explained why the cabin crew member might not have helped her.

“Flight attendant here! can confirm we are not allowed to put passengers bags/luggage in the overhead locker due to workplace health and safety 🫶🏻,” one wrote.

“Another flight attendant here- the reason why is because we’re technically not on the clock until the boarding door closes so if we get hurt while boarding, we don’t get workers comp… sorry,” another said.

— sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

An article by Virginia-based law firm Abrams Landau stated there was no federal statute that explicitly stopped flight attendants from helping passengers lift carry-on items.

However, the law firm claimed that several federal agencies “recognize that lifting heavy bags is a major source of injury for flight crew.”

“Airlines have therefore adopted internal policies intended to protect attendants from preventable workplace harm,” the law firm said, adding that airlines tend to limit what their staff members are allowed to do.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”