Frontier Airlines reached a settlement with five previous pilots after being accused of discriminating against them for being pregnant and lactating. In response, the Denver-based airline has announced new policies for pregnant employees.

The five pilots — along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Colorado, Towards Justice and the Holwell Shuster & Goldberg firm — filed a federal lawsuit in December 2019 after allegedly experiencing discrimination. The company officially settled with the pilots, though the settlement does not “admit liability,” according to a Tuesday press release by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

In response, the airline has added a new policy allowing pilots to pump breastmilk in the cockpit during “noncritical phases of the flight,” making Frontier one of the first airlines to permit pumping.

“Many companies purport to be family-friendly but fail to provide any support to employees who are pregnant or lactating. We’re so proud we could come to an agreement that will benefit pregnant and lactating workers now and into the future,” Aditi Fruitwala, staff attorney for the ACLU’s Center for Liberty, said in the release. “We’re hopeful this will inspire more change and stronger protections for workers across the airline industry.” Frontier Airlines has agreed to:

• Comply with the existing union agreement that permits pregnant pilots to fly with a medical certification.

• Clarify that it accommodates pilots unable to fly due to pregnancy or lactation on the same terms applied to pilots with other medical conditions rendering them unable to fly (including by providing medical leave or temporary ground assignments, if such assignments are offered by Frontier).

• Continue to permit pilots who are breastfeeding to drop to 50 hours of flight time per month.

• Maintain a list of airport lactation facilities, updated every six months, published on an internal website.

Four Frontier flight attendants settled a similar lawsuit in April 2022, according to ACLU. The settlement led to changes in policies allowing attendants to use breast pumps mid-flight, as well.

“Colorado law offers even stronger protections than federal law for pregnant and lactating workers in our state. The ACLU of Colorado is proud this settlement will lead to Frontier providing necessary accommodations to pregnant and breastfeeding workers and putting families first,” Sara Neel, managing attorney for the ACLU of Colorado, said in a news release.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of accommodating the needs of pregnant and breast-feeding mothers in the airline industry,” Jacalyn Peter, vice president, Labor Relations at Frontier Airlines, said in the release.