Traveling by air? You’ll need to do some advance planning with your doctor and oxygen supplier.
Air travel offers special challenges for people who use supplemental oxygen. Here’s some helpful advice from the experts at Johns Hopkins … Call your doctor as soon as you know you’re going away. If you have COPD and don’t normally use supplemental oxygen, you may now need it if you’re traveling by air, as low oxygen levels in the airplane cabin may adversely affect your breathing. Your doctor will give you a pre-flight assessment, including measurement of your blood oxygen level and general lung function tests. Based on the assessment, your doctor may recommend the use of in-flight oxygen.
If you already are on supplemental oxygen, your doctor may recommend increasing the oxygen flow rate during the flight. If you do need in-flight oxygen, you will need a letter on your doctor’s letterhead with his or her name and contact information, information about your lung disorder, approval for air travel and verification of need for in-flight oxygen, and information about the oxygen flow rate in liters per minute and duration of use. Bring a copy for each flight you’ll be on. Also, ask your doctor for prescriptions for your medications, which you should carry onboard in case your luggage is lost or delayed. Your doctor may give you a supply of certain medications for emergencies, such as antibiotics to use if you develop a bacterial lung infection. These, too, should be in your carry-on bag, not in checked luggage.
Starting in August 2005 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allows passengers who require medical oxygen to take certain portable oxygen concentrators on board. The allowable concentrators are made by AirSep Corporation and Inogen Inc. The FAA permits the devices to be used throughout the flight, including takeoff and landing. Passengers using concentrators during a flight are required to inform the pilot that they are doing so and provide a written statement signed by a licensed physician that verifies the passenger’s ability to use the device.
It’s important to note that the FAA regulation does not require individual airlines to let passengers use oxygen concentrators (it allows each airline to make its own policy). You should therefore make arrangements directly with the airline. Some airlines require at least 72 hours advance notice, particularly for international flights.
It’s a good idea to reconfirm your oxygen arrangements before your trip, to arrive at the airport early, and to ask these questions in advance of your trip:
What does the airline charge for supplying in-flight oxygen.
Does your medical insurance cover the costs of in-flight oxygen.
Can you bring your own empty oxygen equipment. Some airlines will allow you to bring empty personal oxygen equipment onboard or check it with your baggage.
Can you bring your own cannula or mask; if not, find out whether the airline will provide one or both of these.
Ask about seat requirements. Some airlines may require you to buy an additional seat if you will need more than a certain number of oxygen cylinders.
Make arrangements for oxygen at layover stops. Airlines do not make arrangements for oxygen on the ground, so you’ll need to ask your doctor and oxygen supplier to help you make arrangements. If at all possible, try to arrange for direct flights to avoid this problem. Call an oxygen supplier in your destination city ahead of time. Your oxygen supplier can help make sure you have a supply of oxygen waiting for you when you arrive.
Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Click here for additional information: Johns
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Users and editors may post comments here at their own discretion. The views expressed do not constitute medical advice and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins Medicine or University Health Publishing, which has no responsibility for its content.
This is a very useful article. As a frequent flier with oxygen, I wish to add the following: (1) if in-flight oxygen is required, the first thing to do is to contact the preferred airline as not all airline offer oxygen to passangers and even fewer allow portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) on board - you will be connected with the airline's Medical Desk; (2) the airline will usually request contact information for passenger's doctor and contact him/her directly (a letter on doctor's stationary is not required; it is sufficient to carry a current doctor's prescription for oxygen, no need to carry several copies - I have never been asked to show it to anybody); (3) the FAA currently allows five POCs on board (AirSep's LifeStyle and FreeStyle; Inogen's Inogen One; Respironics' EverGo; and SeQual's Eclipse) - they can be allowed at the discretion of the airline (check with the airline, or on the POC manufacturer's web site, or on the COPD support groups's site - www.copd-alert.com); the intention to use a POC must be communicated to the airline's reservations desk when making ticket reservations; (4) a passenger CANNOT bring on board any oxygen cylinders; the airline supplies them - usually one big cylinder, which is stored under a seat or in the overhead compartment, so it is highly unlikely that a passenger will be charged for an extra seat to store the cylinders (even on international flights); (5) a passenger can check a POC or an empty portable oxygen system (for liquid oxygen only) in check-in baggage; no special permission from an airline is necessary for that; and (6) it is highly recommended for passengers using oxygen on the ground to request a wheelchair at the airport, because of the long waits and distances - it also helps to get fast processing at the security checkpoint.-Vlady, Founder-Moderator, COPD-ALERT
Posted by: Vlady | June 2, 2007
I read Vlady's comment and agree with most of it. However, we were faced with an untenable situation on AIR FRANCE: We had notified Air France that we would need oxygen on board when booking - 4 months before the flight. We were told, 'no problem' and to call 48 hrs before the flight for the process. Four months later, 72 hrs before the flight, - an extra day to allow enough time for all the processes to take place, we called and we were told the airline would handle everything. Two days later, 24hrs before the flight, the airline called us to inform us that we needed to PURCHASE AN EXTRA SEAT - AT THE CURRENT TICKET PRICE - i.e. last minute ticket, to the tune of $3000+... The reason? The oxygen cylinder was anchored under the seat and they could not seat anyone on that there because said passenger would not have that under-the-seat space available. When noted that we already had booked two seats (traveling with companion), we were adamantly informed WE HAD TO PURCHASE A TICKET FOR the seat they wouldn't be able to use... The ticket price was over and above what the airline was charging for the oxygen itself.
The extra expense was simply too high and unexpected. We ended up canceling our trip, loosing all our monies for our prepaid reservations - house rental, etc. and only getting our unused tickets refunded after a lot of legal involvement, eight months later (ordeal from January to August 2004).
That was a ridiculous situation. We felt that the airline was trying to cut some of its loses by charging us an arm and a leg for a seat THEY HAD EMPTY ANYWAY. If a seat is available 24hrs before the flight, what are the chances that someone would come along and buy a ticket at the very last minute???
Posted by: Melita | July 4, 2007
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