Johns Hopkins Health Alert
Traveling Smart with Oxygen
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As part of our ongoing effort to ensure that this website is up to date, we have determined that the information in the article Traveling Smart with Oxygen is no longer current, and has therefore been removed.
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Posted in Lung Disorders on May 31, 2007
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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 1:43 PM
I would like information on the newest forms of oxygen equipment and pros and cons of various methods such as Invacare Home fil, Inogen etc. Battery operated and AC/DC operated.
Posted by: Jean Bunch | September 13, 2008 11:56 AM
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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 11:11 AM