Summertime is coming up, which usually means vacations, but if you have COPD and use oxygen, airline travel is more complicated for you. The good news is airline travel is still possible with portable oxygen concentrators if your doctor says it’s safe for you to travel.
Passengers may carry their portable oxygen concentrators on flights with a few caveats:
- Check with the airline you’re traveling with about their policies on portable oxygen including:
- Notice periods for traveling with them
- Advance check-in times
- Battery-life requirements and any other rules they may have.
- Portable oxygen concentrators must be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
- You’ll need a prescription from your doctor stating your need for oxygen, medical condition, oxygen flow rate and how long you need to use oxygen. Keep a copy of this prescription with you in case you lose the original.
- Be sure to find out if the airline needs any additional information or forms filled out by your doctor before you fly.
International flight rules and regulations may be different, so check with those airlines and airports before you travel.
Visit our blog post about traveling with allergies and lung disease for more information and discuss any other concerns you may have about traveling with your doctor.