Disability Travel - Traveling on British with oxygen, what to expect?

We are flying British and they have been wonderful so far. They are supplying oxygen for my four year old with respiratory issues and gave us clearance to bring all of his equipment (feeding pump, formula, oxygen saturation meter, portable concentrator etc) as well.

I have never flown with my son though, so I am really nervous.

Are people going to hover because of the oxygen or let us take care of him and his needs without feeling like freaks? Is the oxygen always at a certain place in the airplane, or where ever we are seated is where the tank will be put?

What else do I need to know?

I did read that they will count his portable oxygen concentrator AS his hand luggage, but that would leave us in a bind for diapers and other equipment, since it is a piece of baggage on its own. Are they really strict about that?

We aren't flying until the end of June, so I have time to figure this all out.

Thank you!!

I've never flown with oxygen, so hopefully some other experienced people will comment on that. My guess would be that they'll err on the side of ignoring you, rather than hovering.

As your son is four and not an infant, I assume the diapers and other equipment are medical needs, in which case they should not count against your carry on allowance. I'm very surprised that his portable oxygen concentrator would count as hand luggage - if I were you I'd call them and double check that.

Welcome to FlyerTalk, and enjoy your trip.

I've never flown with oxygen, so hopefully some other experienced people will comment on that. My guess would be that they'll err on the side of ignoring you, rather than hovering.

As your son is four and not an infant, I assume the diapers and other equipment are medical needs, in which case they should not count against your carry on allowance. I'm very surprised that his portable oxygen concentrator would count as hand luggage - if I were you I'd call them and double check that.

Welcome to FlyerTalk, and enjoy your trip.

I was surprised too, but this is what their website says, and I have yet to find anyone on the phone who has more information than the site:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/healthmedinfo/public/en_il?gsLink=searchResults

"Portable Oxygen Concentrators
Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POC) that are approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can be used on-board. The POC is included in your cabin baggage allowance."

I am going to assume that they aren't going to give us a hard time about a carry on for him in addition to his O2, which is a 20lb machine on a rolling cart. It isn't even logical to say we can have one or the other when at the same time saying we can bring it and his other medical equipment. I think I will just pack what he needs and pray for the best.

Thank you for your reply. I really appreciate it!

The POC is included in your cabin baggage allowance.

I would read this as "you can carry on the POC in addition to the regular stuff you can carry on". I admit it's ambiguous, though.

But I'm not aware of any other airline regulation that forces medical equipment to displace other carry on items.

Your "we'll pack what he needs" plan is a good one. Allow plenty of time, take lots of deep breaths, and assume ignorance rather than malice.

I would read this as "you can carry on the POC in addition to the regular stuff you can carry on". I admit it's ambiguous, though.

But I'm not aware of any other airline regulation that forces medical equipment to displace other carry on items.

Your "we'll pack what he needs" plan is a good one. Allow plenty of time, take lots of deep breaths, and assume ignorance rather than malice.

:) I like your interpretation of it better than mine. I will take it!

We are six people traveling together, so if need be we can rearrange carry ons and make it work out, if they give us a hard time, but it would be easier just to have his medical supplies together and not mixed in with the other kids toys and clothing. I am not putting expensive medical supplies (which we can't replace easily while traveling!) with food.

Should I allow more than three hours in advance for check in?

Thank you!

One more question, in case anyone knows: Is the O2 the airline supplies one big tank? Is it fixed in place or can it be moved if one needs the bathroom or to stretch their legs? We will have the portable oxygen concentrator with us, so I am not too worried, but I would like to know what to expect.

Thanks!

I am not putting expensive medical supplies (which we can't replace easily while traveling!) with food.

And don't check them. Memorize the words "essential medical equipment" and "life-threatening" :-).

Should I allow more than three hours in advance for check in?


I don't think so. Is this domestic or international? If some of the other 4 people are adults, then you've got lots of help and you can assign different people to worry about/argue about different things in parallel.

And don't check them. Memorize the words "essential medical equipment" and "life-threatening" :-).



I don't think so. Is this domestic or international? If some of the other 4 people are adults, then you've got lots of help and you can assign different people to worry about/argue about different things in parallel.

:) Thank you for the tips!!

It is me (with my own set of physical disabilities), DH, 13 year old dd, 10 year old dd, 6 year old dd and said 4 year old ds. The girls are a bit of a help, they are good at taking care of each other and my son while I argue if need be. DH is the shy type who will hold bags and run errands, but getting what we need is on my shoulders.

Stress and physical exertion make me sick, literally, so I would rather just avoid trouble if we can. :)

Katja, I forgot to answer your question, yes it is international. Tel Aviv to Heathrow and Heathrow to Boston and then back again a month later.

Then I'd say somewhere between 2 and 3 hours before the flight (2 hours is pretty standard for international).

Long flights, lots of kids - I wish you the best of luck, but I'm sure you will all do fine.

Then I'd say somewhere between 2 and 3 hours before the flight (2 hours is pretty standard for international).

Long flights, lots of kids - I wish you the best of luck, but I'm sure you will all do fine.

:) 3 hours is the plan, so hopefully we are good.

Thank God, they are great kids, so with some advanced planning, plenty of entertainment and some good snacks I am not worried about the kids, just the airline doing its job in terms of the oxygen. I don't have enough batteries for the portable oxygen concentrator for such long flights.

I was surprised too, but this is what their website says, and I have yet to find anyone on the phone who has more information than the site:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/healthmedinfo/public/en_il?gsLink=searchResults

"Portable Oxygen Concentrators
Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POC) that are approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) can be used on-board. The POC is included in your cabin baggage allowance."

I am going to assume that they aren't going to give us a hard time about a carry on for him in addition to his O2, which is a 20lb machine on a rolling cart. It isn't even logical to say we can have one or the other when at the same time saying we can bring it and his other medical equipment. I think I will just pack what he needs and pray for the best.

Thank you for your reply. I really appreciate it!

Is you equipment "FAA approved POC"? The FAA approval is the key. The manufacturer might have information. If it is get it in written form that their equipment is FAA certified.

Pressurized O2 tanks was not FAA approved for cabin use.

Is you equipment "FAA approved POC"? The FAA approval is the key. The manufacturer might have information. If it is get it in written form that their equipment is FAA certified.

Pressurized O2 tanks was not FAA approved for cabin use.


of course. :) We had to clear the POC with British already, they needed the make and model on their oxygen forms. http://www.oximedical.com/content.cfm?id=2034 His machine is a Devilbiss IGo. We could use it on board but we only have ~4 hours worth of batteries, and our flights are longer than that.

The only pressurized O2 we would be using is the airline's.

Thanks for the reply.

of course. :) We had to clear the POC with British already, they needed the make and model on their oxygen forms. http://www.oximedical.com/content.cfm?id=2034 His machine is a Devilbiss IGo. We could use it on board but we only have ~4 hours worth of batteries, and our flights are longer than that.

The only pressurized O2 we would be using is the airline's.

Thanks for the reply.

If you need longer power, you can rent(hire) battery pack with 110V (220V on your side of the pond). One big user of these "power pack" are photographers who need to power their lights. London area professional photo equipment rental shops should have some.

One of these should be good for TLV LHR to US.

Some seat have built in power but the amperage is limited and it is not available in all seats.

I have been a professional photographer for 15 years. I am also a CPAP user because I suffer from sleep apnea. I have a battery powered 110V powerpack which is legal for in flight use that will power my CPAP unit for some restful sleep from North America to Asia over the Pacific.

This is what I use, they have a 230V Europe version. I am sure there are others available locally.

http://alienbees.com/vmini.html

If you need longer power, you can rent(hire) battery pack with 110V (220V on your side of the pond). One big user of these "power pack" are photographers who need to power their lights. London area professional photo equipment rental shops should have some.

This is what I use, they have a 230V Europe version. I am sure there are others available locally.

http://alienbees.com/vmini.html

Thank you so much for sharing the information!

For this flight we are set, since British provides free in flight medical oxygen and the POC batteries should be plenty for bathroom trips and walking up and down the isle if need be. We should be able to charge during our overnight layover. Four hours of batteries for each leg of a 5 and 7 hour flight sounds safe to me, as long as they provide the oxygen like they said they would.

;) Now if I could get my brother to fix his cpap I could give him the information on how to fly with it as well. He is a really tall guy so he always flies first. I am sure that if there is electricity on the plane it is up there though, right?

Thank you so much for sharing the information!

For this flight we are set, since British provides free in flight medical oxygen and the POC batteries should be plenty for bathroom trips and walking up and down the isle if need be. We should be able to charge during our overnight layover. Four hours of batteries for each leg of a 5 and 7 hour flight sounds safe to me, as long as they provide the oxygen like they said they would.

;) Now if I could get my brother to fix his cpap I could give him the information on how to fly with it as well. He is a really tall guy so he always flies first. I am sure that if there is electricity on the plane it is up there though, right?

Power is generally available in almost all First or Business class seats, sometime you just need to look for it.
Most airline limit the in seat power to 75W which is not quite enough for extended CPAP usage (especially with the humidifier on). That was the reason for my use of my own powerpack.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1219259-question-ba-employees-people-know-about-flight-oxygen.html I got some very informed answers about in flight medical oxygen on this thread. ^

Thanks for posting the reference.

Having a specific disability forum is a two edged sword. On the general forums (like BA) sometimes you get lucky and the right people answer your questions, and sometimes you get able-bodied people who really have no idea what's what speculating (often wrongly); but since the Disability Travel forum is its own little ghetto, questions sometimes don't get the wider exposure they need.

Thanks for posting the reference.

Having a specific disability forum is a two edged sword. On the general forums (like BA) sometimes you get lucky and the right people answer your questions, and sometimes you get able-bodied people who really have no idea what's what speculating (often wrongly); but since the Disability Travel forum is its own little ghetto, questions sometimes don't get the wider exposure they need.

:) Which is why I was a bit hesitant (and worried that they would move the thread) when I posted, but I am glad I did it.

I was afraid that someone would later search (like I did before posting) and find this thread and not the other one, which at this point is a much better source of information, so I decided to add the link here, where it really belongs.

;) They gave me new things to think about, took away some worries and put the fear of messing with the on flight oxygen into me. Hearing that disconnecting the nasal cannula or mask will activate all of the emergency oxygen masks was a big surprise. At home and in the hospital I deal with his oxygen without thinking about it or consulting others most of the time, but in the plane it is the FA's and I am just a mom who knows nothing about their system. It is good to know that I know nothing.

At home and in the hospital I deal with his oxygen without thinking about it or consulting others most of the time, but in the plane it is the FA's and I am just a mom who knows nothing about their system. It is good to know that I know nothing.

LOL! Yeah, it's good to know that you know nothing.

In general, though (and I don't get the impression that this will be a problem for you) remember that one of the secrets of Successful Flying While Disabled is that you are the authority on your (or in this case your son's) disability. People frequently start to go wrong when they are insecure about their knowledge about themselves and their capabilities or needs, and start to believe that airline crew have the answers. At the same time, the crew do have processes and procedures, and it's good to learn what they are first, and then start arguing :-).

In general, though (and I don't get the impression that this will be a problem for you) remember that one of the secrets of Successful Flying While Disabled is that you are the authority on your (or in this case your son's) disability.

Very important point, which is exactly why I keep on asking and trying to find out what to expect. I now have a better idea what I can't argue about (using my son's nasal cannula from home for example I don't think I will even ask about, where as the customer service people on the phone at BA thought it would probably be fine) and that we won't have any under seat storage by his feet for one of our flight segments. That actually makes a big difference in how we will pack our bags for the flight.

Knowing what should be happening and what to expect helps give the ability to advocate effectively when things don't go quite right, and potentially ward off things going wrong to begin with. Knowledge is power.

Very important point, which is exactly why I keep on asking and trying to find out what to expect.

Well done.

Now I just have to figure out if Lufthansa will really check a second wheelchair for free, or if that's something the person on the telephone just made up because she thought it sounded good...

Well done.

Now I just have to figure out if Lufthansa will really check a second wheelchair for free, or if that's something the person on the telephone just made up because she thought it sounded good...

Did you talk to the Lufthansa Medical desk? I contacted them about a CPAP issue and they were very helpful and knowledgeable. The phone number is: 1-516-296-9580.

Edited to add: They seemed helpful, but apparently dropped the ball and did not do the documentation necessary for my being able to use a CPAP on board.