Anyone use a CPAP on board?
Sep 19, 2014, 9:22 pm
#16
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Sep 20, 2014, 1:14 am
#17
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Posts: 1,161
Not constant current?
I get constant current on my laptop for the whole flight.
What these jackanapes are trying to do is avoid the situation of a passenger's CPAP turning off because of some disruption, then getting a massive lawsuit because someone says their health was effected.
So they warn in advance that you can't use a CPAP on board or actively try to prevent you from using it. This way, you fly "informed" and "at your own risk."
Just your basic legal crap "why we can't have nice things" ... person with apnea has to suffer all night because there is a 0.1% chance that they might have to suffer for a minute when the machine resets.
B.
S.
Wow.
You really believe that someone can bring down a 777 by plugging in a CPAP machine?
OMG ITS DRAWING TOO MUCH CURRENT WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE
You do know that we've had fuses and circuit breakers since like the discovery of electricity?
However, in the interest of safety, let me clarify.
You have no clue about electricity, circuit breakers, and fuses. Nor do you have any clue about CPAP and "power drain." You are not the spokesman on the topic of aircraft safety because you don't know what you are talking about.
Have you ever blown a circuit breaker in your house? Put in one light bulb too many, pop, it goes off. Your house doesn't "almost burn down" or explode. It was not an "emergency situation." It is a failsafe. It is not a disaster when one of these is engaged.
And they are there, right in the socket, on these.
The airline is not searching passengers for laptops that draw more than the mandated wattage available at the outlet. There are no instructions for *anything*. Basically if you plug *anything* into the socket that draws more power than the socket can provide, pop, off goes your breaker.
Same way as it works in any socket in your house that is breaker equipped. Like sockets that may be in the washroom in case you drop your hair dryer into the bathtub. When it shorts out and draws power over the rated production of the socket, pop, breaker goes off.
The *only* thing they are trying to prevent is being on the hook for a passenger's health issue because they promised to make power available to run a CPAP.
If they didn't put these restrictions in, people would be, "I want a refund, I plugged my 80 watt CPAP into your 75 watt socket and the breaker went off so I couldn't run it and you said you were CPAP safe." or "I want a refund and here is a $1 million lawsuit because my CPAP went off in the middle of the night and didn't turn on and I suffered health consequences and you said I could use CPAP on this airplane."
The reason that they make you tell them about your CPAP if you are going to bring it on board is so they can specifically monitor you and insist that the plane is a CPAP free zone. They will not even let you charge the damn battery because there is a chance that the socket is dead.
If they said you can't use the socket to run the CPAP but you are allowed to charge the battery, then people would come on flyertalk asking "my socket was dead and I couldn't run my CPAP which I require, and the airline promised I could, what am I entitled to?"
Lastly if they claimed that the plane was CPAP friendly then maybe someone takes them to court and says that they have to put people with sleep apnea into a seat with a power socket for health reasons. If they don't have power sockets anywhere then maybe some overly liberal court gives them an order to upgrade these passengers to business class. Same kind of stuff about "you must allow a passenger to bring their comfort animal" and the ongoing stuff about whether or not a plane is a nut free zone.
This is not about safety.
My old Macbook drew 85 watts. I can get a CPAP that draws 60 watts. It is not about constant current. I plug in my laptop and I work in Photoshop for 8 hours if I want, running my intense high end graphics chip, spinning the hard drive at full speed, working with gigabyte sized files. I can further plug in my iPad and iPhone into the laptop to charge them and increase drain as much as I can.
The socket delivers constant power through the flight.
What they only want is to not *promise* that *every* passenger has an *entitlement* to constant power throughout the flight which is a requirement to run medical devices. So they do the full court press to stop you from using it, because as soon as one FA says yes it's OK to use it, then they start becoming responsible for providing this environment and on the hook when they don't.
So stop being Mr. Medical Device Airplane Crash Prevention Safety Official ok? Because if triggering the circuit breaker on a socket will bring down a 777 you can do this with a paperclip. A short circuit draws far more power than a CPAP device, basically whatever the socket can provide the short is going to use because there is no resistance to the current. And if you could bring planes down like this, they'd be dropping from the skies like rain. And no plane would be designed with power sockets whatsoever.
The plane has enough juice to run heat and AC and cook food and boil water without a blink. It has enough for everyone in business class to plug in laptops that draw more power than CPAP. I mean, the plane is drawing so much power from its fuel that it can keep a massive object of metal and filled with people's crap suspended in the air. The one or two people that might need CPAP though.... CRISIS.
It is not a risk or a threat. So, let it go.
Yes that darn non-compliant passenger trying to avoid long term brain damage and an overnight heart attack.
LETS SHOW HIM AND SHUT OFF HIS POWER
That will teach him.
God. What stupidity.
There are no "lack of breakers" on jet aircraft's plug in sockets.
/facepalm
CPAP burned down Swissair 111? No. It did not.
Investigators identified evidence of arcing in wiring of the in-flight entertainment system network, but this did not trip the circuit breakers
Minor arcing that did not pull enough juice to trigger the circuit breaking was enough to get something flammable caught on fire.
The argument is too much power that you're making. In this case it was not enough power that was the problem.
Again, stop commenting on stuff that you already said you don't understand.
Because anyone can take a butter knife, cut through the power cord on their laptop, and plug in the plug then make a really big arc. If that circuit breaker doesn't blow then you're looking at the colossal failure of everyone's power sockets and they will all not be able to run their laptops for the rest of the flight.
Or do you think that 6K is hooked up directly to the pilot's glass cockpit? That a terrorist with a screwdriver can open up the socket, remove the circuit breaker, and then plug in their CPAP and crash the plane by killing the entire electrical system?
Damn Boeing, you should have known not to wire 6K in series with the glass cockpit. What were you thinking!
By the way, here's United's policy on CPAP.
1. you can use it
2. they note that they don't always have power available, so recommend you have batteries
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...ntilators.aspx
Nothing in there about OMG DON'T PLUG YOUR CPAP IN YOU WILL CRASH THE PLANE
AA wants 48 hours and to ensure that it is FAA approved:
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInform...nce/oxygen.jsp
Delta provides a list of FAA approved CPAP devices (also claims not to have any power sockets! Passengers report being able to use them in business class long haul though).
http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...abilities.html
ANA allows you to use CPAP and plug-in power (just not plug in during takeoff and landing, which should not be an issue because you shouldn't be asleep):
http://www.ana.co.jp/share/assist_eng/14.html
Lufthansa lets you use CPAP but wants you to have 150% battery charge for flight duration.
http://www.lufthansa.com/online/port...d=3322420&l=en
Emirates lets you use CPAP and is more concerned about your battery blowing up (part of the reason why they want FAA clearance on a lot of these carriers). No mention of not being allowed to plug in.
http://www.emirates.com/english/plan...AP/PAP_Devices
JAL allows you to plug in and use CPAP, even shows you plug types.
https://www.jal.co.jp/en/jalpri/faq/a4.html
Swiss lets you plug it in. Notes that long haul business has power outlets. Says that there is only one guaranteed in economy called the medical outlet and they need to specifically turn it on in advance of a flight. They don't make any guarantee about power being available.
http://medicalservices.swiss.com/en/...202011%20e.pdf
....
So, in conclusion, pretty much everything that I just said.
CPAP is not going to crash an airplane or set anything on fire. Various airlines deal with the worry about liability in terms of providing or guaranteeing power as butt covering in terms of promises to the passenger. Air Canada's butt covering is the highest degree where they specifically disallow you from plugging it in as their means of insuring that they are not responsible for you.
Other airlines, of whom Swiss, JAL and ANA have far more reasonable policies specifically guiding you to plug in. AA is next up saying that the power is there but can't be guaranteed to be continuous (that is to protect you, not to protect the airplane the way some people are incorrectly interpreting this). Delta and United seem pretty good about it too.
The one that stands out only as "you are not allowed to plug this in" is Air Canada.
And because everyone else will, it certainly is not for aircraft safety. It is for lawsuit safety.
I get constant current on my laptop for the whole flight.
What these jackanapes are trying to do is avoid the situation of a passenger's CPAP turning off because of some disruption, then getting a massive lawsuit because someone says their health was effected.
So they warn in advance that you can't use a CPAP on board or actively try to prevent you from using it. This way, you fly "informed" and "at your own risk."
Just your basic legal crap "why we can't have nice things" ... person with apnea has to suffer all night because there is a 0.1% chance that they might have to suffer for a minute when the machine resets.
B.
S.
You really believe that someone can bring down a 777 by plugging in a CPAP machine?
OMG ITS DRAWING TOO MUCH CURRENT WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE
You do know that we've had fuses and circuit breakers since like the discovery of electricity?
However, in the interest of safety, let me clarify.
The whole point of fuses and breakers is to provide an emergency disconnect in the event of an accidental circuit overload; not to see how much you can connect before the lights go out!
And they are there, right in the socket, on these.
The airline is not searching passengers for laptops that draw more than the mandated wattage available at the outlet. There are no instructions for *anything*. Basically if you plug *anything* into the socket that draws more power than the socket can provide, pop, off goes your breaker.
Same way as it works in any socket in your house that is breaker equipped. Like sockets that may be in the washroom in case you drop your hair dryer into the bathtub. When it shorts out and draws power over the rated production of the socket, pop, breaker goes off.
The *only* thing they are trying to prevent is being on the hook for a passenger's health issue because they promised to make power available to run a CPAP.
If they didn't put these restrictions in, people would be, "I want a refund, I plugged my 80 watt CPAP into your 75 watt socket and the breaker went off so I couldn't run it and you said you were CPAP safe." or "I want a refund and here is a $1 million lawsuit because my CPAP went off in the middle of the night and didn't turn on and I suffered health consequences and you said I could use CPAP on this airplane."
The reason that they make you tell them about your CPAP if you are going to bring it on board is so they can specifically monitor you and insist that the plane is a CPAP free zone. They will not even let you charge the damn battery because there is a chance that the socket is dead.
If they said you can't use the socket to run the CPAP but you are allowed to charge the battery, then people would come on flyertalk asking "my socket was dead and I couldn't run my CPAP which I require, and the airline promised I could, what am I entitled to?"
Lastly if they claimed that the plane was CPAP friendly then maybe someone takes them to court and says that they have to put people with sleep apnea into a seat with a power socket for health reasons. If they don't have power sockets anywhere then maybe some overly liberal court gives them an order to upgrade these passengers to business class. Same kind of stuff about "you must allow a passenger to bring their comfort animal" and the ongoing stuff about whether or not a plane is a nut free zone.
This is not about safety.
My old Macbook drew 85 watts. I can get a CPAP that draws 60 watts. It is not about constant current. I plug in my laptop and I work in Photoshop for 8 hours if I want, running my intense high end graphics chip, spinning the hard drive at full speed, working with gigabyte sized files. I can further plug in my iPad and iPhone into the laptop to charge them and increase drain as much as I can.
The socket delivers constant power through the flight.
What they only want is to not *promise* that *every* passenger has an *entitlement* to constant power throughout the flight which is a requirement to run medical devices. So they do the full court press to stop you from using it, because as soon as one FA says yes it's OK to use it, then they start becoming responsible for providing this environment and on the hook when they don't.
Whether or not CPAPs or other medical devices can draw too much current on an aircraft's limited electrical resources I don't know.
The plane has enough juice to run heat and AC and cook food and boil water without a blink. It has enough for everyone in business class to plug in laptops that draw more power than CPAP. I mean, the plane is drawing so much power from its fuel that it can keep a massive object of metal and filled with people's crap suspended in the air. The one or two people that might need CPAP though.... CRISIS.
It is not a risk or a threat. So, let it go.
However, the rules are there for a reason and AC's FAs should be commended for upholding the restriction. Ideally FAs should be able to shut off power to non-compliant passengers! Heavy handed maybe, but the option should be available as a last resort.
LETS SHOW HIM AND SHUT OFF HIS POWER
That will teach him.
God. What stupidity.
/facepalm
Anyone who may be tempted to push the limit with using unauthorised electric devices on board aircraft should read the facts about Swissair 111.
Investigators identified evidence of arcing in wiring of the in-flight entertainment system network, but this did not trip the circuit breakers
Minor arcing that did not pull enough juice to trigger the circuit breaking was enough to get something flammable caught on fire.
The argument is too much power that you're making. In this case it was not enough power that was the problem.
Again, stop commenting on stuff that you already said you don't understand.
Because anyone can take a butter knife, cut through the power cord on their laptop, and plug in the plug then make a really big arc. If that circuit breaker doesn't blow then you're looking at the colossal failure of everyone's power sockets and they will all not be able to run their laptops for the rest of the flight.
Or do you think that 6K is hooked up directly to the pilot's glass cockpit? That a terrorist with a screwdriver can open up the socket, remove the circuit breaker, and then plug in their CPAP and crash the plane by killing the entire electrical system?
Damn Boeing, you should have known not to wire 6K in series with the glass cockpit. What were you thinking!
By the way, here's United's policy on CPAP.
1. you can use it
2. they note that they don't always have power available, so recommend you have batteries
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...ntilators.aspx
Nothing in there about OMG DON'T PLUG YOUR CPAP IN YOU WILL CRASH THE PLANE
AA wants 48 hours and to ensure that it is FAA approved:
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInform...nce/oxygen.jsp
Delta provides a list of FAA approved CPAP devices (also claims not to have any power sockets! Passengers report being able to use them in business class long haul though).
http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...abilities.html
ANA allows you to use CPAP and plug-in power (just not plug in during takeoff and landing, which should not be an issue because you shouldn't be asleep):
http://www.ana.co.jp/share/assist_eng/14.html
Lufthansa lets you use CPAP but wants you to have 150% battery charge for flight duration.
http://www.lufthansa.com/online/port...d=3322420&l=en
Emirates lets you use CPAP and is more concerned about your battery blowing up (part of the reason why they want FAA clearance on a lot of these carriers). No mention of not being allowed to plug in.
http://www.emirates.com/english/plan...AP/PAP_Devices
JAL allows you to plug in and use CPAP, even shows you plug types.
https://www.jal.co.jp/en/jalpri/faq/a4.html
Swiss lets you plug it in. Notes that long haul business has power outlets. Says that there is only one guaranteed in economy called the medical outlet and they need to specifically turn it on in advance of a flight. They don't make any guarantee about power being available.
http://medicalservices.swiss.com/en/...202011%20e.pdf
....
So, in conclusion, pretty much everything that I just said.
CPAP is not going to crash an airplane or set anything on fire. Various airlines deal with the worry about liability in terms of providing or guaranteeing power as butt covering in terms of promises to the passenger. Air Canada's butt covering is the highest degree where they specifically disallow you from plugging it in as their means of insuring that they are not responsible for you.
Other airlines, of whom Swiss, JAL and ANA have far more reasonable policies specifically guiding you to plug in. AA is next up saying that the power is there but can't be guaranteed to be continuous (that is to protect you, not to protect the airplane the way some people are incorrectly interpreting this). Delta and United seem pretty good about it too.
The one that stands out only as "you are not allowed to plug this in" is Air Canada.
And because everyone else will, it certainly is not for aircraft safety. It is for lawsuit safety.
Last edited by tcook052; Sep 20, 2014 at 5:32 am
Sep 20, 2014, 5:02 am
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Southern Alberta
Posts: 20,550
You have no clue about electricity, circuit breakers, and fuses. Nor do you have any clue about CPAP and "power drain." You are not the spokesman on the topic of aircraft safety because you don't know what you are talking about.
Have you ever blown a circuit breaker in your house? Put in one light bulb too many, pop, it goes off. Your house doesn't "almost burn down" or explode. It was not an "emergency situation." It is a failsafe. It is not a disaster when one of these is engaged.
And they are there, right in the socket, on these.
The airline is not searching passengers for laptops that draw more than the mandated wattage available at the outlet. There are no instructions for *anything*. Basically if you plug *anything* into the socket that draws more power than the socket can provide, pop, off goes your breaker.
Same way as it works in any socket in your house that is breaker equipped. Like sockets that may be in the washroom in case you drop your hair dryer into the bathtub. When it shorts out and draws power over the rated production of the socket, pop, breaker goes off.
The *only* thing they are trying to prevent is being on the hook for a passenger's health issue because they promised to make power available to run a CPAP.
If they didn't put these restrictions in, people would be, "I want a refund, I plugged my 80 watt CPAP into your 75 watt socket and the breaker went off so I couldn't run it and you said you were CPAP safe." or "I want a refund and here is a $1 million lawsuit because my CPAP went off in the middle of the night and didn't turn on and I suffered health consequences and you said I could use CPAP on this airplane."
The reason that they make you tell them about your CPAP if you are going to bring it on board is so they can specifically monitor you and insist that the plane is a CPAP free zone. They will not even let you charge the damn battery because there is a chance that the socket is dead.
If they said you can't use the socket to run the CPAP but you are allowed to charge the battery, then people would come on flyertalk asking "my socket was dead and I couldn't run my CPAP which I require, and the airline promised I could, what am I entitled to?"
Lastly if they claimed that the plane was CPAP friendly then maybe someone takes them to court and says that they have to put people with sleep apnea into a seat with a power socket for health reasons. If they don't have power sockets anywhere then maybe some overly liberal court gives them an order to upgrade these passengers to business class. Same kind of stuff about "you must allow a passenger to bring their comfort animal" and the ongoing stuff about whether or not a plane is a nut free zone.
This is not about safety.
My old Macbook drew 85 watts. I can get a CPAP that draws 60 watts. It is not about constant current. I plug in my laptop and I work in Photoshop for 8 hours if I want, running my intense high end graphics chip, spinning the hard drive at full speed, working with gigabyte sized files. I can further plug in my iPad and iPhone into the laptop to charge them and increase drain as much as I can.
The socket delivers constant power through the flight.
What they only want is to not *promise* that *every* passenger has an *entitlement* to constant power throughout the flight which is a requirement to run medical devices. So they do the full court press to stop you from using it, because as soon as one FA says yes it's OK to use it, then they start becoming responsible for providing this environment and on the hook when they don't.
So stop being Mr. Medical Device Airplane Crash Prevention Safety Official ok? Because if triggering the circuit breaker on a socket will bring down a 777 you can do this with a paperclip. A short circuit draws far more power than a CPAP device, basically whatever the socket can provide the short is going to use because there is no resistance to the current. And if you could bring planes down like this, they'd be dropping from the skies like rain. And no plane would be designed with power sockets whatsoever.
The plane has enough juice to run heat and AC and cook food and boil water without a blink. It has enough for everyone in business class to plug in laptops that draw more power than CPAP. I mean, the plane is drawing so much power from its fuel that it can keep a massive object of metal and filled with people's crap suspended in the air. The one or two people that might need CPAP though.... CRISIS.
It is not a risk or a threat. So, let it go.
Yes that darn non-compliant passenger trying to avoid long term brain damage and an overnight heart attack.
LETS SHOW HIM AND SHUT OFF HIS POWER
That will teach him.
God. What stupidity.
Have you ever blown a circuit breaker in your house? Put in one light bulb too many, pop, it goes off. Your house doesn't "almost burn down" or explode. It was not an "emergency situation." It is a failsafe. It is not a disaster when one of these is engaged.
And they are there, right in the socket, on these.
The airline is not searching passengers for laptops that draw more than the mandated wattage available at the outlet. There are no instructions for *anything*. Basically if you plug *anything* into the socket that draws more power than the socket can provide, pop, off goes your breaker.
Same way as it works in any socket in your house that is breaker equipped. Like sockets that may be in the washroom in case you drop your hair dryer into the bathtub. When it shorts out and draws power over the rated production of the socket, pop, breaker goes off.
The *only* thing they are trying to prevent is being on the hook for a passenger's health issue because they promised to make power available to run a CPAP.
If they didn't put these restrictions in, people would be, "I want a refund, I plugged my 80 watt CPAP into your 75 watt socket and the breaker went off so I couldn't run it and you said you were CPAP safe." or "I want a refund and here is a $1 million lawsuit because my CPAP went off in the middle of the night and didn't turn on and I suffered health consequences and you said I could use CPAP on this airplane."
The reason that they make you tell them about your CPAP if you are going to bring it on board is so they can specifically monitor you and insist that the plane is a CPAP free zone. They will not even let you charge the damn battery because there is a chance that the socket is dead.
If they said you can't use the socket to run the CPAP but you are allowed to charge the battery, then people would come on flyertalk asking "my socket was dead and I couldn't run my CPAP which I require, and the airline promised I could, what am I entitled to?"
Lastly if they claimed that the plane was CPAP friendly then maybe someone takes them to court and says that they have to put people with sleep apnea into a seat with a power socket for health reasons. If they don't have power sockets anywhere then maybe some overly liberal court gives them an order to upgrade these passengers to business class. Same kind of stuff about "you must allow a passenger to bring their comfort animal" and the ongoing stuff about whether or not a plane is a nut free zone.
This is not about safety.
My old Macbook drew 85 watts. I can get a CPAP that draws 60 watts. It is not about constant current. I plug in my laptop and I work in Photoshop for 8 hours if I want, running my intense high end graphics chip, spinning the hard drive at full speed, working with gigabyte sized files. I can further plug in my iPad and iPhone into the laptop to charge them and increase drain as much as I can.
The socket delivers constant power through the flight.
What they only want is to not *promise* that *every* passenger has an *entitlement* to constant power throughout the flight which is a requirement to run medical devices. So they do the full court press to stop you from using it, because as soon as one FA says yes it's OK to use it, then they start becoming responsible for providing this environment and on the hook when they don't.
So stop being Mr. Medical Device Airplane Crash Prevention Safety Official ok? Because if triggering the circuit breaker on a socket will bring down a 777 you can do this with a paperclip. A short circuit draws far more power than a CPAP device, basically whatever the socket can provide the short is going to use because there is no resistance to the current. And if you could bring planes down like this, they'd be dropping from the skies like rain. And no plane would be designed with power sockets whatsoever.
The plane has enough juice to run heat and AC and cook food and boil water without a blink. It has enough for everyone in business class to plug in laptops that draw more power than CPAP. I mean, the plane is drawing so much power from its fuel that it can keep a massive object of metal and filled with people's crap suspended in the air. The one or two people that might need CPAP though.... CRISIS.
It is not a risk or a threat. So, let it go.
Yes that darn non-compliant passenger trying to avoid long term brain damage and an overnight heart attack.
LETS SHOW HIM AND SHUT OFF HIS POWER
That will teach him.
God. What stupidity.
Sep 21, 2014, 2:06 pm
#19
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
Actually the breaker blowing is good.^
It's the lack of breakers, or overloaded or weak circuits that can be the problem. Unfortunately human nature being what it is, most people tend to reset a tripped breaker rather than investigate the cause.
Anyone who may be tempted to push the limit with using unauthorised electric devices on board aircraft should read the facts about Swissair 111.
It's the lack of breakers, or overloaded or weak circuits that can be the problem. Unfortunately human nature being what it is, most people tend to reset a tripped breaker rather than investigate the cause.
Anyone who may be tempted to push the limit with using unauthorised electric devices on board aircraft should read the facts about Swissair 111.
TemboOne, you shouldn't spout off when you know nothing. That is dangerous. There was a legendary professor at college who gave hard tests and would subtract points for wrong answers (this is in math). Someone asked him why. He explained that they will be designing the infrastructure his grandchildren will use. He didn't want them to make mistakes. The most dangerous thing is to think you know it and do it wrong, than think you don't know and actually look it up.
Sep 21, 2014, 4:01 pm
#20
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YSB & YAM, Northern Ontario, Canada
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Tyberius already everything TemboOne said.
TemboOne, you shouldn't spout off when you know nothing. That is dangerous. There was a legendary professor at college who gave hard tests and would subtract points for wrong answers (this is in math). Someone asked him why. He explained that they will be designing the infrastructure his grandchildren will use. He didn't want them to make mistakes. The most dangerous thing is to think you know it and do it wrong, than think you don't know and actually look it up.
TemboOne, you shouldn't spout off when you know nothing. That is dangerous. There was a legendary professor at college who gave hard tests and would subtract points for wrong answers (this is in math). Someone asked him why. He explained that they will be designing the infrastructure his grandchildren will use. He didn't want them to make mistakes. The most dangerous thing is to think you know it and do it wrong, than think you don't know and actually look it up.
Actually I was very tempted to just let this go but your post has reopened the topic and I must respond.
This whole malarkey arose out of a post by Ben Senise complaining that a friend was forbidden permission to use her CPAP machine on an LHR-YVR flight.
This prohibition was in compliance with Air Canada's regulations.
Other posts then went on to malign Air Canada's rules, complaining that other airlines permitted CPAPs to be carried on board and used, and so by default, Air Canada should also - but would not do so because of potential liability.
Another poster made the following statement:
Originally Posted by TinDrum View Post
Air Canada, as with so many other issues, are totally anal about CPAP usage. Just as the OP's acquaintance experienced, I have happily used my CPAP on some J flights, whereas on a couple of other legs the FA decided to be a Nazi. That is one reason why I have stopped flying AC in J.
I won't even try to answer some of the wild reponses on the topic. Simple statements concerning fuses and circuit breakers are taken out of context by people who then amplify them into allegations of claims for disastrous potential.
Should Air Canada permit CPAP carriage and usage on board?
That is entirely up to management and there is absolutely no justification in vilifying FAs who uphold the rules!
Sep 21, 2014, 7:45 pm
#21
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Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYJ
Posts: 2,230
I simply asked if other FTers the following question: "Does anyone know if this denial was legitimate or yet another example of an overly officious FA, possibly senior."
information was provided that showed the denial was legitimate.
policy debate was not the objective of the original post.
Sep 21, 2014, 9:04 pm
#22
Join Date: Aug 2013
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just for clarification, since i am the OP, i did not complain.
I simply asked if other FTers the following question: "Does anyone know if this denial was legitimate or yet another example of an overly officious FA, possibly senior."
information was provided that showed the denial was legitimate.
policy debate was not the objective of the original post.
I simply asked if other FTers the following question: "Does anyone know if this denial was legitimate or yet another example of an overly officious FA, possibly senior."
information was provided that showed the denial was legitimate.
policy debate was not the objective of the original post.
http://www.ehow.com/list_6039892_faa-rules-cpap.html
There does not appear to be any such legislation in Canada.
Sorry your original post got so sidetracked.
Sep 21, 2014, 9:30 pm
#23
Join Date: Jul 2000
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I live on my CPAP but never on an airplane. Frankly never thought about it. I carry it on board with me in carry on but I have never attempted to plug it in.
Sep 21, 2014, 9:51 pm
#24
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Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YYJ
Posts: 2,230
Just for your information BenSenise, after some research I've uncovered the following. In the United States airlines are required to allow and provide for CPAP use on board aircraft. There is an implication that any airline carrying passengers to or from the United States allow CPAP use on board.
http://www.ehow.com/list_6039892_faa-rules-cpap.html
There does not appear to be any such legislation in Canada.
Sorry your original post got so sidetracked.
http://www.ehow.com/list_6039892_faa-rules-cpap.html
There does not appear to be any such legislation in Canada.
Sorry your original post got so sidetracked.
Sep 21, 2014, 10:05 pm
#25
Join Date: Jul 2000
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Sep 22, 2014, 5:02 am
#26
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Location: Southern Alberta
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Sep 22, 2014, 7:41 pm
#27
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: YUL
Programs: Super Elite 100K
Posts: 830
6 years +
I've been using my CPAP on board for over 6 years now and i've never had anyone look at me sideways. YUL-LHR, YYZ-HKG, YUL - CDG, YYZ-LIM, all on AC in J, never had a problem with the CPAP, and I haven't brought down a single aircraft.
Sep 22, 2014, 10:06 pm
#28
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YSB & YAM, Northern Ontario, Canada
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Posts: 1,100
It really sounds like a "don't ask, don't say" situation.
Trouble is, once someone decides to uphold the rules "all hell breaks loose"!
Good luck with your CPAP on future flights.
Hopefully the rules will be relaxed soon to make them more consistent industry wide
Last edited by tcook052; Sep 22, 2014 at 10:18 pm
Nov 8, 2014, 8:18 am
#29
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Nashville,TN
Programs: AA Gold Elite
Posts: 601
It appears that permission to the use of CPAP on various airlines using their power outlets varies quite widely.
Would it be helpful for those of us who rely on CPAP for a decent night's sleep to make up a list of airlines that do permit use of power outlets and those that do not?
I recently bought a great compact CPAP machine for travel but did not want to buy the battery pack as it takes up more space and weight which is why I bought the unit in the first place to use with a power cord.
I'm flying F in January on Lufthansa and already called their medical department with a very nasty reply to my questions about using the onboard power. I actually hung up on the woman as she was so snotty,kept interrupting me and was very condescending and I am a physician. I never talk to my patients the way she treated me. I did not pull the DYKWIA either!
Should I just try to cover up my head with the duvet and hope for the best?
Would it be helpful for those of us who rely on CPAP for a decent night's sleep to make up a list of airlines that do permit use of power outlets and those that do not?
I recently bought a great compact CPAP machine for travel but did not want to buy the battery pack as it takes up more space and weight which is why I bought the unit in the first place to use with a power cord.
I'm flying F in January on Lufthansa and already called their medical department with a very nasty reply to my questions about using the onboard power. I actually hung up on the woman as she was so snotty,kept interrupting me and was very condescending and I am a physician. I never talk to my patients the way she treated me. I did not pull the DYKWIA either!
Should I just try to cover up my head with the duvet and hope for the best?
Nov 8, 2014, 10:35 pm
#30
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Abbotsford, BC, Canada
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Posts: 310
I took my CPAP on my YVR-SYD flight on AC last year. I specifically bought a battery pack to use with my CPAP and it worked fine.
The power draw on a CPAP will depend at lot on whether you are trying to use a humidifier with it. My battery pack will last for about 10 hours without the humidifier and for less than 90 minutes with the humidifier. So perhaps a CPAP with humidifier would exceed the power budget for the inseat power supplies--nothing dangerous, just the system can't provide enough power potentially. In any case, you can get compact batteries for travel use with a CPAP. I also keep mine charged up at home and use it whenever we get a power interruption at home (usually once or twice a year with wind storms).
The power draw on a CPAP will depend at lot on whether you are trying to use a humidifier with it. My battery pack will last for about 10 hours without the humidifier and for less than 90 minutes with the humidifier. So perhaps a CPAP with humidifier would exceed the power budget for the inseat power supplies--nothing dangerous, just the system can't provide enough power potentially. In any case, you can get compact batteries for travel use with a CPAP. I also keep mine charged up at home and use it whenever we get a power interruption at home (usually once or twice a year with wind storms).