Delta 17 LAX-SYD, Delta 16 SYD-LAX - ?? about meals and also CPAP
 

I am curious about the following flights - approx 15 hrs each. What meals are served, and when?

Also any promotions I should be sure to enroll on? First time to Asia/Pac and will have a virgin blue connection from SYD-MEL and back to SYD.

Seems pretty late to serve dinner after take-off, do they serve breakfast and lunch on "LAX time" ?

Delta 17
10:35pm LAX
6:35am SYD

Similar question going the other way. Assume they serve lunch and dinner on "SYD time" ?

Delta 16
9:50am SYD
6:40am LAX


Finally, I wonder about using my CPAP aboard these flights, requesting at-seat power from Delta or bringing along my own (dry) battery.

https://www.delta.com/planning_reser...erns/index.jsp

Assistive Devices

If you need an assistive or non-oxygen-generating life-support device, like a respirator, nebulizer, or ventilator, you can bring it in the cabin for use during the flight, as long as it fits in an FAA approved storage location.... We recommend you use a dry-cell battery for your equipment, since electrical outlets are not available on our aircraft.

Oxygen concentrators, other than those we've approved, CPAP and BiPap machines will only be accepted if they have been tested by the manufacturer to comply with FAA safety regulations and display a label indicating that the machine is approved for use on an aircraft. Additional review of testing data must be provided to Delta for approval prior to travel.




Thank for any help which can be provided.

There have been several threads about this recently...

I've done this as a MR twice in the past 9 months. On LAX-SYD, they serve dinner immediately after take-off (last time was a choice between a chicken and a pasta), a snack exactly half-way through (at about the seven hour mark, last time was a cold sandwich), and then breakfast about an hour before landing (for breakfast, think hot breakfast sandwich).

The good FAs bring water around throughout the flight.

Both times I did the trip, there were power ports in the first 10 rows of the coach cabin, which I took advantage of.

Enjoy!

This is good to hear. I need to figure out more what "power ports" means - do I need an adapter? Is it a "cig lighter" style DC plug?

I will check the delta web site on this: "In-seat AC 110 volt power outlets are also available in the first 10 rows of the Economy cabin of all A330, 767-400ER and 777 aircraft, and select 757 aircraft"

Thanks.

Sorry. My shorthand "power ports" means the two-pronged ones we use in the U.S. Your standard laptop power cord, cell phone wall charger, electric razor, etc.

I can tell you from personal experience that the ones on the A330s do not provide enough power to run a CPAP.

Good to know. I just bought a battery unit so I should be good to go.

(I did not plan to run the humidifier by the way, just the air moving portion of this gadget)

I've used a CPAP for many years and I have never seen one with a label saying it is FAA compliant. I've also asked flight attendants over the years and have consistantly been told they are not allowed. I recommend taking the applicable part of the International Contract of Carriage with you.

Please post how it goes with your flight and the CPAP. I would love to be able to use mine on intercontinental flights.

Bacrs

by "International Contract of Carriage" do you mean Delta's document

http://images.delta.com.edgesuite.ne...riage_intl.pdf

???

Why in the world would the refuse someone the right to use important medical equipment in-flight, especially for a 15 hr flight?

In my CPAP's bag I have some docs printed out including a note from my Doctor and something from the ResMed web site, as well as the TSA doc that talks about CPAP.

DL, as a Part 121 carrier, is following the FAA guidance provided here.

do ANY CPAP machines have such a label?

"unless the device fails to meet applicable FAA requirements for Medical Portable Electronic Devices (M-PED) and does not display a manufacturer’s label that indicates the device meets those FAA requirements"

I took this trip last May and took a few photos of the meals I had on the flights... I did not take a picture of all the meals :( Sometimes I just did not have the energy to pull out my camera and take a picture :p

Pancakes breakfast before arrival in SYD... Approx 5:00A SYD time. It was quite good, and of course you can't go wrong with pancakes :p I refused to eat that red piece of fruit, because it looked edible...

http://i33.tinypic.com/23jr8yd.jpg

Lunch after departure from SYD, approx 10:45A SYD time... Chicken was not good [BLAND] and the fried stuff was really dry :(

http://i36.tinypic.com/2zqv9lu.jpg

Breakfast before arrival in LAX, approx 5:00AM LAX time... They served the same food as my outbound flight, so I thought I'd give the eggs a try... It is a Omlette with some peppers and cheese and there were some country potato fries as well. The omlette was not bad and the fries were good, the only thing that looked gross was the sausage, heck you can see that one half is dark the other half is light...

http://i35.tinypic.com/24pgx11.jpg

During midflight [about 7 hours after departure both ways] they served a "snack" which consisted of a small turkey sandwich [4 bites or so] with an Apple. I do not have any pictures of this meal, since I did not feel it was worth the effort :D

Thank you, a picture certainly helps!

Though that last one sort of freaked me out - the sausage looks like someone in the galley may have lost a finger!

:)

Or something else!;)

Sure, anytime! :)

Oh good grief! Being inches from it was terrifying enough! :D

Keep in mind a cpap may not deliver the same pressure in the air as on the ground.. most are calibrated for the approx altitude around where you live, while an aircraft internal pressure is much higher. Then, of course, there's the noise/power/space constraints.. Some are pretty loud, plus where will it sit while you sleep? Possibly the floor, but there's a risk of stuff being sucked in through the vents..

I flew that flight in may in business. There was plenty of room for it to sit by your head with the seat in the bed position, and the outlet is right there.

I think you mean "lower".

Just change your body clock to avoid CPAP!
 

This is why some people are very demanding. They should be able to refuse if the airline cannot reasonably accommodate the passenger.

The solution to CPAP is for the passenger to make accommodations. CPAP is not needed when the passenger is awake. So the passenger should accept that they are sick and re-adjust their body clock for a few days, say 3 days. Take off work and sit at home and catch up on home repairs. Or travel to Los Angeles and wait there 3 days. Then sleep in the motel before the flight. Wake up with just enough time to check in. Then stay awake for 15 hours during the flight. That could mean that you are awake for 19 hours. On arrival to Australia, check into a hotel and use the CPAP and go to sleep.

Other considerations: People with obstructive apnea requiring CPAP are often quite obese. Add to this a noisy machine which requires additional space, a coach seat, and a 15 hour flight, and you have a recipe guaranteed to give the person sitting next to you the most miserable experience of his life.

I hope in your planning for this trip, you are taking all of this into consideration. If the shoe fits, I'd urge you to purchase two coach seats or a seat in J.

This is not intended to be a snide post, but one which encourages you think beyond just your own needs and to be considerate of others.

I have a CPAP and I am not quite obese, obese or anywhere near obese. You have not seen the the machines in circulation for the last +/- five years. You can not hear them unless they are by your ear.

As dry as the air inside the aircraft will be I would recommend using the humidifier unit.

Crazy, no, ridiculous suggestion! Do you use a CPAP and is this what you do? I know my MD would not be happy if I elected NOT to use the CPAP for three days just because I was taking a long TATL/TPAC trip. My Dr. would probably state that it is more important to use the CPAP before the flight, and during the flight because of the difference in air pressure.

Nice attitude, guys




I can't speak for all owners, but the CPAP I use is not very likely to be heard above the ambient noise on the airplane - and is much more quiet than if I were to be sleeping (and snoring) without use of the device.

As far as size goes, the system I use is also quite small. smaller than a shoebox for sure. Easily fit under the seat in front of my own. No need to purchase a 2nd seat. Though I'd be glad if you want to help with my J upgrade, that was a nice idea.

Wonder if WikipediaIsDumb and Snidely Whiplash are related?

I have used CPAP on a number of flights with several different carriers (Delta, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, etc.) and never had any problem. There are several bits of misinformation that have been posted. First, my CPAP draws less current than my notebook, so the power has never been an issue. Second, the noise generated by my CPAP is almost inaudible given the ambient noise. In agreement with a previous comment, the noise made by my CPAP is negligible compared to the noise of people snoring (present on almost any long-haul flight). Third (also in agreement with some other comments), this is an essential medical device. Fourth, I am not obese, and was first diagnosed with OSA when I was running 5 miles a day. I could go on, but felt compelled to offer my own opinions...

To the OP - you might want to ask your MD about a product called Provent. Its a one time use thing you stick on each nostril that supposedly alleviates Sleep Apnea. They are impractical to use regularly but may be effective as a temporary measure. They are by RX so actual use should be under the guidance of an MD.

Thanks one and all for the tips and advice - on the above travel, medical, and lifestyle subjects. Well, not so much the medical and lifestyle ones. But good to hear from fellow CPAP users about their luck using CPAP on board.

The CPAP works very well for me right now so I will stick with that.

Regarding the main topic - my trip parameters just changed, and now I'm taking Qantas/AA instead of Delta.

By the way, Qantas has an EXCELLENT policy on CPAP and my brand/model is on their approved list. See the following, in case it is of help to any other CPAP flyers.

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airl...ance/global/en

Delta could learn a thing or two from these guys.

Yes, I do mean the referenced document. I can't answer why someone would refuse the use of an important piece of medical equipment. My guess is that DL personnel aren't familiar with CPAP's and, thus, automaticaly say they can't be used. I have also found most airline and TSA folks don't care about doctor's notes as they can be forged (their words, not mine). However, you should not need any paperwork to use a CPAP on a plane other than what was described in your first post. YMMV.

As far as the pressure issue, if your CPAP automatically adjusts the pressure (aka an APAP), your CPAP will befine. If your CPAP has a fixed pressure, there is usually a setting to change your altitude. If it were me, I would set it to 5000 feet.

I've reached the point where I don't use the CPAP in the air and resign myself to a poor nights sleep (even in business).

Bacrs (fellow sleep apnea sufferer)

Greetings from down under.

I had mine sitting on the floor with the battery pack.

It worked pretty well on my Qantas flight LAX-MEL, aside from being in a small coach seat.

My system is very quiet and seemed to adjust to any preasure difference without need to adjust settings.

First time ever using a CPAP without an AC outlet. Very nice experience and the battery lasted longer than I needed it to.

Have a great time down under...I'm jealous! Glad you had a safe trip.

Yes. I have a Resmed S9 series VPAP Auto that has the label that it complies with FAA requirements.

This thread has sparked my curiosity.

I've heard the CPAP described here as an essential and important medical device. I thought they were only used when sleeping? I don't mean to diminish their value or slight CPAP users, but are they essential for an airplane ride? I've never seen or heard one so I'm really just wondering what the issue is here.

If one is flying 15 hours on a TPAC flight, there's a good chance they'll be trying to get some sleep. In this case, Flight 17 departs LAX at 10:45 p.m.

I've used my Resmed CPAP several times on the ATL-SCL/SCL-ATL flight with no issues. Flight leaves in the evening. Once dinner is served and cleared, I just plug in into the 120v outlet and sleep until breakfast. Never had an issue of any kind, either with flight crew or machine performance. My machine does not have an FAA sticker and no one has ever asked. It's as quiet as the ambient noise inside the plane.

On a delta 777-200 lr in or 40 a thru c is there a 110 power outlet to plug in a laptop or cpap machine during flight as I do not have a battery?

Rows 31-40 have power outlets. IME, they usually work.

On DL's 777-200LR, in Y only the first 10 rows (EC: 31-34, Y:35-40) have 110V North American 3-pin power outlets. They are located below in between the seats - 2 power outlets shared between 3 seats.

And will I be able to use a cpap device on that plug?

Can I use my cpap in flight via the inflight power outlet as I don't have a battery