Traveling With Oxygen Machines

This is from American's website:

 

SPECIAL ASSISTANCE
OXYGEN AND MEDICAL DEVICES Therapeutic Oxygen

American Airlines makes every effort to accommodate its customers who require supplemental oxygen inflight. Effective July 23, 2012, American will continue to assist customers who wish to bring a Portable Oxygen Concentrator on board, however, due to decreased demand and increased supplier costs, American will no longer accept inflight medical oxygen.

We will honor all of our existing oxygen bookings. All new medical oxygen reservations booked July 10 – 23. 2012, must have travel completed by August 23, 2012.

Thank you for your loyalty to American Airlines. Should you have questions regarding this change, please callReservations.

Personal Inflight Medical Oxygen Units - Not Accepted

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that oxygen on airplanes be dispensed from approved containers available through the airline only, so you may not use your own personal units. American does not provide medical oxygen inflight. If you require oxygen at the airport before departure, during your connection or at your destination, you will need to make separate arrangements.

Medical Oxygen

Portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) approved by the FAA will only be accepted for inflight medical oxygen. A 48-hour notice is required.

Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POCs)

Customers requiring the use of a POC in the cabin must provide a minimum of 48-hours advance notification to Reservations at 1-800-433-7300.  Your request will be forwarded to our Special Assistance Coordinator who will contact you to verify the device and advise of medical paperwork requirements.  Please see “Travel Requirements and Restrictions and Onboard Usage” below for more details.

The following are FAA approved POCs for use in the aircraft cabin:

• AirSep LifeStyle - RTCA sticker required
• AirSep FreeStyle
• AirSep Free Style 5
• AirSep FOCUS
• Devilbiss iGO
• Inogen One
• Inogen G2
• Inogen One G3
• Inova Labs - Lifechoice
• Invo Labs LifeChoice Activeox
• Invacare XPO2 includes model numbers (XPO100 and XPO100B)
• Invacare SOLO2
• Oxlife Independence
• Oxus, Inc. RS-00400 POC
• Precision Medical EasyPluse
• Respironics Inc's EverGO
• Respironics SimplyGo
• SeQual Eclipse models 1, 2 and 3
• SeQual Eclipse 3 - 1000B
• SeQual SAROS 

POCs fit under the double seat side on American Eagle aircraft. Please contact Reservations for assistance with seat selection.

Note: FAA Regulations forbid the carriage of other personal oxygen units including those that contain compressed or liquid oxygen, because they are classified as Hazardous Materials.

Travel Requirements and Restrictions

To travel using a POC, you must have a signed, written statement from your physician clarifying your needs as listed in our recommended letter Physician's Consent Form.

Upon completion of the letter, please notify Reservations at 1-800-433-7300 at least 48 hours prior to your travel date to ensure all proper medical paperwork is prepared for travel.

Prior to boarding, the customer must present the Physician's Consent Form to an airline representative to ensure:

• the customer is able to operate the POC and recognize and respond appropriately to its alarm
• understanding the phases of the flight ( taxi, take-off, landing) in which the POC will be operable
• the customer has an ample supply of fully charged batteries to power the POC no less than 150% for the duration of the flight and ground connection time where POC is planned to be used (per manufacturer's recommendation) for unanticipated delays

Please keep the Physician's Consent Form on your person at all times during your journey.

Onboard Usage

Customers are required to provide and know how to use rented or owned "approved" POC. American Airlines does not provide this equipment. Note: American Airlines does not have spare batteries available for customer usage.

Customers must ensure that all extra batteries are properly protected from short circuiting by packaging the batteries so they do not contact metal objects including the terminals or other batteries.

For questions regarding POC usage, please contact Reservations.

Additional Requirements

Your POC must be free of oil, grease or other petroleum products and in good condition, free from damage or other signs of excessive wear or abuse.

If you are connecting to another airline or codeshare flight, contact the operating carrier or other airline for their rules on traveling with portable oxygen concentrators.

Please inform the airport agent that you intend to use a POC onboard the aircraft. The agent may ask to verify your medical statement, so please keep it with you at all times.

During Flight

Your POC must fit underneath the seat in front of you. You may not sit in an emergency exit seat, a bulkhead seat or any seat that blocks another passenger's access to the aisle. You may use your POC while moving about the cabin as long as the "Fasten Seat Belt" sign is not illuminated.

Aircraft Powerports

Some American Airlines aircraft are equipped with DC powerports, however, due to different aircraft types, configurations, and seating arrangements, the availability of a powerport and continuous power flow cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, you must bring a supply of batteries adequate for powering your POC the entire time it is in use. In the event a powerport is available at your seat, it may only be used during flight and may not be used during taxi, takeoff, and landing. Use of a powerport requires a DC power accessory obtained from your POC manufacturer.

Other Electronic Medical Devices

A 48-hour minimum advanced notification is required for customers using electronic medical devices (i.e., respirator, ventilator, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), etc.) in the cabin that are on our approved list. Upon completion of your reservation, your request will be forwarded to our Special Assistance Coordinator who will contact you to verify your device. For those medical devices that are not listed on our approved list, additional notice may be required for evaluation of the device to ensure it is safe to operate during flight in accordance with FAA regulations.