Is it safe to fly with shortness of breath?

Talk With Your Doctor About Traveling It's easier to stay healthy while traveling if you are in good health before you go. Before traveling, you should talk with your health care provider if you have breathing problems and you: Are short of breath most of the time.



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The air is 'thinner' because the pressure is less and, as a result, there is less oxygen. In fact, the concentration of oxygen falls from 21% at sea level, to about 15%. Most people will tolerate this, but, if you already have problems breathing, this will become worse.

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The air on a plane contains less oxygen than the air we normally breathe in. This leads to lower levels of oxygen in the blood. If you do not have a lung condition, the drop in oxygen is not enough that you would feel the difference.

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Low air pressure during air travel also decreases the amount of oxygen in the air. This effect is modest and generally not noticeable for healthy travelers. For patients with significant lung disease, a small decrease in available oxygen can cause significant symptoms, especially with exercise.

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Without oxygen, you will quickly feel drowsy and even euphoric, a phenomenon known as hypoxia, but as time passes, continued lack of oxygen to the brain will lead to blackouts, passing out, and possibly even death.

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The only oxygen equipment allowed on an airplane is the portable oxygen concentrator (POC). If you need oxygen in flight, you must take a portable oxygen concentrator with you, and , you must let your airline know ahead of time. They may require a doctor's letter to verify the need for the POC on the plane.

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One study found a passenger had a blood oxygen saturation of 94% at ground level and 85% at altitude. This study concluded that this hypoxia in conjunction with the dehydration, immobility and low humidity associated with airplane travel could contribute to morbidity during and after airplane travel.

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For most passengers, even those with respiratory disease, air travel is safe and comfortable. Some patients with COPD may be at risk but, with screening, these patients can be identified and most can travel safely with supplemental oxygen.

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if you suffer from or have had:
  • angina or chest pain at rest.
  • an infectious disease (e.g. chickenpox, flu), including COVID-19.
  • decompression sickness after diving (sometimes called 'the bends')
  • increased pressure in the brain (due to bleeding, injury or infection)
  • infection of your ears or sinuses.
  • recent heart attack.


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Resting Pulse Oximetry
Values >95% on room air suggest that inflight hypoxemia is unlikely and that further evaluation is likely not necessary. Patients with saturations <92% on room air at rest should receive supplemental oxygen inflight, because they are at high risk of hypoxemia at altitude.

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Airlines are not required to provide oxygen service and many do not. Passengers may carry portable oxygen concentrators (POCs). See separate entry in this table.

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When and How Are Oxygen Masks Released? Oxygen masks release whenever there's a drop in cabin pressure. Sometimes the flight crew might initiate the release. However, it usually triggers automatically when the cabin altitude gets to 14,000 feet.

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When you fly on an airplane, the flight attendant instructs you to “put your oxygen mask on first,” before helping others. Why is this an important rule for ensuring survival? Because if you run out of oxygen yourself, you can't help anyone else with their oxygen mask.

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Takeoff and landing are widely considered the most dangerous parts of a flight.

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suggest that flying may cause a small pneumothorax to develop, which is then aggravated by further air pressure changes, most commonly the return flight. Thus, they recommend that patients are assessed for pneumothorax before making the return flight, although realistically this may not always be possible.

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