What do I need to do to fly with oxygen?

You can't use compressed gas or liquid oxygen on the plane. When you make your reservation, tell the airline that you'll be using oxygen during the flight. You may need to send paperwork from your doctor or fill out the airline's medical form. Bring extra POC batteries and your own nasal prongs.



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Provided you are asking for the same sort of oxygen supply you already use at home, you call your usual oxygen supplier. They will fill in all the necessary forms and send them to the local oxygen supplier where you are staying. The local supply company will then deliver the oxygen and install any equipment you need.

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The airline may charge you for any oxygen it supplies during the flight. You will likely have to pay for oxygen for each leg of a trip. And airlines usually do not supply oxygen during layovers, so try to book a direct flight. At least two weeks before your flight, notify the airline that you will need oxygen.

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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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You may bring personal medical oxygen cylinders through the screening checkpoint and into the gate area. However, personal medical oxygen cylinders are not permitted in the aircraft cabin as they are considered hazardous materials by the Federal Aviation Administration.

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Oxygen production cannot be shut off once a mask is pulled, and oxygen production typically lasts at least 15 minutes, sufficient for the plane to descend to a safe altitude for breathing without supplemental oxygen.

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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 oxygen deficiency continues over a long enough period of time, it can cause unconsciousness, permanent brain damage or even death. So, in order to keep everyone maintained with enough oxygen, the masks fall down and provide a personal flow.

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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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Symptoms include pleuritic chest pain, substernal heaviness, coughing, and dyspnea secondary to tracheobronchitis and absorptive atelectasis, which can lead to pulmonary edema. Pulmonary symptoms typically abate 4 hours after cessation of exposure in the majority of patients.

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