Inaugural post: Argh, Air Canada

[Akhnaten]

My first post here. I'm a relative newbie to CPAP. I was recently prescribed a ResMed Airsense 10 Autoset with nasal pillows, kindly loaned to me at no cost from the Swedish health authorities. So far (about 2 months) it has clearly increased my sleep quality and even my uninterrupted sleep duration has started to creep up. However, I travel multiple times a year between Sweden and Canada, and if you know anything about air travel to Canada, it is dominated by Air Canada, which does not allow direct machine plug-in unlike most other airlines.

For the trip to Canada, I don't plan to sleep, but for the trip back, being able to sleep would work wonders -- I hope -- with readjustment back to Sweden (which is hard, it's an overnight flight). My one attempt to run the machine on my last trip was stopped by a flight attendant just when I had reached deep sleep, because I had plugged it into seat power.

I've looked at battery solutions, and they are massively expensive. What do people use for inflight battery solutions here? Just bite the bullet and pay 400 CAD for the official ResMed battery pack? I'm not rich, after the flights (necessary for personal reasons), I'm not made of money.

Also, do people have good experiences with jet lag adjustment if they use their CPAP on an airplane? Is the quality much better that I should just bite the bullet and buy the official batteries?

[KatieW]

This has been my experience: I travel from the US usually to Asia, and find that airlines differ in their policies. I have been told that, even in Business Class, the power consistency of plug-in cannot be guaranteed, and I must bring my own power. Some ask that you call the airline at least 2 weeks in advance, so they can approve the cpap and battery. Cathay Pacific always takes a cell phone pic of my battery at check-in, and the flight crew always asks if I need help, after being seated.

Yes, I think it is worth it, if you travel multiple times a year. If I can get 6-7 good hours of sleep, then that certainly helps with jet lag.

My travel cpap was Devilbiss Intellipap Auto (no humidifier) with the BPS (Battery Powered Solutions) C-100 Battery. The updated version is Freedom CPAP Battery.

I am currently testing new equipment, so will need to update the battery and connectors, before my next trip. Have a look at cpap.com for battery options.