Travel advice - airlines.

[pullin]

This may seem like a dumb question, but I've never traveled with a CPAP on the airlines before. I always either fly myself (private plane) or take my RV on business travel, but this time I have to use the airlines.

How do you veterans manage a CPAP machine when traveling via airlines? I don't have time to get a lighter travel version, so my old Resmed will have to make the trip. I also have a company laptop which I am forbidden from checking, so it will be difficult to manage all this as carryon. Has anyone put their CPAP in checked baggage? Did it work out OK? Part of my trip will be on small regional airlines which have limited overhead bin space. What happens if there's not room? It's my understanding that airlines can force you to check some items if there's no more room in the cabin, so I'm a bit worried.

Any advice/experience from veteran travelers is welcome.

[FifthAvenue]

Medical devices are exempt from carry on restrictions. Call your airlines to confirm. Have a good trip.

[Jas_williams]

Generally as your CPAP is medical equipment you get additional carry on for the CPAP. I travel with my Laptop as the carry on and the the CPAP, I always pack the CPAP in its own bag with everything I need mask tube etc and I place it under the seat in front of me when I fly it can stand upright does not effect my legroom does not use bin space and is always in my sight. I would never check the CPAP machine there is no need, and I dont want to have to sleep without it. I then carry my laptop/backpack that goes in the overhead bin. You can download and print out a label for your CPAP machine if you feel the need but security and gate staff see a lot of them as its common for passengers to have these machines. I am from the UK and fly throughout europe every week with no issues, I don't even need to take the machine out of it's bag when it goes through the X-Ray machines. I have also flown in and out of JFK NY and TSA did ask for the machine to be taken out of its bag and place it in a tray but the mask and tubes stay in the bag.



Jason

[rick blaine]

Hi Pullin,

I had a couple hours between connections at Chicago O'Hare one time, and I spent it in an airport coffee shop, looking out the smoked glass window. There was a plane pulled up outside with a sloping luggage ramp on a wheeled flatbed pulled up next to it. And next to that, a luggage transfer vehicle.

There was one guy up in the plane, in the hatch-opening, and one other guy - his partner - at the foot of the ramp. And notionally, the job of the guy on the plane was to dutifully place each item of checked luggage onto the now-circulating ramp, and for his buddy at the bottom to dutifully take each piece off and respectfully place it onto the back of the transfer vehicle.

Only the luggage wasn't 'placed' - it was thrown. At the moving ramp. And, as often as not, the item missed.

In the time I watched – and I had nothing else to do, so I saw the whole thing – only one in two cases from that plane's hold made it onto the sloping luggage ramp.

Every other case missed the ramp. And fell the 20 feet. Onto the hard tarmac.

The guy throwing your luggage – he didn't care. And if that's what you hadta do for low money, 10 hours a day, every day, maybe you wouldn't care either.

But just ask yourself this: do you think your CPAP equipment will be helped by a 20-foot drop?

[Pugsy]

I have checked my cpap bag on occasion because I physically simply couldn't carry anything. Even my small handbag was a challenge..

BUT....bear in mind it was for a flight that there were no connecting flights so the chance of getting lost was very minimal. Small regional airport so not much chance of it getting put on the wrong plane either.
I wrapped it with clothes for extra cushion and it was inside a good padded travel case.

So to answer this question

Has anyone put their CPAP in checked baggage? Did it work out OK?

I have checked it and everything was fine. Not something I did without being nervous but at the time I was physically not able to tote around anything beyond my very small handbag.

[Cardsfan]

The airline can not separate you from your medical equipment. It's the law. Americans with Disabilities act. Your cpap is not luggage. Read about it at www.tsa.gov. look under Disabilities and medical conditions section.

[billbolton]

Medical devices are exempt from carry on restrictions. Call your airlines to confirm. Have a good trip.

Only on flights to which FAA regulations apply...... basically only within the US, or to and from the US.

Its the same for ADA provisions.

[D.H.]

Medical devices are exempt from carry on restrictions. Call your airlines to confirm. Have a good trip.

Only on flights to which FAA regulations apply...... basically only within the US, or to and from the US.

Its the same for ADA provisions.

I've never had an issue elsewhere either. I've flown internal flights in other countries that were booked as part of a tour package rather than with my flight to/from the U.S.

BTW, if you fly to any other country check the configuration of the electric sockets at your destination country(ies). If they're different, you'll need an adapter (probably not a voltage converter).

[compujas]

I actually just traveled two weeks ago with my CPAP for the first time by plane and it was zero trouble. I used the carry bag that it came with (Dreamstation). I put the machine w/ humidifier, power cables, hose, and mask all in the bag, and I have a medical device tag on the strap. TSA didn't even make me open the bag let alone take the machine out. As for on the airplane, I simply put it up in the overhead cabin of all 4 planes I was on. I was even on two tiny regional jets (the 2x2 seat ones) that mandated gate-checking your larger bags and they didn't even question mine, I didn't even ask. They were only checking wheeled suitcases.

As for managing it with my other bags, I had a backpack as my personal bag, my CPAP bag over my shoulder, and I checked my suitcase so I didn't have to lug that around the airport anyway.

If you've never seen how baggage handlers at airports tend to treat the suitcases, I would strongly advise against putting your CPAP machine in a checked bag. Even aside from that, if your bag gets lost even for one night you won't have your machine to sleep that night.

Good luck and safe travels.

[Okie bipap]

I would never pack my machine in my suitcase. When I was traveling on a regular basis, I used a hard-side suitcase with a 2 inch wide strap placed around it. The main purpose of the strap was to make it easy to identify my suitcase when it came around on the carousel. On one trip, I was very glad I had that strap on it. The strap was the only thing that held the suitcase closed. It obviously had been dropped a great distance or had been run over by something.

[jamesbond007]

I never had any issues travelling internationally with my CPAP. I travelled to S. Korea twice on Korean and Spain on Norwegian from the states. I usually call them a couple of days in advance and notify them about the machine and after that no issues whatsoever. I even used my CPAP on Norwegian with a battery and no one cared. I would never check-in. Besides the risk of damage, I am also worried about lost luggage/delayed luggage. I cannot afford to lose my machine even for a single night. Good luck.

[chunkyfrog]

My key advice is, "WHEELS".
My carryon has wheels.
My cpap case has a strap on the back; it sits on top, hugging the handle of the wheelie.
My wallet, and other important stuff is in a fanny pack.

[Holden4th]

My key advice is, "WHEELS".
My carryon has wheels.
My cpap case has a strap on the back; it sits on top, hugging the handle of the wheelie.
My wallet, and other important stuff is in a fanny pack.

A picture please as I am contemplating a similar set up for my UK trip next year. My current carry on (a backpack as well) has wheels but I'm happy to look at something different.

For domestic flights here in Australia I put my essential PAP gear in my carry on backpack and have it in sealed ziplock bags just in case the x-ray guy has never seen a CPAP machine before.

[pullin]

Thanks much to everyone for their advice. I completed the first trip and here's what happened.

My company surprised me at the last minute by loading me up with additional proprietary hardware which "must not be checked, period." So my carryon load increased dramatically (at least by weight). Carrying all this plus my non-travel machine was simply too much. I ended up packing the CPAP into a hardsided case with substantial material around it and checked it. I also disassembled the mask and packed it into a smaller hard case inside the large one (it seemed to be the most fragile item). Everything came through the round trip flights with no damage, but what a hassle. This made my checked bag really large, and lugging all this stuff from parking lot, to check in, from claim to bus to rental car etc. was a nightmare. In addition I felt like a buffoon carrying all this stuff for a 2 night trip. I finally explained to my travel companions that it was required medical equipment, and (bless 'em) they offered to help lifting and lugging as we traveled to our destination(s). I work with some great people.

I timed the total trip, starting from departing my house until finally arriving at the destination city. After getting home, I used google to calculate the same trip to the same addresses on the road. 10 minutes difference. Seriously. Adding in the long drive to DFW airport, checkin and security, schlepping/bussing around to get rental car, and a 45 mile drive to our destination took exactly the same amount of time as driving. I've informed my bosses I'll be doing the trip in my truck from now on. Sheesh.

[D.H.]

Thanks much to everyone for their advice. I completed the first trip and here's what happened.

My company surprised me at the last minute by loading me up with additional proprietary hardware which "must not be checked, period." So my carryon load increased dramatically (at least by weight). Carrying all this plus my non-travel machine was simply too much. I ended up packing the CPAP into a hardsided case with substantial material around it and checked it. I also disassembled the mask and packed it into a smaller hard case inside the large one (it seemed to be the most fragile item). Everything came through the round trip flights with no damage, but what a hassle. This made my checked bag really large, and lugging all this stuff from parking lot, to check in, from claim to bus to rental car etc. was a nightmare. In addition I felt like a buffoon carrying all this stuff for a 2 night trip. I finally explained to my travel companions that it was required medical equipment, and (bless 'em) they offered to help lifting and lugging as we traveled to our destination(s). I work with some great people.

I timed the total trip, starting from departing my house until finally arriving at the destination city. After getting home, I used google to calculate the same trip to the same addresses on the road. 10 minutes difference. Seriously. Adding in the long drive to DFW airport, checkin and security, schlepping/bussing around to get rental car, and a 45 mile drive to our destination took exactly the same amount of time as driving. I've informed my bosses I'll be doing the trip in my truck from now on. Sheesh.

Good point. If you have a flight duration, you have to add at least three hours (probably more) to that before comparing it to driving. That is, the two hours before flight time that they want you to be at the airport, plus the time to get to the departing airport, plus the time to land, get your belongings and get from the arriving airport to your destination. Layover time is usually included it the stated travel time.