First Air Travel with CPAP

[Roman Hokie]

Help? I have my unit (ResMed S9 Elite) and everything. What paperwork do I need to NOT have to check it?

Thank you in advance.

Roman Hokie - still breathing and sleeping well.

[frapilu]

Hi Roman,

I'm Canadian and I went to the Dominican Republic last year so this may or may not be helpful to you. I got a letter from my doctor stating that I need a CPAP for medical reasons for daily use (I have the letter in my cpap bag at home and I'm at work so I'm working from memory) or something like that. Turns out I didn't need it because the airline knew what a CPAP was and didn't have a problem with it. In fact, I had a couple of water bottles with the CPAP and they were ok too.

Good luck & happy travels.
France

[Popi]

Just did this last week...see my post on NOT yawning once during a full week of all day classes...

They will swap (checking for explosives) and re-scan you cpap after it's already gone through the x-ray machine once. They will not check you reservoir or any of your tubes/masks. It will add about 2-3 minutes to your time getting through security.

Do NOT put your machine into your checked baggage..the metal support bars going down both sides of my luggage were dented inwards after my trip...who knows what that would have done to my machine.

Everything that you need to know:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/ ... /cpap.shtm

[Emilia]

Here are TSA Rules: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/ ... index.shtm

CPAP's should always be carried onto airliner...they do NOT count toward your carry-on allowance.

[needanap]

Just got back from vacation yesterday with my trusty CPAP. Had to go thru security in Rochester, NY and Anchorage, AK and the process in both places was a breeze. They require you to take it out of the carrier (the main section of the CPAP- not the hoses) and place it in a separate bin where they scan it and then take it to another table for swabbing. The carrier is x-rayed too but not swabbed. They seemed to be very respectful of it and gentle and informed me of what they were going to do before they did it. I did tell them ahead of x-raying that it was a CPAP in case THEY were new to the process too and didn't recognize it. PS...bring an extension cord....outlets in hotel rooms are not always convenient.

[PST]

CPAP machines have become so common that TSA personnel are completely at ease with them. The last time I went through security the man in front of me had an S8 too. Needless to say we were careful to see that we each got our own back. I can recognize mine easily because the intake cover fell off and got lost a few months ago when bouncing through an x-ray machine. (Maybe I should add a little piece of green duct tape somewhere to make it recognizable after I get that replaced.)

In any event, I carry no paperwork of any kind, and I've never had a problem. I've been through airports all over the U.S. plus Bermuda, the U.K., Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Some European airports don't bother swabbing the machine the way ours do. In any event, I have never had anyone question me about my CPAP or ask to see a prescription.

[Roman Hokie]

Thank you, fellow travelers of good sleep.

[PST]

Now you're free to do some roamin', Hokie.

[araminta]

The only noteworthy experience I've had going thru security -- and I travel a fair amount for work -- is when the TSA worker complimented me on the camera case that I've converted into a bag for all my cpap stuff. He said it was one of the best designs he's seen. ps It also holds my laptop as well.

[Roman Hokie]

Went through Syracuse out and Green Bay coming back. No issues. They were polite and demonstrated that they were putting on fresh gloves and swabs at my request both times. Of course, GB has no lines in their airport EVER from what I'm told. From the moment I pulled out my ID and boarding pass till I got my shoes back on on the other side and my CPAP back in bag, I was the only passenger going through the gate.

[jmcd]

Been on CPAP since August 31 and flew with it the first time yesterday. I knew that it didn't count as an additional carry-on item but was surprised that they had to handle it and swab it in security. I did ask the TSA agent to put on fresh gloves and she handled it with care. She also placed a paper towel in the bin when they rescanned it. I travel by air a lot - approx twice/month and usually have a notebook AND netbook computer with me. I am amazingly proficient at getting through the security line even with my four bins!

The RT at my DME suggest I buy a small powerstrip with surge protection to keep in my cpap bag for use in hotel rooms. Quite often there are no accessible outlets near the bed or you have to unplug the light or the alarm clock or magic fingers (just kidding) when you need an outlet. Of course for my cpap machine I would not hesitate to have the hotel engineer come to the room find the outlet or provide an extension cord.

I requested no housekeeping during my stay because I do not want to put my cpap, hose, and mask away each day. I often do this as I like to leave my cosmetics out and don't want housekeepers touching them or spraying chemicals around them. I find hotels are very accommodating and I never have trouble getting new towels and supplies (I pack a couple of plastic cups because I won't use glasses provided by most hotels -- too many Dateline and 20-20 shows in my past. I can get by with the unmade bed.