I just found out I have to travel in two weeks....

[Andy99]

This will be my first time on a plane with my CPAP. I would like to bring my distilled water with me so I dont have to try to find it where im going. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO to get ready for my trip???? How hard is it going to be to get through airport security. any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

[cflame1]

In the country or out of the country? There will be a couple of possibly different rules depending on where you're going.

[tillymarigold]

I would recommend that you put your distilled water in your checked luggage assuming you're checking some. It's easier than getting a prescription for it and getting it filled and all that jazz. I pour mine into a regular 20-oz. water bottle and put it in a zip-lock bag in an outer pocket of my suitcase. Same goes for the dish soap (I use a travel bottle like you'd put shampoo in, for that).

It wouldn't hurt to (1) get a medical equipment bag for your CPAP bag, and (2) practice getting it in and out of the bag quickly.

I've flown probably a dozen times or more, including internationally, since I got mine almost two years ago. I've never had a problem except one random guard (not even in the security line, he was just watching the lobby) at Newark said to me once "Hey, ma'am, you've got too many bags" and when I said "this one is medical equipment" and he apologized.

Some places will want to swab your machine as well as have it put through the X-ray machine separately like you do with a laptop. They've always been very polite and professional with me. So far I've flown through, let's see ... Albuquerque, Newark, Pittsburgh, Chicago (Midway and O'Hare), LA (LAX and Ontario), Minneapolis-St. Paul, Edinburgh, Manchester UK, Manchester NH, Barcelona, London-Gatwick, Houston, Atlanta ... I think that's it. Maybe Denver, I fly through Denver a lot. Oh and also National and Raleigh.

[tillymarigold]

In the country or out of the country? There will be a couple of possibly different rules depending on where you're going.

Besides the US I've only flown to/from Western Europe (O'Hare to Manchester UK, Midlands UK to Barcelona, Barcelona to Gatwick, Gatwick to Glasgow, then Edinburgh to O'Hare) but they were pretty much the same--they all wanted the machine taken out of its bag and put through separately. The only difference was that they didn't have signs up saying so.

Oh, but other countries don't exempt medical equipment from carry-on requirements. Luckily I was with my husband so I put my non-CPAP stuff in his carry-on.

[Paul56]

This will be my first time on a plane with my CPAP. I would like to bring my distilled water with me so I dont have to try to find it where im going. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO to get ready for my trip???? How hard is it going to be to get through airport security. any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

I would suggest leaving the distilled water at home for three reasons:

-Heavy
-Takes up room in your baggage
-The container may break unless you use metal. Baggage gets tossed around roughly so prepare for the worst including lost baggage.

Instead check with the hotel where you will be staying. They can advise you on the availability of distilled water within the vicinity of the hotel and perhaps if they are really accommodating they can arrange to have some on hand when you arrive.

If you land up without distilled then purchase some bottled water (demineralized if you can get it) as that won't hurt for a few nights.

DO NOT place your equipment in checked baggage. Keep it with you at all times and never let it out of your sight except to stow in overhead bins. Obtain zip lock bags large enough for each piece of equipment and place inside. Take your prescription with you and an extension cord.

If you are flying Internationally then you will have the additional issue of investigating into compatibility with electrical outlets and power.

[lktnky]

Everything Paul56 suggested AND be sure to ask the TSA person to change their gloves before handling your machine. They've always been pleasant and knowledgeable about CPAP machines. I've even been engaged in conversation about what type mine is.

[nate fry]

Whatever you do DO NOT check your cpap. It is a medical device and doesn't count as carry on. Keep it with you, Plus you don't want it used as a football for the ground crew.

[elader]

This will be my first time on a plane with my CPAP. I would like to bring my distilled water with me so I dont have to try to find it where im going. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO to get ready for my trip???? How hard is it going to be to get through airport security. any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

carry your cpap, mask, hose, power supply, and your laptop, Ipod and snacks in the lowepro fastpack 350 - padded, comfortable, easy access to cpap for security and computer

http://products.lowepro.com/product/Fas ... 087,14.htm

[Debjax]

Everything Paul56 suggested AND be sure to ask the TSA person to change their gloves before handling your machine. They've always been pleasant and knowledgeable about CPAP machines. I've even been engaged in conversation about what type mine is.

Not in Jacksonville....they seem to find CPAP annoying for some reason....at least that was the attitude I received.

[plr66]

Everything Paul56 suggested AND be sure to ask the TSA person to change their gloves before handling your machine. They've always been pleasant and knowledgeable about CPAP machines. I've even been engaged in conversation about what type mine is.

I agree. "Everything Paul56 said." And I would like to add a few things.

I just returned from a 2-week trip to Egypt, which was my first major air travel with cpap. I had lots of great help from a number of threads on this forum to prepare me. My experience was that asking TSA guys to change gloves was unrealistic and unnecessary. YMMV. There are 90 people behind you in that X-ray line, with everyone diligently hurrying to not hold up the works. You put your machine in the bin, and they grab it before you walk through the metal-detector. You can call over to them to not touch the machine, or you can ask yourself what difference does it make if they touch your machine with gloves they have already used. (I mean, do you put on rubber gloves to open a restroom door at a restaurant??) You wipe down your machine with Clorox/Lysol wipes later, and no sweat. It really just seemed like a non-issue when I went through it 8X on this trip. After my first flight on this trip, I did find that it helped to just say out loud to all the x-ray guys "this is a breathing machine," when I saw the belt stop and them calling a co-worker to scrutinize what they saw on their screen. It truly seemed to speed up the process to do so.

The other thing I would strongly recommend is to just forget about the distilled water bit. I use nothing else at home. But on this trip, I just used bottled water. No Problem!! Forget carrying water!! I believe you will find numerous extended threads on the subject which can be boiled down to this.

In hotels, I always removed my humidifier every morning and put it where it would be un-touched by hotel staff, so that it would not be bumped and cause water damage to my cpap. I used travel-pack Clorox wipes to clean my nasal pillows every morning, and also put the nasal pillows in a mesh bag which would not be touched by hotel staff cleaning my room. Never had a problem. You won't need a converter if your machine adapts to both 110/220 volts. You will need an adapter for the wall plug of the country you are going to. And I carried and used a surge protector made for 220 current. Never needed an extension cord, but will always carry one. I hope I have not repeated stuff already said earlier in this thread, and hope you have a great first experience with traveling with your cpap. I worried a lot before I left, so that I didn't have to worry at all once I was on my way!

Edit: Forgot to add that despite my calls to my international airlines ahead of time about this, I did have a snag once in Egypt. On an internal flight, I was sent with my cpap bag from one x-ray guy to another for further scrutiny. And the second set of guys asked with a frown if I had a battery or was using a wall plug (this was of course for a battery I had in my on-board carry-on). I have to admit here before God and Everybody that I lied (sort of), and said "I am using an electric wall plug." I fully believe they would have confiscated my Everest 2 cpap battery, by the tone of their question, so I evaded by not answering the question exactly. I was not using the battery on the plane...it was just in my cpap carryon. This may never happen to you, but from that point on, I just packed the battery in my checked luggage so it would not slow down the process or risk loss of my battery.

[Andy99]

Thanks for all the advice. Im sorry I will be staying in the continental USA. I didnt even think about asking them to change gloves...SOmething to think about. I always use distilled water at home but I might just use Bottled water for this trip. Its only 5 nights.

[Ms Piggy]

IF by any chance the first contact person as you enter security tells you that you have to check your cpap through in luggage even when you tell him it's medical equipment, as happened to me at an airport in U.K. , find someone else, either go to a different entry point and try again or ask for a supervisor. make a fuss anyway cause it just isn't so.

[NeurosurgeryNP]

I have an S8 and and integrated humidifier which separates for placement into the travel bag. I put each of the components in a clear zip-top gallon bag (doesn't need to be sealed) just for extra protection - on our trip last week, they asked me to remove it from the travel bag like a lap top, and put it in the bins (where people's dirty shoes have been). This prevents feet from being on the machine. I don't really care about changing their gloves each time. At both airports, they did swab the machine.