American Airlines took my medical equipment bag

Some airlines will charge obese people for two seats.

LinkC wrote:I hope they don't start tossing off fat guys in the name of "flight safety"!!!

Been there. Done that.

UA will refuse to transport or will remove at any point, any passenger … in the following categories where refusal to board or removal from the aircraft may be necessary for the safety or comfort of themselves and other passengers: … persons who are unable to sit in the seat with the seat belt fastened and the armrest down. Note: A passenger will not be removed upon the purchase of an extra seat. If an extra seat is not available for sale on the same flight, UA will transport the passenger, without penalty, on the next flight having adjacent available seats and the passenger will be required to purchase the extra seat as a condition of carriage. …

DyannaK wrote:I am sorry all this happened to you... I read thru a pdf file found under Frequently Asked Questions... http://airconsumer.dot.gov/rules/rules.htm

Section 382.121 – Stowage of Mobility Aids and Other Assistive Devices in the Cabin
44. When may a bag containing an assistive device be counted towards a passenger’s carry-on bag limit?

Answer: An assistive device is any piece of equipment that assists a passenger with a disability to hear, see, communicate, maneuver, or perform other functions of daily life, and may include medical devices and medications. A carrier may count toward a passenger’s carry-on limit a carry-on bag containing items other than an assistive device. For example, a bag containing both medications related to the passenger’s disability and toiletry items or one in which a back brace and clothing are packed would be subject to the carry-on limit even though the medications and back brace meet the definition of assistive device. To the extent possible, all of a passenger’s assistive devices should be included in one bag. When making a determination as to whether an item qualifies as an assistive device, the carrier may ask the passenger how the item assists the person in performing a function of daily life.

45. May carriers assess excess baggage charges for an assistive device tendered as checked baggage that exceeds the standard size, weight, or number limit in the carrier’s free baggage allowance?

Pretty interesting reading. I guess it pays to check all this out...

Answer: As a general matter, a carrier must not charge for assistive devices that exceed the standard baggage limits on size, weight, or number of pieces. However, there are circumstances under which the carriage of devices due to their weight, size, or number would constitute an undue burden or cause a fundamental alteration of the carrier’s service. In such situations the carrier may not be required to transport the assistive device free of charge or possibly at all. These situations necessitate case-by-case determinations.

46. Is a carrier obliged to make room for a passenger’s assistive device in an overhead compartment or other in-cabin stowage area if all compartments are full by the time the passenger boards the aircraft?

Answer: Carriers must offer pre-boarding to passengers with a disability who self-identify at the gate as needing to stow accessibility equipment (see section 382.93). If a passenger with a disability does not self-identify and take advantage of the opportunity to pre-board, and all overhead compartments are full by the time the passenger boards, the carrier would not be obliged to remove and check carry-on items of other passengers in order to stow the assistive device in the cabin. Although not required by our rule, in situations where such a passenger would need to use the assistive device during the flight (e.g., a cane used to walk to the aircraft lavatory), we would encourage the carrier to ask other passenger(s) to agree to gate check an item and allow the passenger to stow this device in the cabin despite the passenger’s not having pre-boarded.

I sure hope you can get everything straightened out...

Dyanna

Dyanna - this is great, thanks for sharing. I've always put all my CPAP stuff, power strip, extension cord, meds, etc., in one carryon back (roller type) and never had a problem - no non-medical items. I may carry a second carryon with my regular non-med stuff. (Had some funny looks from other passengers but no problems yet.) However, I have wondered what would happen if I board late and there is not more room! Now, I think I'll try asking about the pre-board option "just in case." I also always carry a copy of the TSA ruling that CPAP is an assistive device and that these don't count against regular carry on luggage.

John

According to American Airlines baggage information:
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Additional items that will be allowed above and beyond the restrictions listed above include:

Outerwear such as coats/wraps/hats

Book or newspaper

Small bag of food to eat on the flight - see guidelines for liquids

Approved safety seat for lap or ticketed child

Umbrella stroller for lap or ticketed child

Diaper bag for lap or ticketed child

Assistive devices for passengers such as wheelchairs, walkers and CPAP machines

Therapeutic oxygen provided by the airline
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I have flown Alaska Airlines and a few other airlines and never had a problem taking my purse, a small carry-on and my CPAP. Your CPAP never counts as one of your carry ons. In fact it is FAA regulation you can even use the CPAP on the plane (you will need a special adapter).

The first time I went through security I didn't take the machine out of my bag. The TSA person told me when I go through security to put the machine itself in a separate tub so they can swab and test it for explosives? Anyway, that was great info and made my subsequent travel alot easier.

I always use distilled water but when I travel I cannot always get it. But I have found it really doesn't hurt to run tap or bottled water for a while. When I get off the plane at my last destination I pick up a bottle of water while I am leaving the airport. If I run tap or bottled water through and get a build I just fill the tank with vinegar water and soak it for a while. The tanks clean up quite well.

Good luck on your next trip

nancyb wrote:In fact it is FAA regulation you can even use the CPAP on the plane (you will need a special adapter).

Unfortunately, there is no such regulation.

Cheers,

Bill

So we now consider ourselves disabled simply because we have been diagnosed with sleep apnea? How many of us actually need the cpap for use during flight?

Isn't the desire to carry on the equipment simply motivated because of a fear that our luggage could be displaced or mishandling could cause damage? I can understand a person needed crutches, a cane, wheelchair, personal oxygen, medical pumps, etc. because the equipment is a direct mobility aid or is required in flight to ensure a safe or comfortable journey.

If I have a bad back should I be able to insist that I am allowed to carry into the cabin one of those humongous foam wedges in case there's neither one at the hotel or even one of those electric shiatsu massagers? What about gum disease, should those so afflicted insist they have the right to pre-board with their irrigators and electric tooth brushes or an ultrasonic cleaning machine for their choppers ?

If this is a bona fide disability, does this mean I can finally apply for a handicapped parking pass and take advantage of those great parking spots at the mall?

I believe that we do ourselves a disservice by claiming that this is a disability in the classic sense of the word. I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel as able as any other healthy seventy-seven year old man* even if I am twenty-five years their junior.


* well maybe not as able as Regis Philbin but I believe he's alien and doesn't count anyway!

spitintheocean wrote:I believe that we do ourselves a disservice by claiming that this is a disability in the classic sense of the word.

I agree. Its a two-edged sword that can cut in unexpected ways.

Personally I always arrange my air travel to take no more than two small and truly "carry-on" items (one of which is a Blue Resmed bag) in the cabin on USA domestic flights and I've never needed to "claim" the right to an additional carry on, nor have I ever been refused carry on for my two small items.

YMMV

Cheers,

Bill

How many of us actually need the cpap for use during flight?

It is not about that - it is about the fact that the airlines do not guarantee that you checked baggage will arrive in one piece within 24 hours of your arrival. Do you want to receive your cpap machine 3 days after it has been run over by a truck? Your checked luggage get THROWN in and out of the cargo hold, it sits on top of an open cart that races across the tarmac to hopefully the right plane and often when it makes a quick turn the baggage rolls off!

Plus the insurance is about $500 to $1000 - that's it. I don't know about you but that won't cover half of the cost of a new machine or my shoes for that matter. But my shoes are not a life necessity.

spitintheocean wrote:So we now consider ourselves disabled simply because we have been diagnosed with sleep apnea? How many of us actually need the cpap for use during flight?

I recently flew Ottawa > San Antonio > Newark > Mumbai > Kochi, India and did not use my equipment once.

spitintheocean wrote:Isn't the desire to carry on the equipment simply motivated because of a fear that our luggage could be displaced or mishandling could cause damage?

That was most definitely my motivation to keep my equipment as carry-on... that plus the rough handling checked baggage can go through.

Are Canadian airlines that bad?

Seriously, how can those arguments trump the concerns a businessman has for his laptop, a photographer for his camera equipment, a tourist for his video camera? Or do the airlines handle checked luggage with cpap equipment differently? Why shouldn't those travellers insist on being allowed to carry on an extra bag because the same company they trust to propel their persons seven miles into the atmosphere can't be trusted to get their baggage safely to the intended destination?

I'm concerned that as cpap users, we may be abusing the privileges necessarily afforded to those with disabilities that really need them. We're the first to claim that a large percentage of the population is probably stumbling through life unaware they are suffering from sleep apnea. If travel is routine and loss or damage by baggage handlers is a concern why not purchase an inexpensive insurance rider?

If we are so concerned that the airlines can't be trusted with our valuables while out of our sight, then perhaps we need to reprioritize exactly what needs to come into the aircraft's cabin. If I only pack the hose, mask, power cord and Autoset II, I'll still have ample room in my Resmed bag for some other odds and ends necessary for my personal enjoyment during the flight? My Ipod's not that big and neither is a decent paperback and a couple packages of chewing gum. And if I still want/need a portable DVD player, laptop computer and portable game device, I can always use my roller-wheeled carry-on to pack my cpap stuff, the rest of that paraphenalia, and still have room for clean underwear. The humidifier, distilled water, hose hanger and sleepy blanket can all be transported as checked luggage.

It's just that this whole business of claiming we need our cpap equipment in the cabin for medical reasons seems so skeevy, like someone who's figured out an angle to get a handicapped parking permit when he isn't truly physically disabled. It may be legal but is it really ethical?

spitintheocean wrote:I'm concerned that as cpap users, we may be abusing the privileges necessarily afforded to those with disabilities that really need them.

Well, that is one of the reasons I limit my carry-on to one bag for the xPAP, laptop and odds 'n ends.

It is difficult for the airline staff to raise a fuss when there is only ONE bag that is smaller than maximum allowed carry-on size.

spitintheocean wrote:So we now consider ourselves disabled simply because we have been diagnosed with sleep apnea? How many of us actually need the cpap for use during flight?

It's not about needing to use the equipment on the plane itself.
The issue is the impairment suffered if the equipment were lost or damaged when sent separately as checked-in luggage, and the disfunction experienced if I had to sleep without my cpap.

Are Canadian airlines that bad?

All airlines are that bad, Every single one of them. They will tell you exactly the same thing - all of them - do not put fragile or expensive or medical requirements in checked baggage. The luggage with the tire marks went to Frankfurt with KLM (my mother didn't). Think about it - sometimes they have 20 minutes to get a plane empty and your luggage to the correct plane and it can take you 20 minutes just to hike across the airport and that is just your bag there are over 300 bags in the plane to get to different airplanes using different airlines do you think they are all going to be super carefull? At any given moment there are thousands of bags crisscrossing a busy airport. It is amazing that the baggage gets where it is supposed to go at all.

When I travel I take my electronics, my medications, a book and a change of underwear and maybe my knitting if I feel industrious. It all used to fit in my back pack - including my purse. Now I need to bring an extra bag for my cpap.

Paul56 wrote:

spitintheocean wrote:I'm concerned that as cpap users, we may be abusing the privileges necessarily afforded to those with disabilities that really need them.

Well, that is one of the reasons I limit my carry-on to one bag for the xPAP, laptop and odds 'n ends.

It is difficult for the airline staff to raise a fuss when there is only ONE bag that is smaller than maximum allowed carry-on size.

Bingo! That is exactly the correct answer in my opinion. So you're only concern is that you are permitted to have this 'medical apparatus' accompany you, not that you get extra carry-on capacity at the expense of other passengers.

I once had four trips in a row where my bag had to be delivered to me, mostly the next day. I have had someone else's bags delivered to my house. I have been with companions who have had bags go to two different, incorrect places.

I have lost bags completely on an airline that managed to get me safely to my destination. They have yet to lose me, but my luggage? They have systems set up to deal with lost luggage as a routine thing.

I have never brought anything to the airport that violates the airlines published rules, or guidelines about what I can and can't travel with. I have checked in at the counter, asked about my bags, been told they are okay, I have gone past the gate agents with my bags, gotten on to the plane walking past flight attendants and been okay, only to be yelled at or insulted by the last possible person. This is not something that I would categorize as my fault.

What I carry on can be okay on one flight leg and not okay on another, with the same airline and aircraft. The published rules seem recognize CPAP as a necessary device (for whatever reason) and indicate that we are probably better off carrying it separately from anything else. The problem is the airlines have reduced available space on planes and started charging for checked bags without effective ways to deal with the consequences (when this first started some airlines weren't even set up to take the money efficiently). So then it becomes the paying passengers fault?

Maybe airlines need to figure what their policies need to be in light of what they can and cannot do, price tickets appropriately and then publish guidelines we can use to plan our packing and ensure that we have our machines when we need them.