Air travel - Canadian airline questions

Hi
I am about to take my first airplane trip with my new CPAP gear and I am not sure how it works as "luggage".
I will be travelling from Toronto to Vancouver and then on to Hawaii on Air Canada - can anyone give me their RECENT experiences with them.
On the return I will be travelling on WETJET - first from Hawaii to Vancouver and then from Vancouver to Toronto - once again RECENT experiences would be most helpful.
Some questions I have:
Is the CPAP equipment treated as "carry-on luggage" and as such subjected to carry-on restrictions (both airlines?) OR is it exempt?
I really need to know this - so I know if I can bring my purse and regular carry-on bag.

Security at the airports in Canada and in Hawaii - will it take significant extra time and will they closely examine my equipment?
Is arriving two hours early - good enough?

Thanks so much for any help and info! I checked the airline websites and found them very unclear and ambiguous. The CATSA people were actually the most helpful - in terms of security - they said a Dr's note is good to have but NOT required (which is good to know - since I can't get one before the trip - my DR. is ill!)

I called AC b/c I have an upcoming trip planned with them. I was told that whenever I need to fly with them I should give them a call and let them know I will be bringing my CPAP with me. It does not count towards my carry on allowance. For overnight flights, I can not use the seat AC b/c it does not supply a constant level of power. But I could bring a battery with me. And there are rules and regs about the battery.

I was told I do not need a drs note/certificate to travel with it . The guy on the phone said people don't randomly carry CPAP machines unless they really need them.

I would suspect WestJet would be the same, if not better. They have great customer service.

Have you called them?

Thx jo'm
AC sounds like it will be fine.
I have tried to reach AC and westjet but because of the weather issues on the east coast right now - it's pretty impossible to get through - but I will try again tommorrow.

Air Cananda

http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/ ... ry-on.html

Special items
The following items are allowed at all times, in addition to your carry-on allowance:

Mobility aid (e.g. braces, cane, crutches, walker, communication device*) or other special need item,
Container carrying life sustaining items,
Medication in its original, labelled container,
Battery-powered medical equipment (such as CPAP and sleep apnea devices) and Personal Oxygen Concentrators,
Cremated remains**,
Syringe or needle for personal medical use (e.g. Epipen). See Exception in ‘Prohibited Items' section below.

View detailed information on our Customers with special needs page.

WestJet isn't clear on it on their website.

If you you want to use it during flight however you need to contact the company 48 hours before the flight.

As far as security is concerned, I always take it out and put it in a tray like my laptop.

Well some good news and bad news.
I was able to contact Air Canada and confirm with them that I can bring the CPAP on-board AND that it is NOT part of the carry-on allowance - so on my outbound trip I will be able to carry on my CPAP and carry-on bag and purse with NO problem. They were actually excellent - the rep checked with her supervisor just to be sure and advised me to arrive a little early at the airport for security..

Sadly Westjet was another story entirely. The rep checked with no-one and just read from the "script". According to her I can bring on my CPAP BUT it will be part of the carry-on allowance - so in effect I can only bring my purse and CPAP on board for the return trip. I was very disappointed with Westjet and have entered a complaint on their system. I don't think that I will be flying with them in the future. I hate to say it but Air Canada REALLY beat them out on this one. The AC rep took lots of time with me and was most helpful. The Westjet rep was polite but was clearly ONLY interested in getting rid of me and sticking to the "script".

Now I have to decide whether I will bring the CPAP or not. These flights are long and I REALLY need what I usually carry in my carry-on( it's not even a big one - just a small back-pack). I will probably be fine without the CPAP for the 2.5 weeks BUT since I am new to it when I get back I will have to go through the whole breaking-in process again - so I am feeling pretty frustrated.

Jeannezeno wrote:Now I have to decide whether I will bring the CPAP or not. These flights are long and I REALLY need what I usually carry in my carry-on( it's not even a big one - just a small back-pack). I will probably be fine without the CPAP for the 2.5 weeks BUT since I am new to it when I get back I will have to go through the whole breaking-in process again - so I am feeling pretty frustrated.

It's a pain to carry, maybe. But don't, please DON'T do without it.

I was forced to do without mine for four nights due to Hurricane Isaac, and I have never been so miserable in all my life. I was utterly exhausted. Beyond exhausted.

I don't care what I have to do. I'm not going through that again.

Jeannezeno wrote:Well some good news and bad news.
I was able to contact Air Canada and confirm with them that I can bring the CPAP on-board AND that it is NOT part of the carry-on allowance - so on my outbound trip I will be able to carry on my CPAP and carry-on bag and purse with NO problem. They were actually excellent - the rep checked with her supervisor just to be sure and advised me to arrive a little early at the airport for security..

Sadly Westjet was another story entirely. The rep checked with no-one and just read from the "script". According to her I can bring on my CPAP BUT it will be part of the carry-on allowance - so in effect I can only bring my purse and CPAP on board for the return trip. I was very disappointed with Westjet and have entered a complaint on their system. I don't think that I will be flying with them in the future. I hate to say it but Air Canada REALLY beat them out on this one. The AC rep took lots of time with me and was most helpful. The Westjet rep was polite but was clearly ONLY interested in getting rid of me and sticking to the "script".

Now I have to decide whether I will bring the CPAP or not. These flights are long and I REALLY need what I usually carry in my carry-on( it's not even a big one - just a small back-pack). I will probably be fine without the CPAP for the 2.5 weeks BUT since I am new to it when I get back I will have to go through the whole breaking-in process again - so I am feeling pretty frustrated.

I travel Westjet (out of Canada) regularly to Mexico with my CPAP (one small bag) and a larger carry-on. I also travel Air Canada often. Have never once been asked, questioned, or raised an eyebrow. I throw a copy of my prescription/receipt in the bag just in case security ever has a medical equipment concern...again..never an issue.

Grant

I just read the Westjet website and you can take TWO pieces of carry-on as well as another personal item, so you could have your luggage, CPAP bag and another small personal bag.

I would call the airline back and confirm this, but it was quite clear under the Baggage section.

Cheers,
xena

Please don't not take it with you. You can either carry it on, as if you have not been told different (act confident), as Grant says he travels with his all the time or you can call back and try someone new, if you don't get the answer you want escalate it to a supervisor. Don't take no for an answer.

Personally, I would just show up with it, don't make an issue of it.

Jeannezeno wrote: Now I have to decide whether I will bring the CPAP or not. These flights are long and I REALLY need what I usually carry in my carry-on( it's not even a big one - just a small back-pack). I will probably be fine without the CPAP for the 2.5 weeks BUT since I am new to it when I get back I will have to go through the whole breaking-in process again - so I am feeling pretty frustrated.

Don't be stupid, you won't be "fine" you will feel like a truck hit you and it will ruin your whole stay. Get a bigger back pack, maximum size allowed. I travelled regularly with a cpap, laptop, a change of clothes, my meds and knitting all in one back pack.

You asked for RECENT experience but didn't define how recent you need it to be!

For what it's worth, I have flown Toronto - Hawaii a couple of times over the years, most recently in Jan 2010. Both times, I flew on US air carriers via US waypoints so my experiences may not be relevant to you.

I also have flown on Westjet from Toronto to Comox BC, with a stop in Edmonton. This was in 2008 but the lack of response from Westjet that you've described is the same as I experienced at that time.

These flights, along with some others to various destinations have led me to the following rules that seem to work for me, as a Canadian flying out of Toronto.

1) when flying on US carriers, it's best to carry your cpap in it's own case as an extra carry-on that does not count in your quota of carry-ons. This rule only works when all of your connecting flights are also on US carriers as they seem to be the only ones who are required to allow it.

2) when not flying on a carrier that allows a cpap as a free, extra carry-on, then pack the cpap inside your regular carry-on luggage. Leave the cpap case at home. I usually use a 21" roll-on bag as a carry-on and the cpap (without its case) takes up about half of the space inside it. This leaves space for the other, usual carry on items.

3) for destinations that do not allow me to take a 21" roll on bag as a carry-on (typically flights that use "regional carriers" and smaller planes, but also some flights to "sun destinations"), the cpap should be carried-on in its own carry case. I have never had problems when carrying it this way, plus a second ***small*** bag for my other important carry-on items.

Something to keep in mind: many airlines allow you to take two carry-ons: one bigger one such as a 17" or 21" roll-on bag PLUS a smaller one such as a computer case or purse. My Respironics cpap is close to the size limits of the second carry-on bag. Thus, even if the cpap counts as a carry on, it may not prevent you from also taking your usual, primary carry-on bag.

In all cases, call the airlines in advance to ascertain current rules. And make sure you do this for all connecting carriers, too. This may be difficult to do now that they all practice "code sharing" and it may not be clear who will be your carrier for the flight!

Best of luck and enjoy your trip. Don't let the difficulties in flying with cpap get you down. In the end, you'll likely have no problem at all. Just .... DON'T ....EVER ...... CONSIDER ....LEAVING .....HOME ......WITHOUT ......YOUR.....CPAP.

BlackSpinner wrote:Don't be stupid, you won't be "fine" you will feel like a truck hit you and it will ruin your whole stay. Get a bigger back pack, maximum size allowed. I travelled regularly with a cpap, laptop, a change of clothes, my meds and knitting all in one back pack.

I'm one of the lucky people who can use Provent for travel. If Provent had not worked for me, I would have taken my APAP with me to Peru and worked out somehow what to do with it on a VistaDome train with no luggage racks. Going without treatment does not seem like a good plan.