New rules about flying with oxygen - help!

[mimitosca]

Hi there

I am new to this website but we are planning to go on holiday in the summer and my husband needs to fly with oxygen. British Airways now say they no longer provide it on short haul flights. What are the rules of taking your own oxygen? Any advice on how to do this, find the oxygen and what else is need would be brilliant. Thank you so much

Lucy

[stone-UK]

Hi

With the ever changing rules and constraints. The easy option would be to hire a suitable portable concentrator for your needs.

You will need sufficient battery power for the journey plus fifty %, only single cell batteries are acceptable. ( check with airline)

You are not permitted to take NHS supplied equipment outside of the U.K.

[mrsmummy]

Do contact British Airways for clarification and advice.

[PollyP in reply to mrsmummy]

Be aware though each airline has its own rules! So BA rules may not cross airlines.

Eg Virgin is more stringent than others.

PollyP

[mrsmummy in reply to PollyP]

Good point.

[Craig2234]

My partner requires it also and it is provided free on tui holidays (Thomson airways) and Ryan air charge £50 each way. If you’re going long haul British airways will provide free and as do emirates and Etihad also I think? Avoid KLM/Air France at all costs. They were charging £225 for each flight when we went Inverness to Amsterdam 😳 Hope this helps

[Corin1950]

My husband flew from Zurich to Leeds on Swiss. They charged a lot to supply their oxygen but he took a portable oxygen concentrator (Inogen G2) which was free. His doctor had to fill in a medical form and I completed one for the oxygen concentrator . The flight with assistance was very straightforward after all the arrangements were made.

Good Luck

Corin

[Cairns2 in reply to Corin1950]

How can you get an portable oxygen cylinder free I tried to hire one and it was more than £470.00 and boc won’t let you take one out of the country. It’s a nightmare as they are so expensive

[Corin1950 in reply to Cairns2]

Hi Cairns2

A portable concentrator isn't the same as a cylinder as it does not contain oxygen but makes it from the air so you can take it on planes. We rented ours in Switzerland and brought it back for the journey and to tide us over til he was sorted with oxygen here. Weve now got to return it to Zurich as my husbands been told he no longer needs oxygen . They are expensive to buy and not sure if you can rent them in England. The BLF will know. The brand is Inogen one and there are various models depending on weight, battery size etc second hand Ines are sometimes for sale on here.

Hope you get sorted

Best wishes

Corin

[PollyP]

The BLF is often helpful.

blf.org.uk/support-for-you/...

PollyP

[jmmc]

Hi I'm new to website also. Ì am 65 and have COPDp on oxygen full time. Before my last stay in hospital in March as far as I knew I only had COPD with no oxygen so I booked a holiday to Jersey for 7 days. Ì have had lots of problems with the airline now I am on oxygen saying I cannot take my cylinder on board. Ì was treating a friend to this holiday for all that she has done for me. Ì know it's expensive, but when they said no cylinder my mind went to POCD's which are airline approved. Hopefully I will get good use of it so I bought one rather than rent. Then airline said they wanted a flight assessment which I had Wednesday. Ì was asked not to use my oxygen for 30 minutes beforehand and then it took the nurse an hour to find my arterial vein. They hide. All that time off oxygen I failed the test. My sats were 87 which is good for me but arterial showed different. Ì retain carbon dioxide and apparently I have CCF which they just told me about then. Ì have asked for a retest on Friday. Ì will let you kñow. Ì know this has been my story but mimitosca if i was you i would start making enquiries now instead of like me last minute (well 2 weeks) Regards J

[madmags]

I just took for granted that because Thomas Cook provided me with oxygen on my flight in 2016, (at a cost of £100 per flight, so £200 just for the flight to Zante, Greece and back) I automatically thought I would pay off the holiday and then sort out the extra for oxygen. But now I am desperately trying to sort out a portable concentrator and I am getting myself stressed. But I wish you luck with your situation

[dave26]

If you are going abroad I always book with TUI they provide oxygen free of charge on their flights.

[W7hev in reply to dave26]

That’s good to know we always go with tui but on short haul I don’t need it just wear a mask. Booked with British airways to new York at Xmas and they provide It free but only one person allowed it on plane at one time. So checked it was available on our flights first. Hope this helps someone. I have cf by way