Traveling and flying with oxygen

My father was able to get a portable oxygen concentrator as well as a stationary one under Medicare. Between Medicare and his insurance, he had no copay at all. I also was able to get him an external charger and an extra battery, since he exhausted the one battery walking from his until to the front door of the place where he lived, so we could get him to the car to take him out. We could then plug in the charger and charge that battery while he used the 2nd battery while we were out. It is useful to have an external charger and at least 1 or more extra battery.

You can rent a portable oxygen concentrator from Oxygen to Go or other providers. You must tell the airline you are bringing one and they approve it prior to the flight. At Delta, there is a form you complete on their website. I strongly suggest you request wheelchair help at the airport as they help you get through security and its less stressful

And I also got a POC + one standard battery from my O2 supplier under Medicare (Original) Part B. My supplier actually gave me an Inogen One 5.
Medicare says it covers POC but not for travel which I assume means that no extra batteries.
I went on vacation to Florida in January and Medicare also provided me a stable concentrator for use at night while I was in Florida at no extra charge.

Check with the airlines. I've flown United anfd American and neither requires paperwork. Same with the wheelchair. Just request one when you book your flight. Its a huge help when you're traveling. I always tip the attendant. That seems only fair

When I fly with United, they like to see the form my MD has signed that indicates I need to fly with O2 and the liter flow rate. I’ve been asked for it several times. It’s on the united website.

There’s a new regulation by FAA that means that folks can’t fill with batteries over 160 watt-hours. Unfortunately, the double-batteries for the G5 are over 160 watt hours, so the guy that sold my my G5 swapped me one of my double batteries for 3 single batteries so I will use 4 single G5 batteries to fly from HNL to IAD (Washington DC).

Of course, you have to notify the airlines you are flying with O2 and airlines differ on their requirements. I always call right after booking my ticket so that if there’s anything wrong I could cancel (within 24 hours after booking ticket).

To me, it’s safe to HAVE any forms (even if it’s a doctor’s note on letterhead) saying I do need my portable oxygen machine (in my case Inogen One G5), and the setting and when and where I need it (in my case, setting of 1 and for when at altitude). This way, if any travel personnel need to see the form or letter, I have something to show them and they’re usually fine with it.

I actually have my doctor sign a bunch of blank United O2 authorization forms from their website and date it just before my flights and bring one along with my travel documents, just in case anyone needs to see SOMETHING that shows I am not just carrying my equipment for grins & giggles.

I have flown with an oxygen concentrator and I was a board ship with my concentrator. You have to fill out a lot of paperwork beforehand so you need to know at least two weeks in advance so you can fill out the paperwork and send it back to the airline and the ship so they have it on file. It’s not impossible to do it. It’s just you have to do it in advance.
I use wheel chairs at airports so I can get around faster and easier. Even with concentrator, I am not fast.

The new FAA regulation on lithium ion batteries is being interpreted differently by different airline personnel. I didn’t want to run the risk of problems trying to get my batteries on the plane so was careful to use batteries that would meet new requirements of < 100 watt hours each. Had no problems with my 1st flight HNL-IAD & they weren’t even particularly interested in my batteries at all. .