If you’ve taken a commercial airline flight recently, you have firsthand experience with cramped seating, minimal legroom, and narrow aisles. If you’re generally healthy and have good mobility, the experience may have been uncomfortable but manageable. Now imagine you’re seriously ill, far from home, and your insurance doesn't cover an air ambulance. The question then becomes, how do you transport a sick person on a plane?
The answer is carefully, with plenty of planning, help from the airline, advice from your doctor, and the assistance of a medical escort.
When is transport by commercial airplane an option?
Commercial air medical transportation can be a cost-effective alternative to traveling by private jet or air ambulance. It is often a good option for people who can sit up and:
- Are recovering from surgery
- Receiving treatment for cancer
- Are physically impaired or have orthopedic injuries
- Have a neurologic disorder or brain injury
For patients who can’t sit up, a business class or first class “sleeping pod” on a long-distance flight may allow travelers to lie flat and have a medical escort nearby. In addition, many major airlines in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia allow stretcher transport if a medical escort accompanies a patient. Airlines that allow stretchers block off a row of seats in the back of an aircraft and put up curtains to provide privacy. This type of accommodation must be booked in advance through the airlines, who typically work directly with medical transport assistance companies to make the arrangements. Stretcher transportation is not offered by any major commercial airlines in the United States.
How to prepare for transport on a plane
If you or a loved one are injured or become sick while traveling, you may need to take precautions to get home safely, especially if you are traveling long distances. Here are a few things you can do to safeguard your health and comfort on the trip home.
Talk with a doctor about your travel plans. Before making travel arrangements, speak with a doctor about how and when you plan to travel. For long-distance travel, your doctor may recommend you take precautions against blood clots, travel with supplemental oxygen, or request a special diet. If you received treatment at a medical facility, read your discharge papers carefully.
Coordinate with your airline. If you know you’ll need help during travel – including at check-in and screening – let the airline know as soon as possible. Airline agents can reserve a wheelchair for you and help with early boarding. Special accommodations such as stretcher transport must be approved in advance. As a medical travel assistance company, SentinelMED and its logistics team regularly work with airlines and travel insurance companies and can handle all the arrangements for transport by commercial airlines.
Fill prescriptions before you leave. Flight delays are fairly common, so don’t wait until you get home to fill prescriptions. If you are stranded overnight in an unfamiliar city, you’ll be glad you have the medicine you need.
Travel with a medical escort. SentinelMED’s medical escorts are physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses trained or experienced in emergency and travel medicine. They can address your medical needs before, during, and after travel, including administering supplemental oxygen, and advocate for your comfort and safety with airline staff.
Medical Transportation Services from SentinelMED
Although airlines can readily handle requests for special meals or wheelchairs, air medical transportation almost always requires help from a company that specializes in medical travel assistance. SentinelMED provides medical transportation, medical repatriation, and medical escort services to individuals who require medical assistance to travel long distances in safety and comfort.
The SentinelMED team understands the complexity of delivering exceptional care to patients who need assistance during travel. Please contact us to learn more about the services that SentinelMED offers or its staff.
