Travelling with oxygen
portable-oxygen5
Holiday and travel.
Even if you have a condition which requires oxygen therapy, you may wish to go on holiday either within the UK or abroad. We have put together some key considerations for you if you wish to go on holiday. We can help with many of the details and offer advice. Please give us as much notice of your holiday requirements, however
it is best to request as early as possible.
Going on holiday in the UK
Before you book
→ Contact your planned holiday destination to gain permission for oxygen equipment to be delivered and stored in the accommodation.
→ If you are travelling by public transport – contact the transport company and inform them you will be carrying oxygen.
Remember to advise:
1. Start and end date of your holiday
2. Full postal address and telephone number of the holiday destination.
Holidays outside the UK
(including the Channel Islands)
Before booking a holiday outside the UK it is advisable to discuss your plans with your doctor or
healthcare professional – especially if you are flying. During a flight, the high altitudes will cause the
oxygen concentration levels in the air in the cabin to fall. People without the need for supplementaryBefore you book your flight find out the following information:
→ What the airline’s policy is on oxygen. Taking oxygen on a plane can be easy and free, or
difficult and expensive. Some airlines will not allow oxygen on the plane at all, it depends on the airline. You must find out before you book a ticket. This may also affect your choice of destination or carrier.
→ The exact length of the flight, and whether delays are likely.
→ The facilities available at both airports. This includes assistance required with luggage, boarding the aircraft, wheelchair requirements and whether oxygen is available. If the holiday involves a long-haul flight, you should find out if time will be spent at a third airport for refuelling and how oxygen will be supplied there if required. With the exception of oxygen provision, these services will usually be free.
→ How you confirm your fitness to fly. Some airlines let you travel without a letter from your doctor, while others ask you to fill in a special medical form, verified either by your own GP or by the airline’s medical staff. Most ask for a fitness to fly certificate, obtained from your doctor.