I did a search, but only found past discussions of CPAP usage in flight.  Also, most or even all seemed to take their DPAP as carry-on.  I would be interested to hear experiences of anyone who has placed their CPAP unit in check-in luggage.  Thanks for any information.  Will shortly be doing a 6-hour flight, but will not require the CPAP while flying.

ale wrote:

I did a search, but only found past discussions of CPAP usage in flight.  Also, most or even all seemed to take their DPAP as carry-on.  I would be interested to hear experiences of anyone who has placed their CPAP unit in check-in luggage.  Thanks for any information.  Will shortly be doing a 6-hour flight, but will not require the CPAP while flying.

Best advice.........do not, under any circumstances, put your cpap in check in luggage. You are entitled to carry it on board, without effecting overall limits.

Dangers with check in luggage include damage to mask (extremely common), damage to hose and it is surprising damage a little 'throwing around' will do to the machine itself.


Daniel.


_________________
The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

My book on my cpap even says not to ever pack it in luggage to fly. To carry it on. Mine has medical equipment enscribed on the bottom of it for flying purposes to help with security, it even says to pack the book with it in case anyone has questions

I  have a friend that packed her's in her luggage to fly and when she made it to where she was going, the tubing had been crushed and her mask was broken. She Said that she had made sure that she packed it well in the middle of all of her clothes and everything so it would have cushioning.

But, if your baggage happens to end up on the bottom of all of the other luggage from everyone on the flight that is a lot of weight to put pressure on your suitcase.

Good Luck on your trip!


_________________
Optilife mask by Respironics
Remstar Plus M with c-flex and heated humidifier
Pressure set at 18
Started Cpap on 12-13-07

"I  have a friend that packed her's in her luggage to fly and when she made it to where she was going, the tubing had been crushed and her mask was broken."

That wasn't a very smart thing for her to do, was it?

That wasn't a very smart thing for her to do, was it?


Nope she regretted it the entire time she was gone! Kinda like vacation gone bad!

 She reminded me of this incident when I told her I was going to be starting on cpap! At least she learned a valuable lesson that she was willing to pass on!

If we wouldn't make mistakes we wouldn't have anything to learn from I guess!


_________________
Optilife mask by Respironics
Remstar Plus M with c-flex and heated humidifier
Pressure set at 18
Started Cpap on 12-13-07

And thats IF your bags make it to your destination at all!  

Carry it on.

Daniel is right.  The machine, being medical equipment, is allowed to be carried on over and above the limit of carry-ons for your normal bags.

Some people have posted about inconveniences with the machine when going through security, but I haven't read or heard of anyone actually being pulled aside or missing a flight.

I carried mine on and had NO problems.  They did ask that I take it out of the bag for xrays but it was not included in my carry on at all.  PLEASE do NOT check it in.  It just isn't worth the hassle.


_________________
~ElleMarie~ One day at a time, ARE YOU KIDDING ME! Sometimes it's just a minute at a time.



AHI 100 -Diagnosis June 2007-

It is a 100% carry-on response, so I will.  I had wanted to avoid any TSA hassel even though I know it was a legal carry on.  Well, maybe trying to reduce overall carry-on too!   Appreciate your kind help.  Al

I travel a lot. When you get to security, you will have to remove your CPAP unit from its bag (don't need to bring out the mask, hose or power cords.) They will take it to a table where they will run a wand with a cloth attached to it over the CPAP, then put the cloth in a machine (looking for residues from explosives.) This only takes about a minute longer than the regular check.

I found that having to pack distilled water (can't take it carry-on) or find some place to buy it at my destination was annoying. I also found the "rain" (condensation from the humidifier) annoying so just removed the humidifier. Haven't used the humidifier in months and have had no problems. (I live in a very dry climate.) The CPAP is also a lot smaller and lighter without the humidifier.  

I also found that the travel case the CPAP came with was cumbersome and did not really protect the fragile mask. Now I just carry the pieces of the CPAP in my carry-on luggage. I bought a hard shell, clear case at store that specializes in camping equipment to protect my mask. The only problem is when I got to my destination the first time I used it, I had a hard time getting the case open because of the pressure changes on the plane. I had my husband drill a couple of small holes in the case lid so I wouldn't have this problem any more.  

Another travel tip: be sure to adjust for altitude of your destination. I live at 465 feet and went to the mountains, had to adjust for the altitude. Your instruction manual will tell you how.

Happy trails!

I've traveled with my CPAP three times since getting it.  TSA has never been an issue.  They always seem to know what it is.  They seem to have some confusion about whether just X-ray it, or also to swap for explosives.  They usually do both, but that is not a big deal.

The first time I traveled, I did take it as an extra carry-on bag on AA.  AA had very explicit approval for it on their website, so I printed that out.  When I tried to board the gate folks made a big deal.  I stood my ground and offered proof from the AA website about CPAP exclusion from carry-on allowance and was allowed on with it.  After my experience, I did sent an email to AA, and received an apology and a note that ground folks would be trained.  

Since this has happened, I've been checking my carry bag.  I've done this because it is a real pain to lug a laptop, CPAP, and roller bag around airports especially if you have connections.  I have a big laptop bag that can fit both my laptop and CPAP, but then the bag is really heavy.