Source: Annual Congress 2009 - Socio-economic and epidemiological aspects of sleep apnoea
Disease area: Sleep and breathing disorders

Abstract

Introduction
Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) managed with CPAP will undertake air travel which may include long-haul flights. It is recommended that patients continue CPAP use whilst travelling.
There is no record of which airline companies permit the use of CPAP. We aim to illustrate this and list those companies that do.
Methods
A complete list of airline companies servicing United Kingdom commercial airports was retrieved using their web pages. Each airline company‘s web page was surveyed for its accessibility of information, and its availability of use of CPAP in flight.
Results
58 airline companies were identified. 53 web pages were accessible and included in the study. CPAP was navigable from the home page in 13 cases (25%).
Eleven (21%) of airlines permitted the use of CPAP. Continental Airline did not permit the use of CPAP in flight. The remaining airlines had no mention of CPAP.

Airline Companies that Permit the Use of CPAP in Flight

British Airways

Quantas

Air New Zealand

Air Maritius

Elal Airline

Northwest Airlines

Singapore Airlines

Japan Airlines

Cathay Pacific

Air Canada

Air Transit

None of the airlines that permitted CPAP provided a power supply: patients would need to provide their own dry powder / gel cell battery pack. All except two, required medical clearance for its use.
No companies gave information on notice of carriage or costing with respect to CPAP.
Conclusion
· Few airline companies provide information for patients about the use of CPAP in flight.
· This deficit in information may discourage patients from using CPAP, especially on long haul flights, and therefore increase the risk of road traffic accidents when driving a hired car after travel.

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Citations should be made in the following way:
S. Gill, A. James, G. Walters, D. Banerjee (Birmingham, United Kingdom). Airline acceptability of CPAP: is relevant information available on the airlines‘ websites?. Eur Respir J 2009; 34: Suppl. 53, 3670

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