Everything Respiratory

Flying nowadays is not a picnic, but if you need oxygen, especially when flying overseas, it can get very complicated. Foreign carriers may require that you order oxygen from them, or may allow you to bring in an FAA-approved portable oxygen concentrator (POC), or require that you buy an extra ticket to be able to use a POC. In 2006 and 2007 I decided to travel to scholarly conferences in Poland as I found out that the Polish Airlines LOT offers oxygen at no cost. LOT does not have a medical desk, but there is a medical form with instructions on its website. This form must be filled out by your physician, who must not only sign it but also to affix his stamp. There is a little catch here as the form is good only for two weeks from the day of faxing it to LOT. Therefore, it is very important that the doctor puts on the form that you have a chronic condition and you’re your oxygen needs will be unchanged in two or more weeks. Just in case, bring with you a copy of the form, filled out and faxed by your doctor. At the airport check-in counter remind the clerk about your oxygen reservations and request a wheel chair (it will make it much easier to move through security). Continue reading →