Traveling with CPAP/Bi-PAP

[PollCat]

I used to fly quite a bit for work, and while the airlines never truly lost any of my luggage, several pieces went to places I didn't. I eventually got these pieces but the thought of sleeping without my cpap insured that it was always part of my carry-ons!

[DariaVader]

I've not lost my luggage, but I have had it mangled pretty well, and also It has gotten thoroughly soaked a couple of times, so that nothing inside was dry. I won't be checking my cpap.

[sonicboom]

Hi everyone,

My mother has a ResMed AirSense 10 and I have a ResMed AirCurve 10 S and she was hassled by TSA when she just recently flew down for the holidays. They said that the device was not on their approved CPAP travel list.

I could have sworn there was a place that had a specific Travel Tag for ResMed Devices to attach to the carry bag of the machine, has anyone seen this? I know I can buy a generic one, would just prefer one that is by ResMed if possible.


Thanks,

4GadgetMan

This should not have been a problem. On Resmeds site is a link to an FAA compliance letter for all of their machines. Here is the link.

http://www.resmed.com/us/dam/documents/a...er_eng.pdf

[Mosquitobait]

in roughly 800 flights, only having one temporarily lost bag, id consider it at least "mostly good" experiences. Its just my opinion and pet peave but people freak out WAY to easily about checking anything and its really for no reason. But im so much lazier than most people and its easier to check stuff rather than carry it on.

Ive also never seen people harassed by tsa when traveling with a cpap, they seem to let them go right thru the xray machine with no hassles and not having to remove the machine from the individual bag that its packed in. I see at least one person every week doing it that way.

It's the toss of the coin. My former boss flew 3 times a week, 46 weeks of the year, both domestically and internationally, for 23 years. He had one temporarily lost bag. HIS boss, however, had 3 permanently lost bags, 2 damaged ones and 4 or 5 that were routed wrong and he only traveled maybe once a month. My sister's stepson flew for the first time since getting out of the navy in October and they lost his bag. He had to buy new clothes (custody hearing, so had to be nice clothes). Before that, he only flew navy flights or drove. Bag is still missing.

Me, on the other hand, didn't fly a lot, never lost a bag or had it damaged. My carry on consisted of my purse and a needlework project and they just made me take my sneakers off. Other people have reported other problems, but not my immediate family. I have not yet flown with a cpap.

[cliftonio]

Guess I got lucky, only been on one trip since getting this machine.

Packed everything in the travel bag it came with and just through it on the belt. Went through security in 3 different places, two of those were Canada. In Toronto on the way back, the guy stuffing the gear into the machine asked if it was a projector, I said "nope, cpap". Oh, cool. That was that. It never came out of the case. Now I know each airport can differ but I never have to take anything out other than laptop (not calculators, iPads,iPhones, minidvd, nitendo ds).....heck even a knife I travelled with a few times before security found it! Ooops! Haha

I have no I problems checking a bag, but there is never anything in my checked bag that I can't go without...and given the airline would never admit to loosing something, I am sure the medical insurance people are real good about helping you out (that was sarcasm for those who don't have the sarcasm detector)

[sonicboom]

Hi everyone,

My mother has a ResMed AirSense 10 and I have a ResMed AirCurve 10 S and she was hassled by TSA when she just recently flew down for the holidays. They said that the device was not on their approved CPAP travel list.

I could have sworn there was a place that had a specific Travel Tag for ResMed Devices to attach to the carry bag of the machine, has anyone seen this? I know I can buy a generic one, would just prefer one that is by ResMed if possible.


Thanks,

4GadgetMan

Here is another link to more TSA travel tips with cpap machines:

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/tsa-rules...10222.html

[DavidEBSmith]

Funny, I recently flew to Canada and back and didn't even take the machine out of the carry-on bag and TSA didn't mention it, let alone ask to take it out of the bag or look at it. In the past I've had them ask if it's a CPAP, and may they swab it? On the other hand, this time they didn't even catch that I had forgotten to take my 3-1-1 liquid baggie out of my suitcase.

It strikes me as a bit peculiar that the TSA would have a "CPAP approved travel list", as if they would keep track of what machines are really CPAPs, and be less diligent about inspecting those? The TSA website says nothing about such a list. Administratively, you'd create all sorts of problems with an "approved list" that are easily avoided by just taking a look at every machine (or not). I almost wonder if this wasn't some sort of test question to see what the reaction was. Or, more probably, just a nitwit TSA inspector.

[cliftonio]

^^
I vote nitwit. I think it's a requirement to be lacking of common sense.

[quip]

They said that the device was not on their approved CPAP travel list.

Where can the general public get TSA's approved CPAP travel list? I'm really curious to have this approved CPAP list to see if my own CPAP machine is on it. I certainly don't want to be kicked out TSA for having the wrong CPAP machine.