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Medical Devices
- To ensure the comfort of all its passengers, American Airlines accepts a variety of assistive devices for travel in the cabin, such as walkers, crutches, canes, braces as well as some types of ventilators and respirators. Please contact Reservations prior to your flight to provide a description of your device and get approval for transportation
- All approved assistive devices within the allowed size for carry-on baggage will be carried on free of charge
- Although it is safe to use battery-operated devices during the flight, most will need to be switched off upon take-off and landing. Please check with Reservations if you are relying on an assistive device that must be switched on at all times
- Please note that seat power ports cannot be used for assistive devices
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Onboard Oxygen
Theraputic Oxygen
American Airlines makes every effort to accommodate its customers who require supplemental oxygen inflight. Effective July 23, 2012, American will continue to assist customers who wish to bring a Portable Oxygen Concentrator on board, however, due to decreased demand and increased supplier costs, American will no longer accept inflight medical oxygen.
Thank you for your loyalty to American Airlines. Should you have questions regarding this change, please call Reservations.
Personal Inflight Medical Oxygen Units - Not Accepted
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that oxygen on airplanes be dispensed from approved containers available through the airline only, so you may not use your own personal units. American does not provide medical oxygen inflight. If you require oxygen at the airport before departure, during your connection or at your destination, you will need to make separate arrangements.
Medical Oxygen
Portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) approved by the FAA will only be accepted for inflight medical oxygen. A 48-hour notice is required.
The following Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POCs) are approved for use onboard our aircraft:
- AirSep LifeStyle - RTCA sticker required
- AirSep FreeStyle
- Devilbiss iGO
- Inogen One
- Inogen G2
- Inova Labs - Lifechoice
- Invacare XPO2 (includes model numbers XPO100 and XPO100B)
- Invacare SOLO2
- Oxlife Independence
- Oxus, Inc. RS-00400 POC
- Respironics Inc's EverGO
- SeQual Eclipse models 1, 2 and 3
- SeQual Eclipse 3 - 1000B
POCs fit under the double seat side on American Eagle aircraft. Please contact Reservations for assistance with seat selection.
Note: FAA Regulations forbid the carriage of other personal oxygen units including those that contain compressed or liquid oxygen, because they are classified as Hazardous Materials.
Travel Requirements and Restrictions
To travel using a POC, you must have a signed, written statement from your physician clarifying your needs as listed in our recommended letter Physician's Consent Form.
Upon completion of the letter, please notify Reservations at least 48 hours prior to your travel date to ensure all proper medical paperwork is prepared for travel.
Prior to boarding, the customer must present the Physician's Consent Form to an airline representative to ensure:
- the customer is able to operate the POC and recognize and respond appropriately to its alarm
- understanding the phases of the flight ( taxi, take-off, landing) in which the POC will be operable
- the customer has an ample supply of fully charged batteries to power the POC no less than 150% for the duration of the flight and ground connection time where POC is planned to be used
(per manufacturer's recommendation) for unanticipated delays
Please keep the Physician's Consent Form on your person at all times during your journey.
Onboard Usage
Customers are required to provide and know how to use rented or owned "approved" POC. American Airlines does not provide this equipment. Note: American Airlines does not have spare batteries available for customer usage.
Customers must ensure that all extra batteries are properly protected from short circuiting by packaging the batteries so they do not contact metal objects including the terminals or other batteries.
For questions regarding POC usage, please contact Reservations.
Additional Requirements
Your POC must be free of oil, grease or other petroleum products and in good condition, free from damage or other signs of excessive wear or abuse.
If you are connecting to another airline or codeshare flight, contact the operating carrier or other airline for their rules on travelling with portable oxygen concentrators.
Please inform the airport agent that you intend to use a POC onboard the aircraft. The agent may ask to verify your medical statement, so please keep it with you at all times.
During Flight
Your POC must fit underneath the seat in front of you. You may not sit in an emergency exit seat, a bulkhead seat or any seat that blocks another passenger's access to the aisle.
You may use your POC while moving about the cabin as long as the "Fasten Seat Belt" sign is not illuminated.
Aircraft Powerpoints
Some American Airlines aircraft are equipped with DC powerports, however, due to different aircraft types, configurations, and seating arrangements, the availability of a powerport and continuous power flow cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, you must bring a supply of batteries adequate for powering your POC the entire time it is in use. In the event a powerport is available at your seat, it may only be used during flight and may not be used during taxi, take-off, and landing. Use of a powerport requires a DC power accessory obtained from your POC manufacturer.
Other Electrical Medical Devices
If you need to request oxygen (i.e., respirator, ventilator, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), etc.) in the cabin, contact Reservations at least 72 hours before departure for your international flight or 48 hours for your U.S. domestic flight. Upon completion of your reservation, your request will be forwarded to our Special Assistance Coordinator who will contact you to verify your device. For those medical devices that are not listed on our approved list, additional notice may be required for evaluation of the device to ensure it is safe to operate during flight in accordance with FAA regulations.
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Wheelchairs
Whether you need wheelchair assistance at the airport or wish to bring your own manual or battery-operated wheelchair with you, our dedicated staff will do the utmost to make your journey as comfortable as possible. To ensure that all necessary arrangements are made for you, please contact Reservations at least 72 hours prior to departure for your international flight or 24 hours for your U.S. domestic flight.
Passengers Requesting Airport Wheelchair Assistance
- Wheelchair assistance can be requested at the airport. It can only be provided at check-in through security and up to the boarding gate
- Wheelchair users will receive priority boarding. Just ask an American Airlines agent at the gate
- Wheelchair assistance will also be provided for connections between American Airlines flights or from an American Airlines flight to another airline. Please ask at check-in for assistance to be arranged at your connection
- Please note that we do not provide electric carts. Airport buggies are available in some airports for transportation to the gate. Please ask at check-in for availability
- Please note that our staff cannot stay with the passenger at all times or guarantee supervision at all points of the journey
Passengers Travelling With Their Own Wheelchair
- American Airlines welcomes customers that wish to travel with their own manual or battery-operated wheelchair. Both types of wheelchairs can be checked in as baggage in the main terminal at no additional cost
- Manual wheelchair users also have the option to check their wheelchair at the departure gate. Your wheelchair will then wait for you at the aircraft door on arrival. When storage space is available, folding wheelchairs can be stowed in the cabin on some type of aircraft. Contact Reservations for more information
- In most airports, battery-operated wheelchairs must be checked in the main terminal. To ensure that all necessary arrangements are made on your day of travel, please contact Reservations to provide a description of your wheelchair at least 72 hours prior to departure for your international flight or 24 hours for your U.S. domestic flight
- If you check your wheelchair in the main terminal, our staff will provide a wheelchair to escort you from check-in through security and to the gate
- Wheelchair users will receive priority boarding. Just ask an American Airlines agent at the gate
- Wheelchair assistance will also be provided for connections between American Airlines flights or from an American Airlines flight to another airline. Please ask at check-in for assistance to be arranged at your connection
- If you need to be carried or lifted to your seat or need assistance to deplane the aircraft on arrival, please contact Reservations that will arrange assistance for you at least 72 hours prior to departure for your international flight or 24 hours for your U.S. domestic flight
- Please note that our staff cannot stay with the passenger at all times or guarantee supervision at all points of the journey
In-Flight Wheelchairs And Facilities
- In-flight wheelchairs are available on all American Airlines jet aircraft, including all transatlantic flights from Europe and India. Our flight attendants will be happy to assist you if you need to use an in-flight wheelchair to go to the toilets during your flight
- All of our transatlantic flights are equipped with handicap toilets. Please note that our flight attendants can only assist to push the in-flight wheelchair to and from the lavatory door. Passengers must be able to lift themselves in and out of the wheelchair and use the toilets on their own, or travel with a personal care attendant to provide assistance
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Sensory Assistance
Visually OR Hearing Impaired Passengers
- Visually or hearing impaired customers can be escorted from check-in through security to the gate or an American Airlines Transfer desk where they may wait on their own. Wheelchair assistance can also be requested. Please contact Reservations to arrange assistance at the airport
- Guide and assistance animals are welcome to travel in the cabin on most international and U.S. domestic flights – learn more
- Please note that our staff cannot stay with the passenger at all times or guarantee supervision at all points of the journey
Visually AND Hearing Impaired Passengers
- Passengers that are both visually and hearing impaired can travel unaccompanied on any flight providing they can read Braille or communicate with the flight crew. Please contact Reservations to arrange assistance at the airport
- Passengers unable to read Braille or to communicate with crew members will need to be accompanied with a guardian travelling on their own ticket
- American Airlines will provide escort from the check-in area through security and to the gate. Wheelchair assistance can also be requested
- Guide and assistance animals are welcome to travel in the cabin on most international and U.S. domestic flights – learn more
- Passengers will be escorted airside through security to the gate or an American Airlines Transfer desk where they may wait on their own. Please note that our staff cannot stay with the passenger at all times or guarantee supervision at all points of the journey
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Guide And Assistance Animals
- American Airlines welcomes guide and assistance animals in the cabin on most international and U.S. domestic flights. All trained guide and assistance animals travelling with a passenger with a disability can travel free of charge. You must contact Reservations at least 72 hours prior to departure for your international flight or 48 hours for your U.S. domestic flight
- The regular checked or cabin pet procedures apply to any other animals or to animals that are still in training
- An identification card or any other written documentation to confirm that the animal is a guide and assistance animal must be presented at check-in. Alternatively, the presence of harnesses or markings on harnesses, tags or the credible verbal assurances of the owner will be considered as sufficient proof that the animal is a guide and assistance animal
- All guide and assistance animals must be clean, well behaved, remain with the owner at all times, and cannot exhibit disruptive behaviour or pose a threat to the other passengers or other animals
- Guide and assistance animals are accepted on connecting flights. If you are connecting between an American Airlines flight and another airline, you must contact the other airline to check their policies regarding the transportation of guide and assistance animals. Escort can be provided from the arrival gate to the other airline transfer desk or gate at the connecting point
Guide And Assistance Animals For Emotional Support
- American Airlines also accepts animals assisting passengers with a mental or emotional disability for travel in the cabin at no additional cost
- If you need to travel with an animal for emotional support, you will be required to forward a letter from a licensed mental health professional to our Special Assistance Team. Please contact Reservations for more information. A copy of the letter will need to be presented at check-in
- Please note that therapy animals, used to provide comfort to patients in hospitals, nursing homes or other facilities are not considered guide and assistance animals. The regular pet policy and charges apply.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS
Please note that the transportation of guide and assistance animals from / to and through some countries is subject to the additional regulations listed below:
Travel From / To And Through The European Union*
- All guide and assistance animals travelling from / to and through the European Union must have a number tattooed or chip implanted by a veterinarian that matches the number on the animal's vaccination card
- Animals without a tattoo or chip will not be allowed to enter the European Union and will be sent back to the United States or could be quarantined or possibly destroyed
- Travel from / to Ireland: guide and assistance animals are allowed in the cabin on American Airlines flights from and to Ireland. Approval from the Irish Department Of Agriculture must be obtained
* European Union (E.U.) countries include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom
- Guide and assistance animals are allowed in the cabin on American Airlines flights from and to the U.K., providing the guidelines outlined below are followed
- You must contact the British Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) at least a week prior to departure to schedule an inspection and obtain proper health documentation
- You will also need to contact the Animal Reception Centre of your arrival U.K. airport (London Heathrow or Manchester) at least one week prior to departure to obtain a pre-approval letter
- Copies of your animal’s health documentation and of the pre-approval letter must be presented at check-in
Hawaii Quarantine
- Guide and assistance animals travelling to Hawaii must connect through Honolulu as their first point of entry
- Quarantine may also apply - please contact Reservations for more information
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Passengers With Cognitive And Developmental Disabilities
- Passengers with intellectual or developmental disabilities that are able to complete all phases of their flight alone are welcome to travel unaccompanied on American Airlines flights. The passenger or relatives must contact Reservations to provide information about their condition and ensure that they will be able to request assistance at every stage of their journey
- If needed, wheelchair assistance can be requested. Passengers will be escorted airside through security to the gate or an American Airlines Transfer desk where they may wait on their own. Please note that our staff cannot stay with the passenger at all times or guarantee supervision at all points of the journey
- Our gate personnel will also be on call to provide assistance with boarding and deplaning the aircraft and to connect between flights. Please ask an agent
at check-in
- For international flights, it is not possible for parents or guardians to accompany the passenger to the gate or meet them at the gate on arrival
- This is allowed for U.S. domestic flights. At some airports, a boarding pass must be requested at check-in to gain entry into the gate area
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Customers Requiring Extra Space
- American Airlines offers customers that require more space the convenience to book an additional seat
- It is necessary to book an additional seat for customers that:
- are unable to fit into a single seat – please contact Reservations for more information
- are unable to properly buckle their seatbelt using a single seatbelt extender
- are unable to lower both armrests without encroaching upon the adjacent seating space or another passenger
- Please note that additional seats are charged at the applicable adult fare and that the single passenger baggage allowance applies
- Additional seats cannot be booked online. Please call Reservations
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Special Dietary Needs
- A variety of special meals can be requested for customers with specific dietary requirements or medical conditions such as diabetes. These need to be pre-ordered at least 24 hours prior to your flight. Please contact Reservations
- Please note that we cannot remove nor add specific ingredients from our on-board meals
- You can bring your own food onboard for U.S. domestic flights. For international flights, most food will be confiscated at security after check-in and cannot be brought onboard – contact Reservations for more information
- Please note that food cannot be heated or chilled onboard the aircraft
Peanut And Other Nut Allergy
- If you are suffering from nut allergies, please ensure you discuss peanut exposure with your doctor prior to accepting in-flight products served onboard
- Although American Airlines do not serve peanuts onboard, we cannot guarantee that your flight will be peanut-free as mixed nuts and other nuts products are available, and some meals and snacks may contain peanut ingredients, such as peanut oil. Additionally, other customers may bring peanuts on board
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