Flying with a CPAP Machine
6 min readSources checked
Airline and government rules change. Check your airline's current rules before you travel.
Quick answer
Carry the machine with you. A checked bag can be delayed, and a night without the device may not be a minor inconvenience. Before the trip, confirm whether the airline requires notice to use it onboard and whether your machine and battery are accepted.
A CPAP machine is hand luggage that has to arrive with you, and using it during a flight is a separate question from carrying it. This guide covers what each operating airline needs to know, how the ordinary lithium battery limits work, what Canadian screening expects at the checkpoint, and the small practical decisions that make the first night at the destination easier.
Scope: Carry-on, screening, onboard use and battery planning for CPAP and similar positive airway pressure devices. Screening examples are Canadian. Airline power and approval rules vary and are identified as such.
Part of: Flying with Medical Equipment, Flying with a Disability
What changes by airline
- Whether the airline treats a device used only at the destination differently from one used in flight
- Whether advance notice or a medical form is required
- Whether the machine travels in addition to the normal carry-on allowance
- Whether humidification is permitted onboard
- Whether seat power may be used for medical equipment
General advice: applies wherever you fly
Carry it, do not check it
Keep the machine, mask, tubing, power supply and prescribed accessories with you. Checked baggage can be delayed or misrouted, and the cost of that is a night without treatment rather than a night without a change of clothes.
Do not build the plan around seat power. Even when an aircraft has outlets, the airline may prohibit their use for medical equipment, and a working outlet is never guaranteed after an aircraft change.
General advice: applies wherever you fly
Ask before you book if you plan to use it in the air
The airline may treat a CPAP used only at the destination differently from one that will operate during the flight. It may ask for the make and model, a medical form, advance notice or a battery reserve, and it decides whether the device travels in addition to the normal carry-on allowance.
If you plan to sleep with the machine in flight, ask whether it may be used during cruise, whether humidification is permitted, what documents are required, where the device can be positioned and how much independent battery time you need. A long overnight trip can still include hours on the ground.
Official rules: Air Canada
Air Canada: carried in addition to the carry-on allowance
Air Canada currently lists CPAP equipment among the medical devices that may be carried in addition to the standard carry-on allowance when the case contains the medical equipment. It also says its onboard outlets cannot be used to power medical devices.
That is Air Canada's current policy and it can change. Another carrier can have a different process, so confirm the rule with each operating airline rather than assuming it carries across a codeshare.
General advice: applies wherever you fly
Write down the machine and battery details
Photograph the identification plate on the machine and the label on the battery before you pack. An agent who can read the specification rarely needs to debate it.
If the battery gives volts and amp-hours but not watt-hours, use the manufacturer's documentation rather than estimating from memory. For ordinary lithium-ion batteries, watt-hours are volts multiplied by amp-hours, but a medical-device battery can carry airline-specific handling conditions on top of that.
Check the destination voltage and plug shape. Many modern power supplies accept a range of voltages, and the label on your own adapter is what decides. Worth knowing: a plug adapter changes the shape of a plug, it does not convert voltage.
Official rules: United States
United States: the ordinary lithium battery limits
Spare lithium batteries belong in carry-on baggage, protected from short circuit and physical damage. The FAA's general passenger guidance permits lithium-ion batteries up to 100 watt-hours, and allows batteries from 101 to 160 watt-hours only with airline approval, with a limit of two spares in that larger range.
Airlines may be stricter than the general guidance, and rules for a medical device can differ from the ordinary passenger allowance. The carrier still needs to see the battery specification for the equipment you are actually bringing.
Official rules: Canada
Canada: at the screening checkpoint
CATSA permits CPAP machines in carry-on and checked baggage, although carrying the machine remains the safer practical choice. For screening you may place the main electronic unit in a clear plastic bag, or leave the mask and tubing in the case while the main unit goes into a bin.
CATSA says distilled water used by the device is exempt from the ordinary liquid restrictions. Present it separately and be ready for inspection.
Supporting medical documentation is not required by CATSA for the screening itself, although a device card or letter can make an unusual setup easier to explain. That does not replace any document the airline requires for onboard use.
General advice: applies wherever you fly
On the aircraft
Do not set up the machine until the crew confirms that you may and tells you where it can sit. The device, case and tubing cannot block an aisle, another passenger or access to safety equipment. During taxi, takeoff, landing and turbulence it may need to be stowed even when it is permitted during cruise.
If you use a battery, keep it visible and in the location the airline approved. Stop using it and tell the crew immediately if it becomes unusually hot, changes shape, smokes or gives off an unfamiliar smell.
General advice: applies wherever you fly
At the hotel
Check the bedside outlet before you are ready to sleep. A room can have an outlet on the wall and none within reach of the bed. Ask the property about an extension cord rather than travelling with a damaged or unapproved one.
If you use distilled water, find out where to buy it at the destination instead of assuming the hotel supplies it.
General advice: applies wherever you fly
Checklist
Checklist
- Photograph the device label and the battery specifications
- Ask the operating airline about onboard use and advance notice
- Carry the CPAP, mask, tubing, power supply and battery
- Protect spare battery terminals
- Check the destination voltage and plug type
- Bring a clear bag for the main unit at Canadian screening
- Present distilled water separately for inspection
- Do not rely on aircraft seat power
- Ask before setting up the machine onboard
- Check the hotel outlet and the water plan before bedtime
General advice: applies wherever you fly
Next step
Check the operating airline's medical-device page, then verify the battery label on the equipment you will actually take.
Official sources
Rules and amounts change. Before you rely on anything marked as an official rule, check the source. These are the official pages we used.
- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Device · Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA)
- Medication and Medical Items · Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA)
- Guidelines for Batteries · Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA)
- Medical devices and oxygen · Air Canada
- Airline Passengers and Batteries · Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Next step
Flying with Medical EquipmentRelated guides
- Flying with Medication and Medical DevicesHow to pack, declare and screen medication, liquids over 100 ml, insulin, syringes, EpiPens and CPAP machines, with the official CATSA and TSA rules.
- Flying with a Portable Oxygen ConcentratorWhat the airline needs to know about your device, how to plan battery time for the whole journey, and what Canadian screening and United States acceptance rules say.
- Flying with a Severe Food AllergyWhat to ask your airline, how to request a buffer zone on flights covered by Canadian rules, carrying epinephrine through security, and a plan for reactions on board.
- Flying to Cusco and Machu Picchu with Altitude ConcernsCusco sits at about 3,400 m, an hour's flight from Lima. What the CDC says about altitude illness, what to ask your doctor, and how to plan the first days.