Onboard Medical Oxygen
General Information
Delta no longer provides compressed medical oxygen for use onboard a Delta flight. However, Delta does allow passengers to use approved Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POC) with advance notification. Personal oxygen systems containing liquid oxygen are not accepted on board any Delta or Delta Connection flights.
Passenger Owned Oxygen Equipment
Approved Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC)
- Portable Oxygen Concentrators, POCs are allowed to be used on any aircraft pending advance notice and approval
Medical Oxygen Cylinder / Compressed Oxygen
- Medical oxygen cylinders are regulated by the DOT as a dangerous good and are not acceptable for transportation on Delta or Delta Connection for safety reasons
- Compressed oxygen cylinders with pressure gauges identifying PSI (pounds per square inch) content are acceptable as checked or carry-on baggage without labeling or certification provided it is properly packaged to withstand normal baggage handling and if they comply with certain conditions:
- 39 PSI or less and weigh 70 pounds or less
- Oxygen apparatus must contain no oxygen or 39 PSI or less and
- Regulator valve must be completely disconnected from the cylinder such that the cylinder is no longer sealed and
- Cylinder must have an open end to allow for an internal visual inspection per TSA regulations
- Must be small enough to fit underneath the seat or in an overhead bin to be allowed as carry-on baggage
- Oxygen apparatus must contain no oxygen or 39 PSI or less and
- 40 PSI or more -or- more than 70 pounds
- Cannot be checked as baggage
- Due to TSA Verified Shipper Program requirements, passengers may not ship any item weighing over 16 ounces as Air Cargo and should therefore make alternate arrangements with a package delivery service
- Cannot be checked as baggage
- 39 PSI or less and weigh 70 pounds or less
Request For Onboard Use of Passenger Owned Equipment
Customers may use their own FAA approved POC onboard a Delta flight. To use a passenger owned POC, complete the steps below:
- Reservations must be made and tickets issued prior to requesting the POC screening
- Advance notice is required
- Minimum of 48 hours for domestic travel (travel within the U.S. 50 or between the U.S. 50 and U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico)
- Minimum of 72 hours for international travel
- Minimum of 48 hours for domestic travel (travel within the U.S. 50 or between the U.S. 50 and U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico)
- Verify that the FAA approved portable oxygen concentrator supplier will have the FAA required 150% of battery time for the cumulative flight times. (Note that if your customer carries the POC on board but does not intend to use it while in flight they are still required to follow the FAA battery requirements. (See POC FAA Battery Requirements below.)
- At least 48 hours prior to domestic travel 72 hours for international travel, have your customer’s physician complete the Physician's Statement and fax/email it to OxygenToGo at the contact information listed on the Statement. Failure to submit the Physician Statement at least 48 hours prior to travel may result in delays or refusal to board.
- You or your customer (depending on the passenger contact phone number provided on the statement) will receive a telephone confirmation from OxygenToGo when they have received the completed Physician's Statement. Contact OxygenToGo if you do not receive a confirmation call.
- Your customer must bring the completed Physician's Statement to the airport to confirm the need for in-flight oxygen and to verify the required flow rate. Please note: Advise your customer to carry the Statement with them and not to put it in their checked baggage.
For questions regarding any of the information above, please contact Delta Sales Support or Delta Reservations for assistance.
Renting a POC - OxygenToGo
If a customer does not have their own POC or wants to rent a POC for their itinerary, contact Delta's oxygen provider OxygenToGo® at 866-692-0040. Advance notice is required:
- Minimum of 48 hours for domestic travel (travel within the U.S. 50 or between the U.S. 50 and U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico)
- Minimum of 72 hours for international travel
Delta partners with OxygenToGo to provide our customers with POCs and any related items (batteries, etc.) for use during their trip. OxygenToGo also partners with Delta for passenger screening and documentation requirements.
The OxygenToGo personnel will guide you or your customer through all steps necessary to rent equipment that may be used for the entire air and land trip or for their onboard needs only.
OxygenToGo perform the following tasks on Delta’s behalf:
- Contacts the passenger’s physician to verify the order
- Contacts the passenger when medical clearance has been obtained
- Contacts Delta to document the reservation once the request has been approved
- Contacts the passenger if the order is denied
Additional Considerations When Using a POC Onboard
- Customers cannot be seated in an exit row or bulkhead seat if they intend to you use a POC.
- The POC does not count toward carry-on baggage limit, but must meet the following conditions to be allowed on board:
- The battery should be removed and packaged separately if not in use
- It should have a recessed battery terminal, and the packaged battery terminals should not contact any metal objects.
- The battery should be removed and packaged separately if not in use
- To accommodate an approved Portable Oxygen Concentrator during the flights, Delta needs:
- Minimum of 48 hours for domestic travel (travel within the U.S. 50 or between the U.S. 50 and U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico)
- Minimum of 72 hours for international travel
- Minimum of 48 hours for domestic travel (travel within the U.S. 50 or between the U.S. 50 and U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico)
- The minimum recommendations for arrival time are as follows:
- Domestic Origination/Connection Station: 1 hr prior to departure
- Hub or Gateway Origination Station: 2 hrs prior to departure
- International Origination Station: 2 hrs prior to departure
- Domestic Origination/Connection Station: 1 hr prior to departure
- For any flight on a Delta ticket that is operated by another airline, please contact the airline directly for their policy regarding medical oxygen or inquire with OxygenToGo.
Accepted POCs for Onboard Use
The following Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC) units have been approved by the FAA and Delta for use onboard Delta, Delta Shuttle® and Delta Connection carriers.
- AirSep FreeStyle
- AirSep Focus
- AirSep Freestyle 5
- AirSep LifeStyle *
- Delphi RS-00400 (EVO Central Air)
- DeVilbiss Healthcare iGo
- Inogen One
- Inogen One G2
- Inogen One G3
- Inova Labs LifeChoice Activox
- Invacare SOLO 2
- Invacare XPO2
- International Biophysics LifeChoice/ lnova Labs LifeChoice
- Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator
- Oxus RS-00400
- Oxywell 4000
- Precision Medical EasyPulse
- Resmed AirCurve 10V Auto w/Resmed Power Station II
- Respironics EverGo
- Respironics SimplyGo
- Respironics Trilogy 100 Model RSP1054260
- SeQual Eclipse¹
- SeQual eQuinox (Model 4000)
- SeQual SAROS¹
- SeQual eQuinox
- SeQual Oxywell
- VBox Trooper
¹Note: These POCs may be transported on Shuttle America/Chautauqua but are no longer acceptable for use onboard the aircraft.
* The AirSep Lifestyle device must have a sticker affixed to the inside cover stating “RTCA/DO—1600 21 category M Compliant” to indicate that it has been modified for air travel. If the AirSep Lifestyle device does not have this sticker, it will not be accepted for use on board.
POC as Carry on and Checked Baggage
All other POC brands/units not permitted to be used during flight may be carried on or checked as baggage only under the following conditions:
- The battery should be removed and packaged separately or
- It should have a recessed battery terminal and the packaged battery terminals should not contact any metal objects.
Note: Passengers bringing a Portable Oxygen Concentrator onboard as a carry on item and NOT for use in-flight are not required to complete the Physician's statement to obtain screening/approval or to provide any other documentation.
POC FAA Battery Requirements
The FAA requires that a POC user must have 150% of their actual flight time in battery time, regardless of how long the user may choose to use the device as a carry-on item.
The appropriate number of batteries should be calculated using the manufacturer's estimate of the hours of battery life while the device is in use and the information provided in the physician's statement (e.g., flow rate for the POCs). The expected maximum flight duration is defined as the carrier's best estimate of the total duration of the flight from departure gate to arrival gate.
Change and Cancellation Requests
All requests for changes and cancellations must be referred to OxygenToGo for POC screening/approval. A minimum of 48 hours for domestic travel (travel within the U.S. 50 or between the U.S. 50 and U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico) or 72 for international advance notice is required for changes.
For advance schedule changes, Delta will contact OxygenToGo for POC screening and approval on the customer’s behalf.
Rush Screening Requests
Any request for approval to use onboard medical oxygen within 48 hours (domestic - within U.S. 50 or between U.S. 50 and U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico) or 72 hours (international) of departure, please contact Delta Sales Support or Delta Reservations for assistance.
July 2, 2021