People who use medical oxygen will soon be able to carry them aboard commercial airline flights, thanks to a rule soon to be implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Only Oxygen Concentrators Allowed
But not just any portable oxygen device can be hoisted onboard. The government regulation, which goes into effect August 11, will only allow passengers using two devices, manufactured by AirSep Corporation and Inogen, known as oxygen concentrators, to bring them aboard aircraft.

Compressed oxygen is considered a hazardous material on aircraft, and previously, the government prohibited all portable oxygen devices on flights for that reason.

"This final rule addresses a critical need to improve accessibility for people who must travel with medical oxygen," said FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, in a prepared statement. "If the equipment doesn't pose a safety hazard, there's no reason passengers shouldn't be able to use it aboard their flight."

How They Work
In contrast with compressed oxygen, oxygen concentrators are electric devices that produce oxygen by concentrating the oxygen already in the air, and removing any other gases in the mix. Some of the benefits include lower cost, easy maintenance, and no requirement to refill the unit. One downside, however, is that oxygen concentrators may not deliver adequate oxygen for some patients.¹

Oxygen concentrators and compressed oxygen are forms of oxygen therapy, a way to deliver additional oxygen to people whose lungs cannot produce adequate amounts of it for the body's needs. The cells in your body get their energy from interactions between food and oxygen. In some diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and sarcoidosis, lung function is reduced to the point that supplemental oxygen is needed. This form of oxygen may also allow some people with end-stage lung disease to get the oxygen they need and even be more active.¹

New Rule's Permissions and Restrictions
In addition to giving passengers the option of using the oxygen concentrators during all phases of flight, including take-off and landing, the new rule will allow them to carry the device with them throughout the cabin, as long as the "seat belt" signs are turned off.

Still, the FAA is ordering the airlines to ensure these devices don't interfere with electrical, navigation, or communication equipment on aircraft before the rule takes effect. Passengers who bring them aboard must also ensure that the unit is in good working order and must be able to respond to the units' warning alarms. Extra batteries will be required, as well, to power the devices for the duration of the flight.

Though passengers will be allowed to recharge a battery on board, the government is not requiring the airlines to be fitted to make this option available.

Passengers using the oxygen devices during flight will be required to advise the pilot that they are doing so, and must submit physician-signed verification of their need for such oxygen therapy. While the new regulations will permit passengers to use oxygen concentrators during flight, they do not require the airlines to allow them on board.

According to the FAA, before the new rule was implemented, passengers needing oxygen therapy were required to request a supplement oxygen device from the carrier with which they were flying, often at a cost. 
 
1. American Lung Association. Oxygen Therapy Fact Sheet. Available at: http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35697. Accessed August 4, 2005.

John Martin is a long-time health journalist and an editor for Priority Healthcare. His credits include overseeing health news coverage for the website of Fox Television's The Health Network, and articles for the New York Post and other consumer and trade publications.