Traveling with CPAP Machine???

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Hi All! My husband now uses a CPAP machine for sleeping. It did come in a soft sided bag. Was wondering if anyone brings theirs as a carry on? Would that be an issue at airport security, or at least slow things down terribly? Was also considering packing the whole bag inside of a checked suitcase. Just a little worried about it getting tossed around and breaking! It was very expensive and and he really needs it to sleep. Thanks, Jane

 

[GDUL]

You should always carry the CPAP onto the plane. TSA is very used to seeing CPAP units coming through security. Since it is medical equipment, it should not count against your "2 carry on" limit.

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Gdul, thank you for the quick response! Appreciate the info. I didn’t want to do anything to slow down a TSA checkpoint.

 

[amcnj]

I think as with a laptop, it might have to come out of the bag for the tsa check. Otherwise as mentioned above, it should be considered a medical device which you can carry on, and as an additional item, not your carry-on item(s).

 

[rwdavis2]

Yes, just leave it in the bag and packed neatly so the TSA screeners won't have to untangle anything if they do decide to inspect it. My wife travels with a nebulizer and it usually gets screened: visual and swabbed. Mainly because it's less common.

 

[Shanti]

Hi All! My husband now uses a CPAP machine for sleeping. It did come in a soft sided bag. Was wondering if anyone brings theirs as a carry on? Would that be an issue at airport security, or at least slow things down terribly? Was also considering packing the whole bag inside of a checked suitcase. Just a little worried about it getting tossed around and breaking! It was very expensive and and he really needs it to sleep. Thanks, Jane

My S.O. travels with his CPAP machine in his carry-on. You're fine. It's a medical device and they see them all the time. Don't ever check it in and let it get destroyed by rough luggage handlers.

 

[dreiwhit]

When I flew for work, I carried my CPAP as carry on baggage. As others have said, it doesn't count against your 2 carry items.

I also placed my machine, hose and tube in seperate plastic zip loc bags (I used a 2 gallon one for the machine.) Who knows what is "growing" on those bins.....

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Yep, we travel all the time with one. Just put all the pieces into ziplocs and take it through as carry-on.

 

[bumbershoot]

Please don’t check expensive, delicate, life saving equipment.

I didn’t want to do anything to slow down a TSA checkpoint

Sneezing can slow tsa lol. Not sneezing can slow tsa. Anything can slow it down.

Google “tsa cpap” and find the tsa info about it.

Don’t bury it in another carryon even if that’s what you’ll do for the flight. Have it on it’s owm and easy to inspect if they wish to do so.

I also placed my machine, hose and tube in seperate plastic zip loc bags (I used a 2 gallon one for the machine.) Who knows what is "growing" on those bins.....

Good idea.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Please don’t check expensive, delicate, life saving equipment.
Sneezing can slow tsa lol. Not sneezing can slow tsa. Anything can slow it down.

Yep. Basically, you have no control of the speed in which TSA decides to deal with you. You have one job: compliance. Just make it easy for them and it's easier for you. They've seen CPAP's, they know what they are, they know what sane precautions for medical equipment are, just make sure they are able to easily inspect it, and get on with your worrying about everyone else in that line who can't understand WHY they need to "empty their pockets". Those are the people who are going to cause TSA to slow down... and you can't control them...

 

[bumbershoot]

I had a book in my carryon early November and they couldn’t “see through it”. So that got me pulled aside. In precheck!!!

Flying home I pulled it out and put it in a bin (intl flight home, no precheck so they had bins) and the agent thought I was crazy. It IS a thick book though.

Anything can slow them down...

 

[CarolynFH]

DH and I both have CPAP machines with soft sided cases like yours. We bring them as carryons - as others have said, they don’t count against your limit. We’ve never had TSA question or inspect them (each component has its own place in the case, so easy for them to see on X-ray) in the US, but when we were leaving Athens, Greece last year they made us take the machines out of both cases and send through X-ray separately!

 

[nacho113]

Hi All! My husband now uses a CPAP machine for sleeping. It did come in a soft sided bag. Was wondering if anyone brings theirs as a carry on? Would that be an issue at airport security, or at least slow things down terribly? Was also considering packing the whole bag inside of a checked suitcase. Just a little worried about it getting tossed around and breaking! It was very expensive and and he really needs it to sleep. Thanks, Jane

People travel with CPAPs all the time. TSA requires it to come out of it's bag and go through in it's own bin (same as any other large electronic ie: laptop, game console etc). It may still be pulled for additional screening after the x-ray. Tubes, mask etc can stay in the bag.
For cleanliness sake, it's not a bad idea to have the unit in a large ziplock bag. Those TSA bins get re-used over and over again all day long.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequent...y-cpap-machine-onboard-plane-do-i-have-remove

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Hi All! My husband now uses a CPAP machine for sleeping. It did come in a soft sided bag. Was wondering if anyone brings theirs as a carry on? Would that be an issue at airport security, or at least slow things down terribly? Was also considering packing the whole bag inside of a checked suitcase. Just a little worried about it getting tossed around and breaking! It was very expensive and and he really needs it to sleep. Thanks, Jane

does not happen often bit what would you do if the checked case that has his CPAP in goes missing and does not arrive with you. brother in law had this happen when he put car keys in a checked bag and as you said he needs to sleep. only in a carry on

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Ok, so now that I know I can travel with the CPAP, I have a new question.... at home, my husband uses Distilled Water in his machine. Do the refrigerator cases at the resorts have distilled water now? Or do you just use Tap water in your machines, since it’s only a week worth of use in the machine? Thanks again for your help!

 

[CarolynFH]

Well, we have frequently used tap water especially for short stays, and our machines work fine! But the gift shops do sell distilled water - you may need to ask. It’s not in the refrigerator case. The stores at DVC resorts (such as the Screen Door at BW) all carry it, and we bought it at Pop as well.

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Well, we have frequently used tap water especially for short stays, and our machines work fine! But the gift shops do sell distilled water - you may need to ask. It’s not in the refrigerator case. The stores at DVC resorts (such as the Screen Door at BW) all carry it, and we bought it at Pop as well.

Thank you Carolyn! I thought if these machines were becoming more commonplace, maybe Disney has gotten on board. This is great news!

 

[Dis703]

Ok, so now that I know I can travel with the CPAP, I have a new question.... at home, my husband uses Distilled Water in his machine. Do the refrigerator cases at the resorts have distilled water now? Or do you just use Tap water in your machines, since it’s only a week worth of use in the machine? Thanks again for your help!

You have to ask for distilled water, but they do have it available. I think in some resorts it may be in the gift shops but at Pop last week it was kept in the food court. Someone just had to go into the back and bring it out for me.

 

[dreiwhit]

Tap water may work in a pinch, but I would not recommend it unless you didn't have another water source. In my area, the tap water is heavily chlorinated. I tried it once in my CPAP and was coughing from the overwhelming chlorine bleach smell.

If you can't find distilled water, buy a 20 ounce bottle of Aquafina or some other such tap water. It works fine.

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Thank you for all the responses. I will check in the gift shop when we check in.