Portable oxygen OK for airline passengers-FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will soon allow passengers who require medical oxygen to use certain portable oxygen concentrators on board for use during air travel.
Previously, airlines were prohibited from allowing passengers to use oxygen because it is typically provided in metal tanks containing the compressed gas, considered a hazardous material.
According to a Special Federal Aviation Regulation, two companies, AirSept Corporation and Inogen Inc, have developed small concentrators approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use on board aircraft. The devices work by filtering out nitrogen from ambient air and provide the user with oxygen at a concentration of about 90 percent.
The Regulation will permit the devices to be used throughout the flight, including during takeoff and landing. It requires that users carry enough extra batteries to power the device for the duration of time they may be on board the aircraft. Although it will be permissible to recharge a battery during flight, the FAA will not require that airlines make this capability available to passengers.
Passengers using concentrators during flight will be required to inform the pilot that they are doing so, and provide a written statement signed by a licensed physician that verifies the passenger’s ability to use the device.
The regulation allows the use of concentrators during air travel, but it does not require that airlines let passengers use them. The Regulation will become effective on August 11, 2005.
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