TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Traveling with oxygen

I need some help, my wife will need to use oxygen when traveling we are new to this development and need some input as to which brands are used it seems there are a few out there that while advertise how great they are when I asked the BBB for a reports were not so good so I figured I would ask here and see what I get from users .

The only supplier of medical oxygen that I am familiar with is Praxair. In some areas of the world, they are associated with Honeywell regarding safety products, etc. I can't say that I have checked them with the BBB but they were a client of mine at one time in my career. They had a very good reputation in this area.

On Island Alpha Medical can order portable oxygen machines or help. My husband has been on oxygen for years. He uses an OXYGONET machine. That is the same as an INOGEN machine. He uses the Inogen One. It goes to a setting of six liters. I don't know how many your wife needs (or will need) as time progresses. We are looking at buying another Inogen to take as a back up. They use the same batteries as the OXYGONET, You will also need permission to fly with the machine. You can download the form from Delta and send it in. Turn around is quick. I always take the completed form with me. You have to check in personally to fly. You can't print your ticket. Also, going thru TSA can be a bit of a pain as they take every thing apart. We have learned to take a small carryon with all his equipment on top. I hope this helps. It may seem a little confusing at first, but it is a life saver! Safe travels Alsmost forgot: depending on your wife's number of liters will determine how many batteries she will need to carry with her. We always have 6. (and we keep them charged when on island. )

I would like to thank you for the information it is hard to get anyone to tell us what we need ,I have been getting it in bits and pieces . How far in advance do you make the reservation for the equipment in SXM ? This will be our first time going with this type of equipment , for the past 25 years we have been taking a bunch of other things to aid her. I do have a question are you pleased with your INOGEN unit ,we are looking at the 5 for purchase ,but read some no so good reviews can you trust those reviews I would like to hear from a real user . Thank you for the information

Bill has been using the Inogen unit since he was about 76. He's 84 now. We did have one malfunction with it this last trip. But it was old and ready to be replaced. I believe the new Inogen 5s come with a 3 year warranty. I found Alpa Medical on facebook so you could message them your questions/ They did tell me that if a new machine was ordered it would take 3 weeks to arrive. that makes sense. We were in Puerto Vallarta when we we had trouble this last time and could find no one to ship a replacement. I will find out more for the next time in PVR! If you don't mind my asking, how many liters does your wife use? Planes fly at 36000 feet. My husband needs to put it on a 4 or 5 for that elevation. That also means batteries don't last as long. We were able to charge one at the seat, because Bill had an extra cable to do so. You might want to go to your local medical supply place once you purchase your unit and talk to them about batteries, cables, etc. Before we went to the Inogen 5 he used and Inogen 3. It too was a good unit, but it only went to 5 liters. The batteries are expensive, but a small price to pay. Your doctor will tell you how many liters of oxygen your wife needs. My husband is on oxygen 24/7. We have a big machine at home that he can walk all over the house with (lots of cable) and then his portable. Good luck to you. We are still planning on going to SXM at the end of June!

As of today she is on a level 2, but when we purchase I will be ordering the Inogen 5 so as she progress it will still be useable . Where do you get the info on the requirements at 30,000 ft ? I tried to print the form from delta but it’s in a pdf form I guess I’m going to have to as my grand children how to do it. When on the island do you rent a portable unit or a stationary unit when I booked this trip it’s for 25 days, if we do make the trip who knows how long we stay. After you submit the doctors form with her requirements do you have to resubmit it went you return.

You simply fill in the number of liters she uses and they calculate. At a two, your wife will probably only need 2 batteries, but I like to err on the side of caution. At this point we travel with 6. Bill uses 4 liters. A battery only lasts at that power about 2.5 hours. Therefore Delta normally says 3 batteries for a 4 hour flight. However, anything can happen: sitting on a runway, slow going thru customs, etc. Better to be safe than sorry. When you do get it to pring, print several. That way you will have them ready to fill out for the next time!
You do have to scan in the completed form and send it. You might want your grandkids to do that and show you how if you don't already know it.