Commercial airline stretchers
When a passenger cannot sit for long and needs to lie down on a long flight, the most cost-effective solution is to book a Business or First Class flight operated by an aircraft type with seats that can fully recline into lie-flat beds.
But that is only sometimes an option! Some patients need a special arrangement called “commercial airline stretcher service.”
What exactly is a commercial airline stretcher service?
In layman’s terms, it may be described as a “medical bed on a normal commercial flight.”
Commercial airline stretcher service, or an “airline stretcher,” is an accommodation many major airlines worldwide offer to transport passengers onboard their commercial plane, lying flat instead of sitting in a regular passenger seat.
Commercial Airline Stretcher service is an on-demand service: after a request is made, a stretcher gets temporarily installed in the cabin of an airliner for a specific passenger on a particular flight.
Six to nine seats in economy class are blocked off to create the necessary space. After its use, the stretcher is removed, and the seats are released for regular passengers.
The stretcher is a built-in equipment specially designed for air travel in a commercial aircraft. It can’t be moved, and the bedridden passenger using it is carried into and out of the aircraft using other types of stretchers.
While the stretcher itself is the most visible part of this transport arrangement, “commercial airline stretcher service” entails much more than installing the equipment in an airplane.
The transportation of a bedridden patient on a commercial flight is a complex logistical process that involves a whole team of professionals.
Who is commercial airline stretcher service for?
Commercial Airline stretcher service is reserved for stable patients who are fit to fly by their physician but unable to sit in a regular seat due to a medical condition. Siting up might cause harm or slow down the recovery.
When assessing what the best transport option is for a bedridden patient, a fundamental question to be asked is whether the patient cannot sit up at all at any point or if the patient needs to lie down most of the time but can sit up for take-off, landing or severe turbulence.
The answer will determine if the patient can be transported in Business Class or First Class instead. This option is much cheaper and comes with added comfort, better in-flight service, and more privacy for the patient.
Contrary to popular belief, lying on a flat seat is often more comfortable than lying on a stretcher, especially on long flights. This is because lie-flat seats can recline into different angles and positions of comfort.
But travelling in a premium aircraft cabin also comes with the expectation that the patient can get on and off the plane in a wheelchair. So, if the patient cannot tolerate a wheelchair transfer to and from the seat, the only option left is to fly on a stretcher.
Generally, that is the case for patients who are seriously ill, with either generalized weakness, paralyzed limbs, severe pain, or a low level of consciousness.
Examples include comatose stroke patients, people with spinal injuries and psychiatric patients who can only be safely transported on a plane if they are kept asleep with medication under strict surveillance of a medical crew.
In all these cases, a private air ambulance would be ideal, but the cost will be prohibitive if the travel distance is long, especially if the family pays for the transfer out of pocket.
Not all airlines offer stretcher accommodation for passengers
Bedridden patients who require commercial airline stretcher service have fewer options than regular passengers. The itinerary from point A to point B might differ from the cheapest ticket available or the shortest or most direct route.
For example, none of the airlines in North America take stretchers onboard. Some used to do it in the past, but not anymore, as it is time-consuming and logistically challenging to set up commercial airline stretcher transport.
The so-called ULCCs do not offer commercial airline stretcher services for low-cost airlines or ultra-low-cost carriers. These airlines have quick turnaround times and capitalize on efficiency and maximum passenger volumes. Stretcher service does not fit into that model.
Fortunately, most full-service airlines in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and some in Europe still offer stretcher services. In these parts of the world, commercial airline stretcher transports are daily, with medical teams transporting patients between cities and across borders onboard scheduled flights.
In and out of North America, an commercial airline stretcher is the most affordable way to transport a bedridden passenger and the only option for many families who can not afford an air ambulance.
In Canada, Commercial airline stretchers are available in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto. Examples of airlines that can operate stretchers in and out of Canada include Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, KLM, Air India, and Cathay Pacific, among a longer list of options, depending on the requested route.
If you take the USA into account, there are almost 50 different airlines that can fly a stretcher in or out of North America!
What to expect if you need airline stretcher service
If you or a loved one ever find yourselves using a commercial airline stretcher service, understanding
the process and knowing what to prepare for will reduce overall stress and anxiety.
Expect a high cost for an airline stretcher transfer
Although an Commercial airline stretcher is always significantly cheaper than an air ambulance, the total cost is not to be underestimated. Depending on the airline, the route and the time of year, the price tag for this type of service in or out of Canada can vary between 50,000 and 90,000 Canadian Dollars.
The quote usually comes from an air medical transport company specializing in international commercial medical escort services, and it will also include the ground ambulance transfers and the aeromedical team who will fly with the patient.
Expect to wait a few days before the patient can travel
Many departments work to make the airline stretcher transport possible when the request is made. All the necessary pieces of the puzzle need to fall into place, and the airline and the aeromedical transport company will ultimately decide when the patient can be transported.
Even for urgent patient transport requests, this can all take a few days, up to a week. Delays can occur if the patient is unstable enough to fly or flights are limited to a particular destination.
Expect an unfamiliar airline or route
Even if a particular airline has multiple direct flights on a requested route, a stretcher patient may be better served by an unknown airline or on a longer route. Many reasons can apply: cost, availability, timing, and logistics.
Even if the travel plans change at the last minute, you can rest assured that several people are working behind the scenes to transport the patient as soon as possible, but also under the safest circumstances.
Expect patient care to continue during an airline stretcher transport
A bedridden patient transported on an airline stretcher is always accompanied by one or more “commercial medical escorts.” These are medical professionals with special training to work onboard commercial aircraft.
The role of these medical escorts is not only to transport the patient but also to provide all necessary patient care at the bedside.
The medical escort will be seated next to the stretcher and set up a workspace with onboard equipment and supplies. The medical escort will be busy during the flight, ensuring medication, IVs, and feeding are continued as scheduled.
At the same time, the patient is monitored and assisted with all other needs.
Expect limited privacy when transported on an airline stretcher
On a large commercial aircraft, a stretcher is installed in the back of Economy Class. The cabin’s space is shared with hundreds of other passengers, and the patient is only separated from others by a privacy curtain around the stretcher.
An experienced medical escort is continuously aware of this and will care for the patient in the most discrete way possible. But do expect fellow passengers walking up and down the aisle to be curious during the flight.
Expect flight safety to be equally important as patient care
A bedridden stretcher patient is still considered a passenger and a traveller at the airport and in a commercial aircraft. The patient must, therefore, adhere to all applicable rules and regulations for air travel. Aviation safety rules apply but also border protection procedures.
It means that a stretcher patient will be subject to a full pad down before boarding and that customs and immigration officers will inspect travel documents and luggage like they always do.
It also means that the stretcher patient will have to wear safety belts during the flight and cannot pose a risk to other passengers, for example, by carrying an infectious disease, weaponizable items, or showing disruptive behaviour.
Is commercial stretcher service available where I live?
Most people worldwide only live in a small city with an airport hub nearby where they can board a commercial flight with a stretcher onboard. For this reason, many airline stretcher transports start with a local transfer by road ambulance, helicopter, or charter plane to the nearest airport, where they can board the plane with the commercial airline stretcher. Even if the road trip is longer, it can make the most sense for the patient’s comfort.
Sometimes, it even means that the patient will cross a border in an ambulance to reach the nearest airport in another country with airline stretcher service.
The same thing can happen at the destination airport, where the patient is offloaded from the commercial plane and continues the journey by road ambulance or charter plane to a smaller place.
Conclusion
Air medical transport companies like Jet Companion take care of all the steps of an airline stretcher transfer and leave nothing to chance.
It takes a network of service providers and good communication between the airline, the hospitals, the family, and the aeromedical company to make the patient transfer successful.
Over time, Jet Companion and similar companies worldwide have become highly specialized in these types of patient transfers. Contact us today for more information.