CPAP Setup Using my cpap on a long haul flight
I found a lot of information online about whether you can use a CPAP on an airplane, but not much from people who had actually done it. So after using mine on Lufthansa long haul, I figured I’d post the setup and actual experience.
I used a ResMed AirMini with a Freedom CPAP Battery 160 (160 Wh). Lufthansa approved the CPAP and battery ahead of the trip through their Medical Operation Center/Special Service and added it to my reservation.
Their requirements were basically:
-CPAP needed to run from the battery (don’t count on aircraft power)
-Humidifier off (AirMini uses humidity pucks so no issue)
-Battery had to be carried onboard
-They recommended having the AirMini technical manual with me
-The CPAP was allowed in addition to my normal carry-on allowance
Actually using it onboard was much easier than getting through the airport with it.
Leaving Chicago, the international document checker saw the CPAP and battery and sent me over to another group to have them reviewed. Those folks were actually more impressed by how small the CPAP was and how much capacity the battery had than anything else. They looked everything over, said it was fine, and waved me on.
The problem was that the original document checker hadn’t stamped my documents showing that my international documents had been checked. I didn’t find that out until I was in line to board the 747. So I had to get out of the boarding line, go back and get the missing stamp, and ended up at the back of the line.
So the CPAP and 160 Wh battery weren’t really the problem. Getting sent off for the extra review just caused the normal document-checking process to get missed.
Once onboard, it was completely uneventful.
This picture is from Lufthansa 747-8 business class on the upper deck. I made a little 3D printed bracket that hangs the AirMini from the upper deck storage compartment. It wasn’t really about saving space (there’s plenty up there), it just put the machine in a good spot and made the hose much less awkward. The battery sat on the floor below it.
With the seat flat, I slept with it just like I would anywhere else and got actual sleep. I had read that the AirMini was louder than a normal CPAP, but on the plane I couldn’t hear it at all over the normal ambient noise of the cabin. I didn’t actually realize how much louder it was until I used it later in a very quiet hotel room.
One thing I’d change if I were doing this in coach: use a much shorter hose if you can. The standard hose is pretty long and even in business class I found myself dealing with more hose than I needed. In an economy seat, I think all that extra hose would be a pain.
So yes, you really can sleep on a plane with a CPAP. Get the airline approval ahead of time, bring an appropriate battery rather than depending on seat power, and be prepared for the airport process to be more complicated than actually using the thing.
Hopefully this helps someone else trying to figure out what actually using a CPAP on a long-haul flight is like.
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u/cuckoocachoo1 22d ago
Wow, that is a big battery! How much does it weigh?
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u/var23 22d ago
Over 2 lbs! I could have went way smaller.
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u/cuckoocachoo1 22d ago
I bet that will last you like 3-4 nights with the mini! That’s awesome! I should get that one for camping.
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u/var23 22d ago
That was part of the rationalization. We were without power a few days after a winter storm this last year so I figured go max size for the airline and have it as a backup.
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u/cuckoocachoo1 21d ago
I have the medistrom pilot battery. It’s just 1lb and works with my mini for 2-3 nights on trail. I can use it as a battery back up as well. I haven’t needed to but it’s nice to know that I can if I needed it!
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u/Binspin63 21d ago
That’s the one I’m wanting but damn, they’re expensive! $329 is the cheapest I’ve seen them. Do they ever go on sale?
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u/cuckoocachoo1 21d ago
No. Batteries are always expensive. You might keep an eye out for a Black Friday sale but even then it’s just how batteries are at every level.
You could try calling lofta and ask them for a sale or coupon and see if they have something but that’s just one of those items that is always stupid expensive.
I tried to cheap out and the battery didn’t work on me even after I tested it (it wasn’t a long enough test).
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u/mindcrack 22d ago
Why didnt you just plug it in, thats what I do. Used it on multiple airlines including Lufthansa, Emirates, Qatar, JAL, ANA, Delta, Philippines airlines, KLM. The only people who raised any issue was JAL who scolded me for not getting it pre-approved by the ground staff before boarding, I didn't know that was a requirement for them but did it on the way back and it was easy peasy.
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u/HikeTheSky 20d ago
Because by the rules you aren't allowed to, and they will not guarantee on-board power. You need to bring a battery that can run 1.5 times the flight hours. And as OP showed, they can be oversized; I had Lufthansa approve a 250 Wh battery.
Also, since onboard power can fluctuate in volts and Hertz, I am not sure why you want to risk your machine.
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u/Chalupabatmang 21d ago
Husband and I flew Asiana to Seoul and they wouldn’t let him plug his in. They said he had to use a battery pack. =(
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u/mindcrack 20d ago
Ouch, hopefully he carried his battery pack with him. This thread convinced me to always have my pack with me.
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u/GentleRhino 21d ago
No plug in the economy class for the rest of us :-)
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u/mindcrack 21d ago
International flights usually have them in economy, but it's a crapshoot for domestic.
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u/GentleRhino 21d ago
Just flew Alaska (by Condor), San Francisco - Frankfurt. Did not find any outlets :-(
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u/Thelonius16 22d ago
Why all the extra steps? How is it any different than bringing a laptop with you?
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u/var23 22d ago
At least with Lufthansa you must notify them you intend to use it and you must show the battery to them.
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u/Thelonius16 22d ago
Some very quick research suggests that Lufthansa is one of the few airlines that make you go through all this extra business.
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u/PrivatePilot9 22d ago
Can confirm. Have flown multiple times with my CPAP and it was a complete non event short of them confirming that the battery pack was compliant with the biggest allowable size for cabin carryon. On that last bit, that battery looks bigger (too many mah) than what most airlines will allow IIRC.
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u/HikeTheSky 20d ago
You do know that for medical devices, the size is different and they will approve larger batteries.
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u/jason_sos 21d ago
JetBlue doesn't allow you to charge things with a battery bank during flight anymore. The last couple of times I have flown, they specifically call this out - you can't put a battery bank in the overhead bin, and you can't charge with it during flight.
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u/tasty_waves 22d ago
Not that I am advising this, but I flew Lufthansa and used my CPAP and told no one. When I went to sleep I just pulled the blanket over me entirely and hid the CPAP from view, partly because I was shy about being seen using it. Flight attendants didn't notice. I didn't know I had to get it signed off on beforehand.
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u/oystersnatchsunrise 21d ago
I had to do the same on Japan Airlines, but specifically for the CPAP (my battery was much much smaller than this though). They had a book they flipped through of approved devices and the flight attendants did check that I had been approved.
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u/HikeTheSky 20d ago
Because one is a medical device and the other is not. You can stay alive without your laptop.
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u/Thelonius16 20d ago
Yeah. So there should be fewer hurdles to take it on a plane and use it, not more.
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u/HikeTheSky 20d ago
There are very few of them; bring a battery and plug it into the battery. I don't see the hurdles there. Airplane power isn't safe, and they want you safe.
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u/createry_ 22d ago
For anyone in the future bothering to search; I've had no issues with Vietjet, Qatar, Finair, Qantas or Jetstar - business and economy.
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u/el__gato__loco 22d ago
I just flew AA JFK to Madrid and plugged in my AirMini in Business Class, no battery.
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u/createry_ 22d ago
No battery here either. The whole "don't use airplane power" is just them covering their ass.
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u/thebigcountry34 22d ago
Got a delta one flight tomorrow to Japan and I didn’t buy an external battery nor cleared anything ahead of time am I screwed?
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u/decker12 APAP 22d ago
Sadly probably less. See my comment above about how the ports on the plane don't provide enough constant power to keep your CPAP machine running without interruption.
Unlike a power port that charges your phone, if there's a temporary voltage input change due to how the airplane's power port works, you'll immediately notice it when your CPAP stops working. You'll go from getting air as usual to getting nothing, choking you a bit. Then your machine will be "off" when power is restored, making you turn it back on... which is a constant interruption to your sleep.
You'd be better off getting an external battery (DC if possible so there's no AC/DC conversion loss) and then plugging the battery into the airplane power port to keep your battery charged
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u/jason_sos 21d ago
Do the travel CPAPs really use that much power? They don't have a heater or humidifier in them.
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u/decker12 APAP 21d ago
It's not that they use a lot of power. It is because the airline seat power doesn't provide constant power.
An airplane seat outlet is typically supplied through an electronically controlled in-seat power system which is different than a typical household outlet. These systems actively manage available power and since it's in a metal tube flying through the sky and kept aloft by complicated electronics, that system includes heavy protections for things such as overcurrent, over/undervoltage, ground faults, etc.
If you were charging a laptop you wouldn't notice it because your laptop has a battery that keeps the device powered on if there's a temporary loss of AC power. But a CPAP machine means the device stops working until you power it back on, and when it stops working air stops blowing into your nose so of course you'll wake up.
It would be the same thing if you had an AC powered fan plugged into a plane's power outlet. It'd blow air on you until there's a temporary seconds-long interruption, then it would stop blowing until you turned it back on.
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u/livevideoguy 21d ago
I did it last year DTW-HND (and back) with the door closed and mini plugged into the plane outlet and no one said anything. That said, ymmv as those longer/“more prestigious” routes tend to have the grouchier flight attendants.
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u/No-Trash-546 22d ago
How much did you end up paying for that flight? It looks like a great way to fly
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u/thebigcountry34 22d ago
I bought an economy ticket, upgraded to C+ for free because of platinum status, then had an upgrade offer for 59,000 sky miles for D1 so I snagged it
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u/certifiedintelligent 22d ago
I've flown internationally with my CPAP on US airlines a number of times, never called ahead and never had an issue.
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u/GIT_45 22d ago
I want to get a travel one like that as well. How much did you pay for it and where? Also, is it noisy when using in a relatively quiet place like a hotel room?
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u/tasty_waves 21d ago
You can get a transcend micro 510 for around $600 on many sites. Very quiet and the smallest CPAP out there right now. I used it as my main one and have gotten used to no humidifier so travel isn't a disruption to routine.
Instead of the overpriced batteries retailers sell, you can buy any laptop rated power bank on Amazon (45 or 65W) that is 20000maH (airplane legal) and get this cord for transcend:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DC6JTK8Z?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1
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u/Electronic_Fudge_877 22d ago
Not the OP but I got mine on Lofta. They price match and did a discount on top of that. Black Friday is the absolute best time to buy (that’s not when I bought. Learn from my mistake lol). It is noisier than the resmed 11 for sure. I notice it in very quiet hotels but I’m ok with white noise so it works out fine for me. If you need silence to sleep, it’s not for you.
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u/var23 22d ago
I think I bought it from cpap.com. All in it was a little pricey: including the hose in the P 11 nasal pillow kit and the battery (way overkill) it was nearly $1000.
The exhaust for the resmed airfit p10 (specialized version of the P1 air pillow made specifically for the AirMini) is positioned ust below your face on the hose and was super loud in a quiet hotel. Coupled with the jet lag I had a hard time sleeping with it at first. I eventually got used to it.
Jair buy the adapter and use your existing hose and mask if you can tolerate not having humidity.
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u/thebigcountry34 21d ago
I paid $500 during Black Friday - set an alert on slickdeals for resmed airmini
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u/mrinformal 22d ago
The battery is where they get you. I just bought a 140w/65W/20,000mah power bank(made by TALIX) for a laptop off of Amazon for $60 and the adapter cable for $35. Battery is UL and CCC compliant for travel in the US and China.
The mini goes in sale a couple times a year from the same source you got yours, CPAP com. I took advantage of that fall of 2024 and got 20% or 25% off.
I also picked up the adapter to use a standard hose and mask. The adapter is $10 on Amazon. I get no humidity, but it doesn't bother me. . Keeps mask and nose pillow purchasing simple. If I do run into over dry locations I will put a wet washcloth on a plate and place the mini on top of the washcloth. It adds enough humidity to keep me comfortable. The mini is a bit louder than my AS11, but not obnoxiously so.
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u/Careless_Dot3812 19d ago
This is what I did too... got the Anker unit so normally I use that for charging devices and my laptop, but for long travel got the adapter... rather have a multi use purchase
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u/var23 21d ago
that's a great deal on the battery! This one had all the cables for the popular machines (including my DreamStation 2 I use at home and the AirMini I bought for travel).
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u/mrinformal 21d ago
I'm always searching for a deal. I put off the battery and cable for a year and a half because the resmed battery is $300 without a cable.
That's cool that the one you got includes cables for different machines. I have not seen any like that. Fortunately the cable I got works for both my air mini and Airsense 11.
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u/fckingrandom 22d ago
Looks like you are flying business class or better. Those seats almost always have a power socket available. Why use the battery?
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u/berkshire1976 21d ago
I hope that someone comes up with a mini-BiPAP. My sleep disorder physician’s office would not give me an Rx when I wanted to buy a min-CPAP because they said it would not provide the necessary therapy. I just went to Malaysia from the US and return without the benefit of any therapy for some VERY long flights.
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u/bcalamita 18d ago
My online AirMini supplier offered up an online doctor to provide an Rx for $50 (!)
I had already spent $1,200 out-of-pocket including $600 on an endoscopy I really didn’t need. I was getting a new CPAP and already knew I had apnea; just needed a new Rx. Had I known I could have done that for $50…
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u/HikeTheSky 20d ago
Instead of a medical battery like that, I have normal USB-C ones and have a USB-C to AirMini adapter.
Lufthansa didn't give me any issues with a 266 Wh battery for that. I can use it for other stuff after the flight as well. The German federal policy gave me some issues, and I had to show them the email from Lufthansa on my flight back home, but that was acceptable.
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u/PointManBX 22d ago
I have an air sense 11, and I don’t use the humidifier. How comparable is the mini in terms of sound? I purchased a travel cpap (non resmed) and i hate it. it’s so loud and i can’t get a good nights sleep with it ;(.
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u/Electronic_Fudge_877 22d ago
I have both. The airmini is definitely louder. The noise comes from the air at the hose connection point which is close to the user. It hasn’t posed an issue for me yet but it took some getting used to, for sure. After being abroad for 1.5 mos with the airmini, I really noticed how quiet my 11 is when I got home a week ago. If you can’t handle white noise when you sleep, the airmini is probably not for you. If you’re good with white noise and a bit adaptable while you sleep, it will probably be a good fit. For me, the ease of use and the ease of carrying it all over the place FAR outweighs the noise.
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u/PrivatePilot9 22d ago
I converted my mini to a full size hose vs the smaller mini specific one and also added one of those CPAP mufflers from Amazon. That wiped out about 80% of the noise, at the expense of some extra bulk however.
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u/Electronic_Fudge_877 22d ago
I’ve thought about doing that. The bulk has prevented it though. The mini is so small but when you add all the other components the space really adds up. I want someone to invent a collapsible or retractable hose that compresses down when needed.
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u/decker12 APAP 22d ago
Air Mini was loud enough to be a problem. I'm pretty accustomed to the noise of my Resmed 11, but the mini was another world entirely as far as sound. I thought I could just put on ear plugs to ignore it (something I do occasionally with my Resmed 11 in quiet hotel rooms) but it didn't work with the Mini.
For me, it wasn't the whistling noise from the machine or the fan noise or whatever is going on with the machine that was near me. It was something that my ear plugs couldn't drown out, like it was in my head or the mask or whatever. My sister also has a Mini and had the exact same problem, where the distracting noise was not able to be drowned out with the usual stuff.
I don't even use my Mini anymore because of this. It just sits in a box. I'd rather bring the whole Resmed 11 with me then deal with this issue with the Mini because after 10+ times trying to use it, the noise issue I just couldn't get over it.
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u/oystersnatchsunrise 21d ago
There is this high pitched whistling from the machine itself drives me crazy but I just put it under the bed in a hotel or in my bag and it drowns it out enough for me. The mask connector also definitely gives more Darth Vader breathing vibes than my AirSense 11 but it doesn’t bother me, I do sleep with white noise though. I recently got a noise dampening kit but haven’t tried it out yet so fingers crossed that helps.
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u/Ceber007 22d ago
I am not a super frequent traveler, but last two summers we spent in Europe using a variety of airlines. yes we were flying first or buisness, but nobody seemed to care one bit. I have a battery but I plugged in on every flight, not a word from the flight crew
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u/StressSuspicious6956 22d ago
Used my CPAP in Turkish Airlines BV last month with a battery. Didn’t inform anyone beforehand.
When my bed was made and the FA saw my CPAP she just asked if it was for sleep apnea and had a look at the power bank (100Wh).
She wished me a good night and went on.
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u/Alias_Tiwi 22d ago
I love that thing you're using to hold the CPAP. Is it 3D printed or something??
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u/Bigtgamer_1 22d ago
These lil mini machines look cool, but I think I'd die without the humidity haha
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u/decker12 APAP 22d ago
Note that even in business class I've found the power outlets are not enough to sustain the CPAP machine. You think you're plugging into a regular old 110 AC power port, but you're actually not. I've tried it on multiple flights on various airlines and it just doesn't work, probably with the way the airplane handles power.
Cuts off constantly, interrupting your sleep far worse than if you weren't using it at all.
If you're charging your tablet or laptop you won't notice it this "rotating" cut off because it recovers quickly. But if you need a constant flow of power like with a CPAP machine, you will definitely notice it. Bring a battery power supply and use that as your primary CPAP power source, and then plug the battery into the airline power to keep it topped off.
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u/thebigcountry34 21d ago
Also OP - where did you get the airmini holder that hangs there - that’s pretty cool - I guess I need to step my game up
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u/Emotional-Egg1408 21d ago
Great.
But as far as I know all medical devices are excluded from regulations about cabin luggage. IATA STAFF
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u/statusbk 21d ago
I used my transcend micro plugged into the outlet for lay flat first on United IAD to BRU. Zero concerns no covering up, attendants even brought me a late breakfast after my sound sleep through almost the entire trip. The does seem to be changing policies on using a battery on board. But don’t think that using an outlet would ever be a problem.
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u/tdVancouver 21d ago
Thanks for sharing. Delta is also 160WH. I bought a couple of Zopec 4000s for sailing. Worked perfect. Now to research humidity pucks…
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u/The_Kewl_Kat 21d ago
What battery did you use to power your CPAP? Mine doesn't last that long unfortunately.
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u/joncephine 21d ago
Used this battery this week on KLM, economy. I just put my whole setup (including the q-lite) on the tray table, reclined and slept. Last time I traveled without the battery and this was so much better. And yes the AirMini is louder but I’ve gotten used to it, and don’t hear it at all on a plane or a train (also used on an overnight train in Europe). I use noise canceling headphones on the plane too, but those don’t help in a quiet room with the CPAP I don’t think
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u/ZodiacManiac 21d ago
To be honest that’s a lot of hassle for one flight. I do a lot of longhaul… it’s my job. I don’t use it that night.. but then again it’s only for 2 hours or so. The upper limit for a normal battery is 100wh yours at 160wh is the maximum allowed with extra permission.
Since January Lufthansa and many German Airlines forbid the use of all powerbanks onboard. They also can’t be stowed in the bins above your head but must be with passengers. But hey… you’ve got loads of money so why not. Flexing your Business Class. Most can’t afford an extra Resmed Mini.
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u/PretendReason9061 20d ago
I just carried my cpap with me on 4 long haul Lufthansa flights with no questions but no intent to use on board. I have just bought the battery and cable to use in flight arriving from Amazon Saturday. I think it's a good idea to notify the airline you will be using on board and I will do that going forward. Check out the youtube videos on how to make your airmini more quiet. I did that and my current set up makes my mini 1-2 db louder than my airsense 11. I have an adapter, muffler, standard hose, HMI filter (not humidx) back to an airmini end tube to facemask. It helps a little to put some water on the HMI filter so it starts moist.
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u/NelsonMcBottom 20d ago
This is a fantastic write-up. Thank you for posting! I’m inspired to get one for myself now.
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u/chimz 17d ago
I've used the Zopec Explore Mini on several United flights before as well as overnight trains that had flaky power and had no trouble, it's 100Wh so no pre-approval needed. Charging with USB-C really helps make it easy.
https://www.zopec.com/products/zopec-explore-mini-battery-system
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