Air Ambulance or Commercial Flight with Medical Escort: What's the Difference?

Two ways to bring a patient home

When a patient has to be repatriated by air, there are two main options. An air ambulance is a dedicated aircraft with fixed medical equipment and a medical crew, which flies on the patient's schedule. A commercial flight with a medical escort uses a scheduled flight, with a physician or a nurse traveling with the patient. Each option suits different patients.

The air ambulance

• A dedicated aircraft, fitted with a stretcher and, if needed, intensive-care equipment.
• It flies when the patient is ready, not according to an airline's schedule.
• It suits patients who are unstable, who need continuous monitoring, ventilation or other advanced equipment, or who cannot sit.
• It is generally the more costly option, because the aircraft is dedicated to the mission.

The commercial flight with a medical escort

• A seat, or on some flights a stretcher, on a scheduled flight.
• The patient is accompanied by a physician or a nurse during the whole journey.
• It suits stable patients who do not need advanced intensive-care equipment.
• It depends on the airline's schedule and on its medical department, which generally has to approve the patient's fitness to fly, usually through a medical information form.
• It is generally less costly than a dedicated aircraft.

How the choice is made

The choice is not a question of comfort. It rests on the medical situation:

• Is the patient stable enough, and able to remain seated or lying on a stretcher for the whole flight?
• Are oxygen, ventilation or continuous monitoring needed?
• How urgent is the transfer, and how far is the destination?
• Is a suitable scheduled flight available, and does the airline accept the patient?
• What does the insurer or assistance company require?

Our coordinating physician compares the options with the treating team and recommends the one that fits the patient's condition. We then organize the transfer from bed to bed, with ground transfers at both ends.

For the most critical patients, see our ICU/ECMO air ambulance service. To learn how the aircraft itself is chosen, read which aircraft for which mission, and how long it takes to organize a medical repatriation.

General information only — not personalized medical, legal or insurance advice. Your insurance contract and the treating physician's opinion prevail in your situation.