Special Concerns

Do you have special concerns or in-flight needs? Here's some information that can help. You can also visit the Special Needs FAQs for answers to some commonly asked special-needs questions. You can also learn more about the Department of Transportation Rule 14 CFR Part 382: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel.

Choose a topic: Select one Disability Seating Service Animals Medicine Onboard Medical Oxygen Assistive Devices Pregnant Travelers Peanut Allergies

Seating Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities

We accommodate any request for seating that helps you manage your disability.  It is our responsibility to provide you with any available seat in advance, which you are qualified to use. Additional accommodation may be made for:

• Passengers who uses an aisle chair to get on the aircraft and can't readily transfer over a fixed aisle armrest can be provided with a seat that has a moveable aisle armrest on aircraft equipped with this feature.
• Passengers traveling with an attendant helping them during the flight with be provided side-by-side seating
• Passengers traveling with a service animal will be accommodated with any available seat but will be provided a bulkhead seat if requested.
• Passengers with a fused/immobilize leg will be provided with any available seat they qualify for,on the side of the aircraft that appropriately accommodates their disability and if requested, a bulkhead seat.

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Service Animals

We welcome service animals in the aircraft cabin, such as dogs and monkeys trained to assist passengers with mobility, visual, or hearing disabilities.

A service animal must be in the floor space where the passenger sits and may not get in the way of an aisle or any area that needs to remain clear for emergencies. (That's why we can't seat you in the exit row.)

Some locations (Hawaii, Great Britain, etc.) have quarantine laws for animals, or might not permit their entry at all. See Health Requirements for more information.

We, or your travel agent, will be able to help you find out what the requirements are for your destination. But remember, it's up to you to follow the regulations.

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Medicine

You should always carry your medication with you in your carry-on luggage, and never in your checked luggage.

Our airplanes don't have refrigerators onboard, so be sure to plan for that.

If you use needles or syringes to take medication, you must have appropriate medical records with you that show your medical condition and need for the medical procedure, in case security officers have questions, or to satisfy foreign authorities when you're traveling outside the United States. Also, tell our cabin crew if you have used any needles during flight. They'll provide you with a disposal container.

You can't hang intravenous devices from the aircraft overhead, because they might interfere with our emergency oxygen masks.

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Onboard Medical Oxygen

You can bring your own approved portable oxygen concentrator on board for use during your flight by completing the steps below:

• Complete your travel plans and purchase your ticket.
• At least 48 hours prior to travel, have your physician complete the Physician's Statement and fax it to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) at the number listed on the statement.
• Accept a telephone confirmation from UPMC after they have received the completed Physician's Statement.
• Bring the completed statement from your doctor to confirm the need for oxygen during flight and the required flow rate.

Delta Provided Oxygen Service

Effective October 1, 2009, Delta no longer provides compressed medical oxygen. Passengers can still use one of the Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POC) listed below.

To rent a portable oxygen concentrator for your travel, please visit www.oxygentogo.com or call toll free 1-866-692-0040 for assistance.

Customer-owned Oxygen Units

We accept the following portable oxygen concentrators on Delta, Delta Connection, and the Delta Shuttle®. If your Delta ticketed flight is operated by another airline, contact them directly for their policy regarding medical oxygen requests.

• Inogen One
• AirSep Lifestyle
• AirSep Freestyle
• SeQual Eclipse
• Respironics EverGo
• Delphi RS-00400 (EVO Central Air)
• Invacare XPO2

If you would like to use any of these units, please make note of the following important points:

• The AirSep Lifestyle device must have a sticker affixed to the inside cover stating “RTCA/DO—1600 21 category M Compliant” to indicate that it has been modified for air travel. If your AirSep Lifestyle device does not have this sticker, it will not be accepted for use on board.
• Portable oxygen concentrators can't be used when seated at an exit row or bulkhead seat.
• Portable oxygen concentrators do not count towards your carry-on baggage limit.

You will not be able to use other portable oxygen concentrators on board. They will be permitted as carry-on or checked baggage only under the following conditions:

• It must be empty and free of pressure.
• The battery should be removed and packaged separately or
• It should have a recessed battery terminal and the packaged battery terminals should not contact any metal objects.

Personal oxygen systems containing liquid oxygen are not accepted on board any Delta or Delta Connection flights.

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Assistive Devices

If you need an assistive or non-oxygen-generating life-support device, like a respirator, nebulizer, or ventilator, you can bring it in the cabin for use during the flight, as long as it fits in an FAA approved storage location. You'll need to purchase an extra seat at the lowest available fare if you need it for your equipment.

We can't permit wet-cell batteries in the aircraft cabin for safety reasons. We recommend you use a dry-cell battery for your equipment, since electrical outlets are not available on our aircraft.

Oxygen concentrators, other than those we've approved, CPAP and BiPap machines will only be accepted if they have been tested by the manufacturer to comply with FAA safety regulations and display a label indicating that the machine is approved for use on an aircraft. Additional review of testing data must be provided to Delta for approval prior to travel.

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Pregnant Travelers

We don't have restrictions for pregnant women, so you don't need a medical certificate to travel.

However, keep in mind that ticket change fees and penalties aren't waived for pregnancy. If you're traveling after your eighth month, it's a good idea to check with your doctor to be sure it will be ok.

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Peanut Allergies

When you notify us that you have a peanut allergy, we'll create a buffer zone of three rows in front of and three rows behind your seat. We'll also advise cabin service to board additional non-peanut snacks, which will allow our flight attendants to serve these snack items to everyone within this area.

Gate agents will be notified in case you'd like to pre-board and cleanse the immediate seating area. We'll do everything we can, but unfortunately we still can't guarantee that the flight will be completely peanut-free.

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