Special Needs

Service Animals
Medicine
Customer-owned Oxygen Units
Oxygen Service
Life Support Equipment

Service Animals

Northwest Airlines welcomes service animals, such as dogs and monkeys, trained to assist customers with mobility, visual and hearing disabilities in the cabin. There are no fees for the transportation of service animals, either in the cabin or as checked luggage. It is Northwest policy not to require health certificates for service animals, although their destination may require them.

A service animal should be seated on the floor at the customer's feet and cannot block an aisle or other area that must remain clear for emergency evacuation. For this reason, exit row seating is not permitted.

A harness, tag or vest indicating status as a service animal will be helpful in distinguishing them to airport personnel. It may also be helpful to provide written documentation or identification cards that the animal is a service animal. Credible verbal assurance that the animal is providing a service to assist with a disability will suffice however, should inquiry be made.

Emotional support animals for the customer's emotional well being are accepted in the cabin. All conditions for service animals apply in addition to the following requirement for documentation. Documentation dated within the past 12 months on letterhead from a mental health professional stating that:

1. The passenger has a mental health related disability. The documentation does not need to specify the type of mental health disability (e.g. panic attacks).
2. Having the animal accompany the passenger is necessary to the passenger's mental health or treatment or to assist the passenger with his or her disability.
3. The individual providing the assessment of the passenger is a licensed mental health professional and the passenger is under his or her professional care.

Customers with service animals may choose to sit anywhere they wish (except in exit rows) they are not required to sit in the bulkhead or in window seats.

Service animals and emotional support animals may be held in the customer's lap during flight, including taxi, take-off and landing, provided it is no larger than a lap-child.

There is no limit to the number of service animals that may be carried on any one flight (except in exit rows).

If your travel includes destinations outside the United States, be aware that some countries have restrictions on animals transiting through or destined for their country, including service animals. Our reservations personnel will be glad to check with the countries on your itinerary for any restrictions that apply.

Medicine

You should carry your medication with you onboard the flight in your carry-on luggage. In fact, you should never put your medication in your checked luggage.

Our aircraft do not have refrigerators onboard, so please plan accordingly.

Also, if you use needles to inject medication, it is helpful to have your doctor's prescription with you just in case security officers have questions.

Customer-owned Oxygen Units

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations prohibit use of personal oxygen units during flight. However, the FAA has issued guidelines for use of certain portable oxygen concentrators onboard.

Northwest allows the use of the following Portable Oxygen Concentrators onboard:

• Inogen One
• AirSep FreeStyle
• AirSep LifeStyle - only if equipped with the sticker: "RTCA/DO-160D" Section 21 Category M Compliant"
• SeQual Eclipse
• Respironic EverGo

While it is not necessary to provide advance notice that you will be using a POC, we strongly encourage you to do so. Letting us know in advance will generally result in a smoother trip. To that end, once your travel plans are confirmed, please contact our Reservations Sales Line at 800-225-2525 to let us know you'll be using your approved portable oxygen concentrator device during your flight. Be sure to bring a medical certificate from your doctor to confirm the need for a portable oxygen concentrator during flight and required liters per minute (LPM) flow rate.

If you are a constant user, meaning you will need to use your portable oxygen concentrator during taxi, take-off and landing, you will need to be seated in a location that does not block access to the aisle or exits. For example, a window seat on a narrow body aircraft. Also you may not be seated in an exit or bulkhead seat (except on aircraft with soft-divider bulkheads) if you are using a portable oxygen concentrator. At the time of boarding, passengers who will be using their POC during takeoff and landing are asked to inform the crew so that captain can be advised.

Please note that aircraft electrical power is not available for portable oxygen concentrators. Therefore, make sure to have enough batteries for the duration of the flight as well as any unanticipated delays. Outlets are available in most gate areas so POCs can be plugged in.

You may bring other portable oxygen concentrators with you if they are not used during flight. Since portable oxygen concentrators are considered assistive devices, they do not count toward carry-on limits. They must be able to fit underneath the seat or in an overhead compartment. You may also bring oxygen containers along as checked luggage, provided they are empty and free of pressure. Oxygen tanks must be declared before they are checked in so Northwest agents may verify that tanks are purged.

Please note that portable oxygen systems containing liquid oxygen are not accepted onboard any Northwest, Mesaba or Pinnacle flights.

Oxygen Service

We provide supplemental oxygen service for a fee on most flights with a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours advance notice. This gives us time to ship oxygen containers to your departing city. The aircraft's emergency oxygen cannot be used for this purpose.

Medical oxygen is not avalaible on Pinnacle operated flights.

Once your travel plans are confirmed, please contact Reservations to request supplemental oxygen as soon as possible (preferably at time of ticket purchase). You will need to present a medical certificate from your doctor when checking-in for your flight to confirm the oxygen request and required liters per minute (LPM) flow rate.

We provide oxygen for inflight use only, not for use at airport locations. You will need to make your own arrangements if you need ground oxygen at your departing, connecting or arrival cities. Allow enough time, at least one (1) hour prior to departure, to check-in for your flight. If you check-in less than one hour prior to departure, we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate you without delaying the flight.

Each oxygen unit contains 1000 cc compressed oxygen, a regulator flow valve, a flow rate gauge, a pressure gauge, a disposable mask and/or a nose cannula.

Life Support Equipment

A customer dependent on life support equipment may bring such items into the cabin for use during the flight provided their equipment can fit underneath a seat, or can be strapped into an adjoining seat. Should it be necessary to use a seat for this equipment, the seat needs to be purchased at the applicable fare.

Examples of life support equipment are: incubators, respirators, nebulizers and ventilators.

Medical Equipment Power
Medical devices are required to be self-powered for use onboard. Passengers with devices that cannot be sustained without aircraft power are welcome to contact Northwest reservations. Note: Most NW aircraft electrical systems are incompatible with medical devices.

Advance notification is required, including information specifying the manufacturer and model number of the device so that we can be sure that it does not interfere with aircraft navigation or communication systems. Dry or gel cell batteries are acceptable for operation of life support systems/equipment on the aircraft. Wet cell batteries are not permitted in the cabin of the aircraft for safety reasons.