Emirates Airlines allows CPAP use on board but no connection to aircraft power socket

[hobbs]

Last year LAX > Dubai > Delhi and back on Emirates and no one said a word about my cpap. Got bumped to 1st class for the flight home! What a treat. They served 50 year old Port.

[Holden4th]

Emirates is not the only airline that discriminates against cpap users.
Any business that chooses this course deserves to be ignored--except in court.

I'm not sure I'd call this discrimination. Airplane electrical systems are tricky ecosystems, and the amperage draw from an xPAP (especially if someone fires up the heated humidifier) is significantly higher than the average laptop.

It's discrimination if they don't tell you, ahead of time, that battery power is required, then tell you you can't use, but most airlines are pretty clear:

United -- https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/tr ... ators.html
Delta -- https://www.delta.com/us/en/accessible- ... medication
American -- https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/spe ... evices.jsp
BA -- https://www.britishairways.com/jba/ba/f ... dinfo.html (Doesn't explicitly require battery power, but it's recommended, and there's a 75W limit on power draw)
Air France -- https://www.airfrance.us/US/en/common/g ... atoire.htm (Doesn't explicitly require battery power, but it's recommended, and there's a 75W limit on power draw)
Emirates -- https://www.emirates.com/english/before ... AP_Devices (they are extremely clear that you must bring your own batteries and not connect to the airline's power socket)

Many airlines also require advanced notice if you plan to use your xPAP on the plane--it's your responsibility to educate yourself on what's required and be prepared to meet those requirements.

After the flight I did some research and from what I can gather, amperage draw is not the problem. Without humidification, there is not much difference between a laptop and a CPAP. What is different is AC frequency. Most aircraft operate their power supplies at 400hz as opposed to the 50/60 hz that nearly all electrical appliances use. However, to make their power points work for passengers they have to regenerate at 50/60hz. This works in the air. On the ground it may be a different matter. The fact that Qantas have the same aircraft as Emirates and presumably the same power supply systems suggests that one airline either has issues with power supply or hasn't done all the research.

[prodigyplace]

It is less liability for the airline if they do not permit plugging in. If there was a CPAP medical issue caused by their power they would be liable. Likely their lawyers recommended banning CPAP on their power.

[chunkyfrog]

It is less liability for the airline if they do not permit plugging in. If there was a CPAP medical issue caused by their power they would be liable. Likely their lawyers recommended banning CPAP on their power.

This one.