Commercial Medical Escort Flights | SkyCare UK Repatriation

Q: &ensp;What if a patient is not well enough to travel back home?

You do still have options. A Fit to Fly certificate is required for travel on a commercial airline; however, this is not required for air ambulance flights . In these cases, the decision is made by our treating doctor, who is specially trained in aviation medicine. Alternatively, you may choose to wait until the patient’s condition improves and a Fit to Fly can be obtained. Depending on your location, SkyCare can send one of our ground ambulances to collect and transport the patient. In summary, if a Fit to Fly cannot be obtained, you have three options: Travel by air ambulance , Wait for the patient’s condition to improve, or Arrange our ground ambulance transport .

Q: &ensp;What if we cant get a fit to fly?

You do still have options. A Fit to Fly certificate is required for travel on most commercial airlines; however, this is not required for air ambulance flights . In these cases, the decision is made by our treating doctor, who is specially trained in aviation medicine. Alternatively, you may choose to wait until the patient’s condition improves and a Fit to Fly can be obtained. Depending on your location, SkyCare can send one of our ground ambulances to collect and transport the patient. In summary, if a Fit to Fly cannot be obtained, you have three options: Travel by air ambulance, Wait for the patient’s condition to improve, or Arrange our ground ambulance transport.

Q: &ensp; Will the price quoted from you increase in price?

The price we quote is based on the cost of airline seats at the time of enquiry . Please be aware that delays between receiving MEDIF (Medical Information Form) approval and confirming the booking can often result in an increase in seat prices . SkyCare cannot guarantee seat availability or the originally quoted price if there is a delay. We recommend confirming your booking as soon as possible after MEDIF approval to avoid additional charges. Read our important notice about seat pricing and availability.

Safe, Supported Travel with a Medical Escort

Are you anxious about flying alone due to a recent injury, surgery, or medical condition? Do you have an elderly family member abroad who needs help getting home safely? SkyCare’s Commercial Medical Escort Flights offer a trusted, affordable solution for patients who are medically stable but need professional support during their journey.

Our qualified flight nurses, paramedics, and doctors accompany patients on commercial airlines, providing expert care from departure to arrival. Whether you need help navigating the airport, managing medication mid-flight, or simply reassurance throughout the journey, our team is by your side every step of the way.

Want to understand the full booking journey? View our step-by-step guide to booking a Commercial Medical Escort.

This service is for medical travel only. SkyCare does not provide adult companionship or private escort services.

For over 10 years, families across the UK and Europe have trusted SkyCare to bring their loved ones home safely with compassion, clinical expertise, and discretion. Read our Commercial Medical Escort FAQ.

What’s Included in Our Commercial Medical Escort Service

Every journey with SkyCare is individually planned, clinically overseen, and supported from start to finish. Our commercial medical escort service includes far more than in-flight care — we handle everything from pre-flight coordination to ground transport after landing.

Not sure what qualifies someone to fly? Learn about the fit-to-fly assessment process and how we ensure each patient is medically cleared to travel safely.

Wondering about costs and what’s included? See our transparent approach in our medical escort pricing guide.

Still have questions about how the service works or who can fly? Read our FAQs.

Worldwide Medical Escort Service

Travelling while sick or injured can be daunting, but our Commercial Medical Escort Services make it safe, supported, and worry-free. With highly trained medical professionals by your side, we provide personalised in-flight care and assistance tailored to your needs.

From pre-flight planning to in-air monitoring and post-arrival coordination, SkyCare handles every step with medical precision and compassion. Whether you’re recovering from surgery, managing a chronic condition, or helping a loved one return home, our team ensures a smooth, stress-free experience.

Let us manage the logistics so you can focus on healing. We’re here to bring you home safely — with dignity, reassurance, and expert care.

Commercial Medical Escort FAQs

A Commercial Medical Escort flight involves one of our highly trained medical professionals accompanying you on a commercial airline, providing care and support throughout your journey.

You will travel on a regular scheduled flight but with the added reassurance of having our doctor, nurse, or critical care paramedic by your side at all times.

Medically accompanied flights are a cost-effective alternative to a private air ambulance or road ambulance repatriation and are suitable for patients who are stable but require assistance during travel. This option is ideal for patients who are older or frail, recovering from surgery, have mobility issues, minor fractures, or for those who simply need medical supervision because family members are unable to travel with them.

Our team ensures you are fully supported from bedside to bedside, making your journey home as safe and comfortable as possible.

Once you instruct SkyCare to assist your family member, we will guide you through every step and take care of everything. We liaise directly with the hospitals at both ends, arrange medical clearance with the airline, and coordinate all the logistics involved in the transfer.

To help the process move as quickly and smoothly as possible, it’s important that you provide us with full contact details for the hospital where your family member is currently being cared for.

Obtaining medical clearance from the airline is often the most time-consuming part of the process, so the sooner we can start, the better.

You are under no obligation to proceed until you are fully happy to do so. We do not charge anything to begin the medical clearance process — we simply want to be ready to move quickly once you give us the go-ahead.

You do still have options. A Fit to Fly certificate is required for travel on a commercial airline; however, this is not required for air ambulance flights. In these cases, the decision is made by our treating doctor, who is specially trained in aviation medicine.

Alternatively, you may choose to wait until the patient’s condition improves and a Fit to Fly can be obtained. Depending on your location, SkyCare can send one of our ground ambulances to collect and transport the patient.

In summary, if a Fit to Fly cannot be obtained, you have three options:

Travel by air ambulance,
Wait for the patient’s condition to improve, or
Arrange our ground ambulance transport.

Yes, absolutely.

SkyCare can fully manage stretcher flights on commercial airlines. While these flights are generally more expensive than seated medical escort flights and may take additional time to arrange, they are often the safest and only option to bring seriously ill patients home to their loved ones.

We manage the entire bed-to-bed transfer process, including all medical clearances (such as airline MEDIF approvals) and ground ambulance transfers at both departure and arrival points. The airline will arrange for the stretcher installation and privacy curtain setup on board, and our team works closely with them to ensure everything is properly in place before travel.

Our experienced team of doctors, nurses, and critical care paramedics provides continuous care throughout the journey, ensuring the patient’s dignity, comfort, and safety are maintained at every step.

Your safety and wellbeing are our highest priority.

Find out when a stretcher flight is the right choice

Yes, absolutely. We are happy to assist with arranging travel for family members or companions to accompany the patient.

However, we do advise caution. Medical escort seats and family seats are usually booked together, and because airline prices often increase between the initial enquiry and final MEDIF clearance, any additional seats booked early will also be subject to these price rises.

The more seats reserved at the outset, the greater the potential cost increase for the whole group. For this reason, we recommend limiting accompanying family members to one or two initially.

Once the patient’s seat is booked and confirmed, additional family members can then arrange their own separate bookings onto the same flight. This approach helps to keep your overall costs much lower.

You do still have options. A Fit to Fly certificate is required for travel on most commercial airlines; however, this is not required for air ambulance flights. In these cases, the decision is made by our treating doctor, who is specially trained in aviation medicine.

In summary, if a Fit to Fly cannot be obtained, you have three options:

Travel by air ambulance,
Wait for the patient’s condition to improve, or
Arrange our ground ambulance transport.

It is very common for patients to require oxygen during a flight, even if they do not normally need it on the ground.

Due to changes in cabin pressure at altitude, even in a pressurised aircraft, oxygen saturation levels can decrease, which may affect the patient’s breathing.

To ensure safety, we routinely carry a Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC) on most flights.

If a patient is already using oxygen at ground level, we will often arrange for additional oxygen support on board to maintain appropriate levels throughout the journey.

Yes, we can. SkyCare has a team of over 150 medical professionals, including doctors across all specialties, who are able to arrange hospital admissions in the UK.

To do so, we require access to the patient’s medical notes in advance to ensure the most appropriate care pathway is organised. We work with the majority of specialist hospitals in the UK, and can always find the right pathway for the patient. See our helpful advice on Private hospitals in the UK as well as Discreet transfers to London’s Clinics.

The price we quote is based on the cost of airline seats at the time of enquiry. Please be aware that delays between receiving MEDIF (Medical Information Form) approval and confirming the booking can often result in an increase in seat prices.

SkyCare cannot guarantee seat availability or the originally quoted price if there is a delay. We recommend confirming your booking as soon as possible after MEDIF approval to avoid additional charges.

Read our important notice about seat pricing and availability.

Let SkyCare Bring You Home Safely

If you or a loved one needs help getting home after illness, surgery, or injury abroad, SkyCare is here to help. Our Commercial Medical Escort Flights provide safe, affordable medical repatriation with a qualified nurse, paramedic, or doctor by your side every step of the way.

We’ll handle all the arrangements — from coordinating with hospitals and airlines to assisting with customs and onward ground transport. You’ll travel with reassurance, dignity, and world-class care.

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