Where to Find Travel Resources When You Need Medical Help

When you're suffering a serious illness or medical crisis, money is tight enough.  When you or a loved one has to travel far away to get treatment, it's tougher.  Fortunately, there are lots of sources of help for long-distance travel.  However, there are some caveats: you generally have to be medically stable enough to travel, be somewhat able to move around (ambulatory), and be able to travel in an unpressurized airplane.  That's because many of the charity services use volunteer pilots with small planes.  This is not always true, but be prepared for the possibility, and ask if this will be the case when you contact one of the charities below. 

Air Charity Travel works to arrange free flights, when possible, within a 600 mile range, and low-cost flights for flights beyond that range.  You can request a flight from their website.

Patient Travel works to arrange free or low-cost travel in case of medical emergency and runs the national patient travel helpline (1-800-296-1217).  They will work with you to find appropriate travel options for those in need.

Wings of Mercy works to arrange free medical air travel for those in need.  Call 888-786-3729 for more information.

Air Care Alliance works to create free medical air travel for those whose trip is less than 500 miles by arranging with volunteer pilots.  Call 1-800-296-1217.

Especially for children with medical needs, there's American Airline's Miles for Kids, a program in which frequent fliers donate their miles to pay for medical transportation for needy children.  Call 1-800-882-8880.

Free Flights for Veterans to War Memorials

We build impressive memorials to the sacrifices of veterans, but those memorials are far away from many veterans, and visiting them is out of their financial reach.  The Honor Flight Network tries to fix this situation.  They offer the opportunity for free flights or bus trips to Washington, D.C. to men and women who served overseas or stateside during the wars to visit the World War II, Korean, and Vietnam War memorials. 

For right now, the priority in scheduling these trips from their network of regional hubs goes to veterans of World War II, and those with terminal illnesses.  Unfortunately, spouses or widows cannot attend due to funding constraints, but guardians (volunteers) go along to help veterans who are disabled.  See this page for a local application.  Here's a page with more frequently asked questions.