Oxygen cylinder as checked baggage?
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Oxygen cylinder as checked baggage?
Is it possible to transport an empty (or very nearly empty) oxygen cylinder inside a suitcase, as checked baggage, on a normal airline flight?
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No.
Oxygen is highly inflammable and they won't take it. Considered dangerous goods.
Any compressed gas is difficult. I've taken diving tanks with nothing but compressed air and airlines have thrown wobblies - demanding they be emptied, the valves removed, etc. etc.
Oxygen is highly inflammable and they won't take it. Considered dangerous goods.
Any compressed gas is difficult. I've taken diving tanks with nothing but compressed air and airlines have thrown wobblies - demanding they be emptied, the valves removed, etc. etc.
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Why checked ? Get yourself a wheelchair, mount the oxygen bottle on it , cannulae in nose and pretend you need it - should get you priority treatment 
(unless flying RYR, of course
)
(unless flying RYR, of course
)
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Of course, the other consideration of oxygen tanks is that they're difficult to X-Ray and carry out security checks on them. Who's to say they're not stuffed with C4?
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From my diving classes I seem to remember that "empty" means that the valve is either removed or left open so that air can move in and out freely. Anything else is not accepted by the airlines.
In the diving world, this means that the cylinder has to be inspected internally for corrosion before it can be used again. Not an insurmountable problem, but something to keep in mind.
In the diving world, this means that the cylinder has to be inspected internally for corrosion before it can be used again. Not an insurmountable problem, but something to keep in mind.
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the cylinder has to be inspected internally for corrosion before it can be used again
I am looking at one one-way trip (not in my plane
) which will need oxygen. I might take an old ally bottle and leave it out there. I have found that I can buy a brand new one, mail order, for the same (about $300) as it costs to get one checked and pressure tested over here.OTOH the bottle I have in mind would never be big enough for the 2 of us going, and I don't want to risk my huge composite bottle (not being able to take it back).
Anyway, thank you all, food for thought.
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Have you checked the regulations wrt. to hand luggage? Or is the bottle too big for that, making that scenario impossible outright?
AFAIK the rules for oxygen bottles in hand luggage are very different from the rules for checked baggage. If only for those people that need it for medical reasons.
AFAIK the rules for oxygen bottles in hand luggage are very different from the rules for checked baggage. If only for those people that need it for medical reasons.
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AFAIK the rules for oxygen bottles in hand luggage are very different from the rules for checked baggage. If only for those people that need it for medical reasons.
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FEDEX / airfreight it back ? These things do get shipped around, so the must be a way.
). I have imported all mine from the USA, by UPS.But the cost would be high - probably $200.
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the same (about $300) as it costs to get one checked and pressure tested over here.
That's for diving cylinders of course, to be filled with air or nitrox. I don't know if the rules are different for 100% O2 cylinders.
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I tried that but dive shops don't like bottles used in aviation.
Same as most won't sell you oxygen. Or they might when a particular individual is on the shift... been there, tried that
Same as most won't sell you oxygen. Or they might when a particular individual is on the shift... been there, tried that
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I rent the full size cylinder from British Oxygen; keep it at home and this solved all my oxygen issues. £90 /year to rent, £20 to swap for a full one. I get so many refills from it, I do them free of charge for others. Been doing this for a few years.
Best quality welding oxygen
Best quality welding oxygen
I am looking at one one-way trip (not in my plane 
) which will need oxygen. I might take an old ally bottle and leave it out there. I have found that I can buy a brand new one, mail order, for the same (about $300) as it costs to get one checked and pressure tested over here.
) which will need oxygen. I might take an old ally bottle and leave it out there. I have found that I can buy a brand new one, mail order, for the same (about $300) as it costs to get one checked and pressure tested over here.
I am sure other places can do the same.
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There is no problem with emptying a cylinder. It is utter tosh that if a cylinder is emptied it must be inspected.
Cylinders corrode internally if they are filled from inadequately filtered compressors where the moisture trap is not working, not through being emptied. We sell hundreds of cylinders a year, the cylinders come from our supplier in Italy and the valves are made by MDE in the UK and we put them together when they are sold. They sit for months in our unit without valves.
To ship on an aircraft, just empty the cylinder and be done with it. If you are really paranoid about being stopped then take the valve out and put a bit of masking tape over the neck or if you are really nice to me I will send you a funky little neck plug that you can screw in. For real belt and braces put a little silica gel pack in the bottom.
To be fair, you seem to be the only one who has this problem as has been demonstrated by comments elsewhere!
Cylinders corrode internally if they are filled from inadequately filtered compressors where the moisture trap is not working, not through being emptied. We sell hundreds of cylinders a year, the cylinders come from our supplier in Italy and the valves are made by MDE in the UK and we put them together when they are sold. They sit for months in our unit without valves.
To ship on an aircraft, just empty the cylinder and be done with it. If you are really paranoid about being stopped then take the valve out and put a bit of masking tape over the neck or if you are really nice to me I will send you a funky little neck plug that you can screw in. For real belt and braces put a little silica gel pack in the bottom.
Same as most won't sell you oxygen. Or they might when a particular individual is on the shift... been there, tried that
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AFE at Kidlington got my aviation cylinder recertified , including the refill (if you pick it up - shipping full cylinders is prohibitive) for £50 inc VAT.
There should be other firms, as you say, but if it doesn't come up on google then what can one do? The scuba shop solution is all down to personal contacts, which is why some are OK with it. I used to get cylinders tested and refilled by a firm called Life Support Services, near Worthing. They were really nice and did it for about £30. They went bust a few years ago. They also had piles of amazingly light but old and covered in dust composite cylinders which I used to look at with much interest on my visits there but they were about £1000. Fortunately the prices of these have collapsed and my composite one from Mountain High is about 4x bigger and cost me $600.