Healthcare and Social Workers

Free flights for patients in need of far-off medical care

At Angel Flight West, we partner with healthcare professionals to ensure their patients can access the care they need. Through a network of volunteer pilots and commercial airline partners, AFW helps remove transportation barriers for individuals traveling to and from essential medical appointments. Whether you’re requesting a flight for a patient or looking to learn more about our services, AFW is here to support you and your patients every step of the way.

Research travel options for patients: If you are an individual or organization exploring the possibility of requesting AFW’s flight services in the future, but do not have a current flight request, click the button to the right to fill out our contact form.

Need a flight: If you or a family member need help traveling to medical treatment, or if you’re a healthcare professional looking to request a flight for a patient with an upcoming appointment, click the button to the right to fill out our flight request form. A member of our team will be in touch with you soon.

Request a Presentation: We offer virtual presentations for healthcare workers. Hosted by our outreach team, these sessions are 30 minutes long and cover details about AFW’s services. Click the button to the right to request a presentation for your group.

Call our mission operations team with questions at (310) 390-2958.

Email our mission operations team at [email protected].

Questions about flying with Angel Flight West

Angel Flight West provides flights for those who cannot afford airfare or face physical hardships with other travel options. We also assist passengers with compromised immune systems or those in remote areas lacking commercial transportation.
 
We are not an air ambulance. Patients with medical conditions who are ambulatory, medically stable, and can fly in a non-pressurized aircraft are accepted unless that condition would make flying a health risk.

We will need a medical release from your physician before your trip.

Angel Flight West provides air transportation within and across only 12 Western States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Because of the limited resources of our volunteer pilots, flight distance traveled can be no more than 900 miles in each direction.

Along with our volunteer pilots, Angel Flight West partners with Alaska Airlines to provide transportation within Alaska and Hawai’i. This partnership also supports residents of Alaska needing medical treatment in the Lower 48 and Hawai’i residents traveling to the mainland for care.

Who Can Request: Flights can be requested by healthcare workers, family members, and patients themselves for non-emergency flights to medical appointments. Click here to get started.

Request Your Flight: Submit a request a minimum of a week in advance. We will ask for a medical release from the patient’s healthcare provider after the request is submitted. The patient must let staff know during the request if they plan to bring a companion and if help is needed with ground transportation.

Securing a Pilot: Once all personal and flight details have been finalized, we’ll submit your flight request to our pilots via a secure system. As soon as a pilot has signed up for the mission, we’ll accept their request and assign the mission. It may take a little time to secure a volunteer pilot for the mission, especially if the distance traveled requires multiple legs and multiple volunteer pilots.

The Details: We will send the patient, the healthcare requester (if applicable), and your pilot an e-mail with the itinerary — which includes the pilot’s contact information. The patient should expect to hear from your pilot to discuss all flight-related details. You may reach out to your pilot directly if you have any questions, but it may take a little time to coordinate details on their end.

Have a Back-up Plan: The flight is likely to take place, however, it is essential that passenger’s have a back-up plan or the ability to reschedule the appointment. We cannot guarantee our flights will always happen, and we may need to cancel due to weather, mechanical problems, or the inability to secure a volunteer pilot.

After Your Appointment: After the patient’s medical appointment, another Angel Flight West volunteer pilot will make sure they’re safely brought home!

Though we’re best known for linking passengers to valuable medical resources, we also provide transportation for other humanitarian purposes, such as individuals and families escaping domestic violence, disaster relief, therapeutic programs for veterans, and children’s specialty camps.

Compassion Flights: Flights for individuals traveling for compassionate reasons, such as caregiving for an ill family member, or visiting a seriously or terminally ill loved one.

Camp Flights: Flights for children and adults traveling to various camps, including those for burn survivors and children navigating life-altering or life-threatening illnesses.

Flights for Survivors of Domestic Violence: Flights for domestic violence survivors, helping them travel to a safer location.

Flights for Veterans: Flights for veterans traveling to therapeutic programs.

Blood, Organ, Tissue Transport: Flights to transport blood, blood products, organs and/or tissue to and from hospitals or other agencies.

Natural Disaster Support: After floods, earthquakes, and other disasters, Angel Flight West can deploy multiple aircraft to assist with relocating displaced residents, transporting small rescue cargo and relief supplies, and flying rescue workers and rescue dogs to the affected areas.

Flights for Dogs: Angel Flight West partners with service dog and search-and-rescue dog organizations to provide transportation for dogs traveling to begin their training.