Medical Transportation from Angel Flight West: How Does it Work?

At Angel Flight West we want you to know that good things come in threes. Two wings and an engine make a trio to provide flights for medical or humanitarian services. A pilot, a passenger in need and an AFW coordinator brought together “give hope wings” by arranging vital travel. A critically ill teen, a medical team and a new liver can all be connected by a volunteer pilot from Angel Flight West. Service, impact and help are the three corners that make up Angel Flight West.

1. Service: Angel Flight West arranges free air transportation for those with compelling need.

1. Many know us as the volunteer pilots, or “Angels” who fly patients to cancer treatment, but AFW does not discriminate when it comes to need. We fly patients to and from chemotherapy, we fly missions for patients who need surgery or other medical procedures. We fly veterans as part of the Honor Flights and help relocate victims of domestic violence. We fly kids and teens to special needs camp when they want a normalizing experience due to health or family circumstances, and some of our “passengers” are containers of blood or donor organs. Please click here for a full list of the types of missions we fly, and contact us if you have questions.
2. Angel Flight West serves 13 Western states, but our service does not stop at the Rockies. We work collaboratively with other volunteer pilot organizations, and help other volunteer air passenger assistance organizations coordinate travel.
3. If you have an appointment in selected areas, our Earth Angels volunteers can help with ground transportation to and from the airport. We will do our best to assist any passenger with a medical or humanitarian need, and refer you to other organizations if we are unable to help.

2. Impact: What our pilot volunteers, staff and partners make possible.

1. In more than 30 years of service to the Western United States, Angel Flight West has flown nearly 60,000 missions carrying passengers and vital cargo from remote areas in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
2. In 2012, AFW volunteer pilots and commercial partners donated flight services valued at $3.35 million, saving passengers in need that out-of-pocket expenditure. In addition to our volunteer pilots, AFW also uses generously donated commercial flights from our commercial airline partners, including Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Great Lakes Airlines, and Penn Air.
3. Our pilot volunteers donate their time and expertise, planes and fuel. For every dollar we raise, our volunteer pilots and commercial airline partners provide approximately four times that amount in free flight services.

3. Help: How Angel Flight West can help you.

1. We “give hope wings” by getting you safely to your destination, whether it’s a hospital, clinic or another venue for your journey towards health and well-being.
2. We cover the distance between your rural hometown and a remote hospital or facility. We are committed to getting you where you or your family need to be.
3. We save you time and money so you can focus your energy on getting well and improving your quality of life. And flying in a 4 to 6 seat plane is an exciting experience we love to share with our passengers! We’d like to make your Angel flight experience a breather from the challenges in your life.

If you think you may need help from Angel Flight, please click here to see if you’re qualified for our services. Of course, this is just the highlights. For more information about our services, impact or how we can help you, please click here.