What is considered a carry on and what is policy on a cpap machine?

Answer 1

A CPAP machine, if prescribed by a doctor or a registered sleep therapist, should not count towards your carry-on limit, as it is a medical device. It will have to be cleared by security personnel the same as other carry-on luggage. You may be allowed to use it in-flight - check with your airline, as it may require a special seat assignment. Also, remember the limit for carry-on liquids will also apply to distilled water.

From recent personal experience, a CPAP does not count as carry-on baggage, required no special considerations for boarding or seating, but did nearly lead to open warfare between the TSA and I when he did not know what it was and threatened to dismantle it. When I photographed him with my phone, wrote down his name and badge number, demanded to speak to his shift commander, and refused to release my hold on the bag until they handed me $1,600.00 cash to cover the cost of replacement for their damaging the necessary medical device, he backed down, allowing me to open the bag for them and demonstrate how the machine is used.

Similar took place on my return trip from Memphis, Tennessee.

I have a tag affixed to my CPAP bag that identifies it as a medical device and lists the TSA exemptions that apply to it. You can buy these from several CPAP-support websites, or just print one out yourself and attach it to the bag. If we are travelling to a foreign country (Japan, last year) I got the language Google-translated (maybe not the best translation, but better than nothing) and put that translation on the back of the English-language version.