Who We Help 

Who we serve

Angel Flight can provide free air transportation to patients with medical hardships who cannot, either for financial or other reasons, ride commercial airlines. These can be routine medical treatments, one-time operations or other compassionate purposes. Patients must be ambulatory, able to travel in a non-pressurized aircraft, and preferably, with a travel companion (relative, friend or nurse).

Click through the list of topics below to view valuable information for healthcare providers (or just scroll down the page).

How We Serve
Benefits of Air Travel
Acceptance Criteria
Medical Care
Where We Fly
Plan Ahead
Limitations on Weight & Space

How We Serve

Angel Flight serves as the coordinator for a pool of volunteer pilots and “Earth Angels” dedicated to serving the community. Working with hospitals and health care professionals, Angel Flight matches volunteer private pilots who are willing to donate flights with people in need of transportation

Benefits of Air Travel
When a patient is too weak to travel via bus or car, a flight in a light aircraft can cut the travel time in half. Air travel generally offers a smoother ride as well.

Patients prone to infection will benefit substantially by using Angel Flight because they will not be exposed to large numbers of people, as would be expected on public transportation.

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Acceptance Criteria
The patient must meet the following criteria before being accepted for air transportation.

1. Be medically stable and be ambulatory (able to enter and exit aircraft without assistance), unless the patient is a child under 4 years old and can be carried by their guardian.
2. Have a legitimate medical need for services not available locally and need to avoid lengthy ground transportation.
3. Not be able to afford available alternate air transportation.
4. Be able to ride in a small, non-pressurized airplane that is not equipped for medical emergencies.
5. Have ground transportation from the airport to the treatment center.
6. Have a personally signed letter from physician.
7. Sign a waiver releasing Angel Flight from liability (pilots will have this form for signature).

Medical care
Our volunteer pilots have no medical training and can offer no medical advice or support. Patients must be medically stable, able to enter and exit the aircraft with little or no assistance, and capable of traveling in a sitting position for the duration of the flight.

The planes we use are private aircraft. They carry no medical equipment and they cannot accommodate stretchers. When a patient requires oxygen or other small, portable support equipment, arrangements can generally be made to allow its use during the flight, at the pilot's discretion. Determination of a patient's capability to be transported by private aircraft is entirely the responsibility of the patient and his or her physician. Angel Flight requires a physician authorization letter concerning the patient's condition with will be sent to the treating physician prior to flying.

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Where We Fly
Angel Flight is the original volunteer pilot organization serving those who reside in or are traveling to or through the states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and the Carolinas since 1983. However, we know angels everywhere, and can coordinate with other volunteer pilot organizations within the Air Care Alliance to work with, if needs extend beyond our reach.

Plan Ahead
Angel Flight provides flights on an 'as needed' basis. We are not designed as an emergency or 'last minute' service, although we do our best when the need arises. Contact Angel Flight as early as possible, we prefer at least 3-5 working days notice. The earlier we get notice, the better our chances of locating an available pilot.

Angel Flight does not provide ground transportation at either the departure or destination airport, please make prior arrangements. We recommend that passengers eat a light meal an hour or two before the flight, flying on a full or empty stomach is not suggested. Motion sickness medications may be helpful, but should only be used with the consent of the patient's physician. Angel Flight pilots can not provide any medications to passengers.

Our flights can be affected by adverse weather conditions or other unforeseen events which may cause a pilot to delay or cancel a flight. These circumstances can usually be determined the day before, but we try to give you as much notice as possible. If this is the type of appointment that cannot be rescheduled, we recommend an alternate transportation plan.

Smoking is not permitted during flight. The airplanes are not equipped with restrooms or catering facilities. Please plan ahead.

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Limitations on Weight & Space
The aircraft we use have limited space and restricted weight-carrying capability. Passengers should plan to travel light, shipping extra luggage or equipment ahead may be necessary. Private planes typically have seating for two to four passengers, but heavy luggage can reduce the ability to carry passengers. Each plane has a weight limit that must be observed. Most of our planes can comfortably carry 25 to 40 pounds of baggage. Generally, one or two small suitcases (under 24 inches) are acceptable. Soft-sided luggage is preferable because it permits the most efficient use of space.

At the time you request a flight, please be prepared to give us the approximate weights of the passengers and their luggage.

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• To Contact our Office to Request a Mission Flight. - click here
• To Complete a Mission Flight Request Form for a New Patient. - click here
• To Complete a Mission Flight Request Form for a Repeat Patient. - click here