Choosing an air ambulance under pressure is one of the hardest decisions a family can face. The checklist below takes about an hour and can save you from losing both time and money.
1. Call the patient’s insurer first
If the patient has travel insurance, a credit card with travel cover or employer medical cover, call the assistance number before you contact any provider. Insurers’ assistance companies arrange medical repatriations every day and pay providers directly. Booking your own provider first can mean the insurer refuses to reimburse you.
2. Find out who will actually fly the patient
An operator owns or runs the aircraft and holds an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from its national aviation authority. A broker or “coordinator” sells the service and books an operator. Many websites don’t say which they are.
- Ask for the name of the operating company and a copy of its AOC.
- Ask for the aircraft type and, once booked, its registration (tail number).
- Ask who is legally responsible to you if the flight doesn’t happen: the company you pay, or the operator.
3. Check medical transport accreditation
| Body | Full name | Founded | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAMTS | Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems | 1990 | Mainly North America |
| EURAMI | European Aeromedical Institute | 1996 | Worldwide |
| NAAMTA | National Accreditation Alliance of Medical Transport Applications | 2003 | US and international |
Accreditation bodies publish lists of accredited providers, so check the list rather than a logo on a website. ISO 9001 is a general quality-management standard used in every industry. It is useful, but it is not a medical transport accreditation.
4. Questions to ask every provider
- Are you the operator, or will another company fly the aircraft? Which one?
- Which accreditation do you hold, and where can I verify it?
- Who is on the medical crew (doctor, nurse, paramedic) and what are their qualifications?
- Is it bed-to-bed: ground ambulances at both ends, permits, fuel, overnight costs and the medical escort?
- What exactly happens, and what do I get back, if the flight is cancelled by you, by me, or because the patient isn’t fit to fly?
- When will I get a written contract, and which country’s law applies?
- Can I pay by credit card?
- May I speak to the receiving hospital or doctor you have arranged?
5. Read the contract before paying
- Cancellation clause. Watch for a 100% fee once a “booking confirmation” is issued. Ask for a refund schedule tied to real costs incurred.
- What’s included. The quote should list everything. “All-inclusive” should mean no later surcharges.
- Payee. The company you pay must be the company named on the contract.
- Refund timing. A written deadline, for example 14 days.
- Governing law. Know where you would have to sue.
In one reported case a family lost $150,000 under a clause stating that a “100% cancellation fee is applicable once the Booking Confirmation has been sent”. Read about it.
6. Pay in the safest way available
A credit card gives the strongest protection: a chargeback if the service isn’t delivered and, for UK cardholders, Section 75 cover for purchases between £100 and £30,000, even if only the deposit went on the card. An international wire has the least. If you must wire, pay a deposit first and the balance once the aircraft and crew are confirmed in writing. See how to get your money back.