FAQ

Yes, our staff is working remotely to assist patients just as we would from our office. At Hope Air, we are closely monitoring the situation involving the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). As you are aware, the current situation presents itself with potential risks to your health and safety as you travel to your appointments. Hope Air is not in a position to know the extent of these risks and how they may impact you.
 
We strongly encourage you to take the following steps before traveling:

• check with your doctor that it is safe for you to travel and seek appropriate medical advice regarding the risks of traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your doctor is in the best position to advise you on any particular risks that may arise for you in the circumstances;

• check with your airline to find out more about precautions they are taking and the guidance and requirements they have in place with respect to traveling at this time; and

• check with your local or provincial health authorities for more information about local and regional developments, including any potential inter-provincial border restrictions or travel prohibitions that may impact your travel plans.

For more information about COVID-19, travel advisories, and protecting yourself and your family, please refer to the Government of Canada website here 

Yes, once you have been given a new appointment date and time please feel free to contact Hope Air at our toll-free number 1-877-346-4673 or apply online at hopeair.ca.

Yes, you must carry a mask with you as all airports and airlines are practicing physical distancing and have strict guidelines to follow. For more information, visit the website of the airline you are travelling with.

We strongly encourage you to take the following steps before travelling:

• check with your doctor that it is safe for you to travel and seek appropriate medical advice regarding the risks of traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your doctor is in the best position to advise you on any particular risks that may arise for you in the circumstances;
• check with your airline to find out more about precautions they are taking and the guidance and requirements they have in place with respect to traveling at this time; and
• check with your local or provincial health authorities for more information about local and regional developments, including any potential inter-provincial border restrictions or travel prohibitions that may impact your travel plans.

Currently, Hope Air will consider requests for accommodations for patients driving to their appointment. You are required to fill out a travel request application, even if the request is only for Airbnb. You will need to be driving a distance of more than 80 km to be considered. Patients will also require a computer, cell phone and government-issued photo ID to make an accommodation booking online.

Unfortunately, we cannot start a request without a confirmed medical appointment. However, you can help expedite the process by creating a request online at hopeair.ca when you a confirmed appointment and by emailing mail@hopeair.ca with a letter from your appointment doctor confirming your scheduled appointment.
 

You can complete a travel request online by clicking here or by calling 1-877-346-HOPE (4673).
 

A travel request should be made as a soon as you have a confirmed appointment at the medical facility you need to travel to.
 

Yes, as long as you consent to this person providing your personal information to Hope Air on your behalf.
 

• The date and time of a confirmed appointment at a medical facility.
• Your referring doctor’s contact information.
• The contact information of the doctor you are travelling to see for your appointment.
• Government-issued photo ID for all travellers.
• Your full name as it appears on your government-issued ID. If you are travelling with an escort, you will also need your escort’s full name as it appears on their government-issued ID.
• The dates you need to depart and return for your appointment.
• Information on the incomes of all members of your household to determine your eligibility. This includes income from employment, federal and provincial assistance, and income from other sources. You are not required to submit documentation when you make your travel request, however, once a travel request is made Hope Air may ask you to provide documentation of your household income for eligibility verification.

Once a request has been approved, Hope Air will confirm with your referring doctor that you are medically fit to fly and whether or not you medically require an escort. We will also contact your appointment doctor to confirm your appointment(s). To avoid any delays in receiving your referring and appointment doctor confirmations, we advise that you have their offices call us with medical clearance. Please review our privacy policy regarding the sharing of medical information with Hope Air for these purposes.
 

We make every effort to process your request quickly, however we do contact your referring doctor and your appointment doctor for confirmation of your appointment and that you are medically fit to fly – this can take time. You will receive automated emails from Hope Air as we process your request to keep you updated on what stage we are at in processing your application.
 

Please call Hope Air to check on the status of your application. We try to process applications quickly, and to keep you informed of where your application is in the process. It is best to have a backup method of transportation in case Hope Air is unable to assist you.
 

Please call Hope Air immediately when your appointment has been changed or cancelled. We understand that changes to your appointment are often beyond your control. If your travel request is not yet complete and you have not received your flight details as yet, it is a simple modification.
 

When making a travel request, please inform Hope Air that you need oxygen on your flight. 
Once we have booked your flight, you must call the airline to inquire about their requirements for carrying oxygen on the aircraft, and whether you have to purchase it from the airline or if you can bring your own.  Hope Air is not able to provide any information for oxygen requirements for specific airlines.
 

Please inform Hope Air about wheelchairs or assistive devices when making your travel request. Hope Air will notify the airline when booking your flight – there is no need for you to contact the airline about wheelchairs or other assistive devices.
 

You may be required to pay fees for any checked luggage. Please contact the airline after you have received your flight details for more information.

After you have received your flight details, you can call the airline if you would like to request a specific seat; however any fees associated with your seat selection fall to you. You can also choose your seat for free once check-in for your flight becomes available, 24 hours before your flight takes off.
 

Hope Air has a Volunteer Pilot Program (VPP) in which private pilots, approved by Hope Air, fly patients in small private planes rather than on commercial flights. You may indicate on your travel request form if you are interested in a VPP flight.

Please note there is limited space for luggage and no bathroom on volunteer pilot planes. Passengers will be required to climb into the plane – please ensure patient/escort mobility.
 

If you are a resident of Northern Ontario in the districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, or Timiskaming, you may qualify for a Northern Health Travel Grant.

NHTG-eligible patients who receive flights through Hope Air will be required to submit a completed NHTG application form back to Hope Air. Please note that NHTG eligibility has no bearing on the approval outcome of your travel request.

For more detailed information and to see if you are eligible, please visit the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website by clicking here.
 

To be eligible for free travel services, you must:

• Have financial need.
• Have a confirmed healthcare appointment that is covered by your provincial healthcare plan. 

No, Hope Air is a charity that books flights for patients on commercial airlines, or on private airplanes through the Volunteer Pilot Program.
 

Hope Air offers free flights and Airbnb accommodations for eligible medical travel. Free Confederation Bridge and Northumberland Ferry passes are also available for PEI residents travelling to eligible medical appointments.

The Volunteer Pilot Program is made up of licensed volunteer pilots across the country who fly patients to their appointments in their small, private aircraft. Prior to being assigned a flight with a volunteer pilot, Hope Air will ask you if you are comfortable flying in a smaller aircraft.

We arrange flights throughout Canada, in all 10 provinces, on hundreds of routes.
 

No, we only provide free flights to non-emergency medical care. We are not able to assist individuals who need to be on a stretcher or who need medical staff travelling with them. You must be able to sit in a regular passenger seat on a commercial aircraft.
 

All individuals 18 years old and under must have an escort accompany them, whose flight is also provided for free. Individuals 19 years old and older may obtain a free flight for an escort to accompany them only when it is deemed medically necessary by their physician.
 
Please note: Hope Air can only provide free travel for one approved escort per patient. 
 

Unfortunately, we are not able to assist in this matter. Hope Air does not arrange compassionate flights. Our mandate is to assist individuals with travel to and from medical facilities to receive care they cannot receive in their hometowns.  
 

Unfortunately, we cannot reimburse you for any flight or bus tickets you have purchased.
 

Please alert Hope Air immediately if you need to change your flights. All flight changes must be made through Hope Air and not the airline. Unfortunately, we are only able to make changes to flights to accommodate unexpected changes to your medical appointment (for example, if your appointment has been changed, extended, or cancelled). All changes to medical appointments must be verified by Hope Air with the medical facility before any changes to flights can be made.
 
Hope Air is a charity that uses monetary donations to purchase your flight and we are not exempt from change/cancellation fees and fare increases from airlines. Please note: Hope Air is not able to pay for or reimburse any fees for changes to flights that you make yourself with an airline.
 

Please alert Hope Air immediately if you need to cancel your flights. All flight cancellations must be made through Hope Air and not the airline. 
 
Hope Air is a charity that uses monetary donations to purchase your flight and we are not exempt from change/cancellation fees and fare increases from airlines.  If you do not appear for your flight and do not alert Hope Air that you will not be taking your flight, the funds used to purchase your ticket are lost and cannot be recovered.
 

Unfortunately, we cannot make same day flight changes. We suggest you go to the airport and ask the airline if there are seats available on an earlier flight that you can be placed on. Please note: Hope Air is not able to pay for the costs of any such flight changes.  
 

Please inform Hope Air immediately if your escort cannot complete the journey.
 
However, Hope Air cannot arrange any flights for escorts flying without the patient. The escort will need to make their own return travel arrangements. If the escort’s flights have already been booked, we will change the reservation for the escort’s return flight.
 
If it was deemed medically necessary by your doctor for you to fly with an escort, you will need to find a replacement escort to return home with you.  Hope Air is only able to provide a free flight to the escort when they are travelling with you – we cannot provide a flight for an escort to travel to you.
 

Yes, you can make a new request online by filling out the request form or by calling us at 1-877-346-4673. 
 

Hope Air has partnered with Health PEI to offer free Confederation Bridge toll or Northumberland Ferry pases for eligible PEI residents (with a valid PEI Health Card) requiring out-of-province transport by private vehicle for medical services in another province.
 

To be eligible to receive a free Confederation Bridge toll pass, you must:

• Have financial need.
• Have a confirmed healthcare appointment that is covered by your provincial healthcare plan.
• Have received a letter from Health PEI confirming that you require out-of-province medical care.  Please see your health provider for information on obtaining this letter.

Complete the Travel Request form online, indicating in the relevant section that this request is for a bridge toll pass.  When your request has been approved, Hope Air will send you a bridge toll pass that is valid for one round trip to the email address provided in your application.