How Does an Air Ambulance Work?

In many ways, an air ambulance is similar to the road ambulances you’re more familiar with. Just like a regular ambulance is a specially equipped motor vehicle, an air ambulance is an aircraft that has been specially outfitted to support people who need medical assistance.

Air ambulances & medical jets have varying degrees of medical support they are able to offer. At Air Ambulance Worldwide, our fleet of medical aircraft can support anything from ECMO & ICU-level care to asymptomatic people who have tested positive for COVID abroad and need to get home.

Most commonly, air ambulances are used after someone is in a serious accident or is stricken by a serious illness when they are far from home. Air ambulances can also be used to transport someone home from surgery if the surgery takes place at a hospital far away.

Find out more about medical repatriation.

Air Ambulances are private medical jet flights, and each one is staffed by a medical team to support the patient being transported. The specific make-up of the medical team for each flight depends on the care needed, but all air ambulance medical team members have received special training in aviation medicine in addition to having many years of traditional medical experience.

When someone is in an accident, falls ill, or otherwise realizes an air ambulance is needed, the first step is to give us a call. At Air Ambulance Worldwide, our team is on call 24/7 to take your call, assess the situation, and develop a medical flight solution.

This team will also help you understand what a medical flight costs and talk through payment & insurance options. Each medical flight is individually quoted based on the specific needs of the patient, so there’s no one answer to “How much does a medical flight cost?”

Because Air Ambulance Worldwide has a fleet of air ambulance jets that are always on the move for our clients, we are sometimes able to match your flight with an existing mission, therefore creating the opportunity for significant savings. There are numerous other options and things that impact the cost, so the best option is to call for a no-obligation quote.

While Air Ambulances focus on the part where the patient is flying, one key offering is bed to bed care. With an air ambulance, you don’t have to get the patient to the airport yourself – Air Ambulance Worldwide will arrange medical transportation to the medical jet, then arrange the flight, and then arrange medical transportation to the final destination.