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Long Distance Medical Transport › Air Medical Transport

Air Medical Transport, Every Option in One Call

Air ambulance, a medical escort on a commercial flight, or a medical van with a real bed. We arrange all three, and we'll tell you straight which one your loved one actually needs.

  • ✓ Air & ground under one roof
  • ✓ 24/7 coordination desk
  • ✓ Same-day quote, one price for everything

Answered 24/7 by our team, not a call center.

ACC Medlink Sprinter parked beside a private jet inside an aircraft hangar
The flight and the ground legs, planned as one trip.
10 Million+patient miles
15,000+families served
2,500+five-star reviews
15+ Yearsestablished 2010
The category, plainly

What is air medical transport?

Air medical transport moves a patient by aircraft with medical care at their side the whole way. It comes in two main forms: a dedicated air ambulance (a medical aircraft with a full crew for critical patients) and a commercial medical escort, where a licensed medical professional flies beside a stable patient on a regular airline flight.

We coordinate both. Our parent company, Air Critical Care, operates air medical transport, and ACC Medlink runs its own fleet of medical ground vehicles. So when you call, you're not talking to a broker with one product to push. You're talking to a coordination desk that can put your loved one on a medical aircraft, on a commercial flight with a medical pro beside them, or in a van with a real bed, whichever their condition actually calls for.

Every trip is planned bedside to bedside, not airport to airport: the ground legs on both ends, the receiving facility, and the family kept informed while the trip is underway.

ACC Medlink transport vehicle beside a medical aircraft during a patient hand-off
We work both sides of the tarmac. The flight and the ground legs are one plan.
The part most companies won't say out loud

Which air medical transport is right? Sometimes none of them.

Because we arrange air and run our own ground fleet, we have no reason to talk you into the wrong one. The honest fit test:

An air ambulance fits when…

  • They're critical: ICU-level care must continue in the air
  • They must lie flat AND time is the emergency
  • The trip is overseas and their condition rules out a commercial cabin
  • For everyone else, it's the most expensive way to travel

A commercial medical escort fits when…

  • They're medically stable and can sit upright for the flight
  • They need oxygen, medications, or mobility help en route
  • Dementia or anxiety makes flying alone unsafe
  • Speed matters: see how an escorted flight works

Our ground vans fit when…

  • They can't sit upright for hours. Our vans carry a real bed
  • The airline won't clear them to fly, or altitude is a concern
  • Family wants to ride along the whole way
  • No airports, no tarmac transfers: state to state, door to door

Not sure which fits? That's what the phone call is for. Describe the situation and we'll tell you straight, with real numbers for each option.

When the answer is a flight

The air services we arrange

  • Air ambulanceFor critical patients, a dedicated medical aircraft with a crew that never leaves their side, bedside to bedside. A flight coordinator arranges every detail: the ambulance legs at both airports, the receiving facility, and (for international trips) the clearances and customs paperwork. Family members not traveling with the patient are kept informed of the flight's progress.
  • Commercial medical escortFor stable patients who can sit upright: a licensed medical professional in the seat beside them on a regular airline flight, managing medications, oxygen, and every airport step. It's the workhorse of air medical transport. The full escort page explains the trip hour by hour.
  • Commercial stretcherOn some international routes, a stretcher can be installed in a commercial airliner's cabin, a middle path between an escort and a dedicated aircraft. Eligibility is medically reviewed case by case with the airline; ask when you call.

Domestic and international, hospital discharges and bringing a loved one home from overseas: one desk plans the whole journey.

ACC Medlink medical professional checking a patient's blood pressure, with a senior patient resting nearby
The same standard of care whether the trip is at 35,000 feet or on the interstate.
From verified post-trip surveys

Families who called us first

2,500+ five-star reviews from families we've transported. A few from trips like yours.

2,500+ five-star reviews from
families we've transported
“The whole crew was terrific - very personable and put my Mom at ease. The trip went as well as I could imagine!”
Jonathan D.Family member · March 2021
“The pilots and the medical staff were top notch. They made a very stressful situation easier. I thank you so much for that.”
Michelle B.Family member · April 2025
“I worked with the staff at ACC Medlink to connect them with my mother-in-law. The team was responsive, professional and very helpful. Their patience and assistance with multiple date changes due to our family member's deteriorating health was very comforting.”
Melinda S.Family member · June 2021
“The crew was professional, kind and caring. I felt that my husband and I were in good hands.”
Kathy N.Family member · March 2025
“This was a last minute ground to air transport. All staff we kind and helpful. Very understanding. So appreciated all that I and my clients wife spoke to. Thank you 100 times over!”
Katherine K.Family member · May 2024
“Absolutely the best group! Thank you so much!! It has to start with Evelyn, Alissa and Max! I'm sorry to say I can't remember the team's names, but they were all who I would call for my family and will call again if I ever need to! I was so impressed with the help, care and professionalism that I…”
Karen B.Family member · June 2026

Read all reviews → 4.6★ on Google · 607 reviews

Ask this before you price a flight

Does it need to be a flight at all?

Here's what surprises most families who call about air medical transport: if the patient is stable, the trip usually doesn't need wings. An escorted commercial flight costs a fraction of an air ambulance, and our own ground vans do what no aircraft can.

  • A real bed on a memory-foam mattressno sitting upright required, no altitude at all.
  • Family rides along with a seat and a bed beside the patientmost aircraft allow one passenger at most.
  • No airportsdoor through door by road, instead of ambulance–aircraft–ambulance.
  • A fraction of the costof a dedicated aircraft.

The full case is on the air ambulance alternative page, and the side-by-side numbers are in the ground vs. air comparison guide. When air genuinely is the right call (critical care, a transplant window, an ocean in the way) we'll say so and arrange it.

Two made-up beds with oxygen inside an ACC Medlink Mercedes Sprinter
For stable patients: a real bed, family beside it, and nothing to be cleared for.
Three steps, one phone call

How arranging air medical transport works

  1. 1

    Call us once

    Tell us who's traveling, from where to where, and their medical picture. We give you an honest read across air ambulance, escorted flight, and ground, with real numbers.

  2. 2

    We arrange everything

    Medical review, aircraft or airline clearance, crew, the ground legs at both ends, and the receiving facility. You'll have a same-day quote, and the quote you approve is the price you pay.

  3. 3

    Bedside to bedside

    A medical professional stays with your loved one the entire trip, and our 24/7 desk keeps the family informed until the hand-off is complete at the other end.

★★★★★
“On two occasions medical air transport was required. The services received were outstanding.”
Randy B., verified post-trip survey
Side by side

Compare ACC Medlink to the competition

How our Sprinters stack up against the vehicles other services send.

ACC MedlinkMercedes Sprinter Competitor
Minivan Services
Competitor
RV Services
Two professional drivers & a medical professionalMedical attendants can stand and properly care for the patient en route Two drivers onlyTight space, no headroom
No room for proper care
Medic and two driversNo way to load a stretcher onto an RV
No room for proper care
Our own Mercedes Sprinter fleetNationwide fleet, expertly maintained
Fully licensed
Questionable safety recordQuestionable maintenance record Structure not built for passengersQuestionable maintenance record
No crash-safety standards required
Real beds with memory-foam mattressesA real bed, not a reclined seat Thin plastic mattress Hospital-type bed
Custom bedside commodeDignified access, no transfers Bedpan only Small ambulatory bathroomNot ideal for patient transfer
Low-emission vehiclesBlueTEC SCR technology
Complies with strict EPA/CARB standards
Not low-emission Not low-emission
Questions families ask about air medical transport

Air medical transport questions

Don't see yours? Call. A real person on our team answers, day or night.

More questions answered →

What's the difference between an air ambulance and a medical escort?
An air ambulance is a dedicated medical aircraft with ICU-level equipment for critical patients who must lie flat. A commercial medical escort is a licensed medical professional flying beside a stable patient on a regular airline flight. The patient's condition (not the price list) decides which one is appropriate, and we'll tell you which straight away.
How much does air medical transport cost?
It depends on the mode. A dedicated air ambulance is the most expensive way to move a patient; an escorted commercial flight is a fraction of that; and our own ground vans are often less still for stable patients. It's private-pay, with a same-day quote for every option that fits, and the quote you approve is the price you pay. CareCredit financing is available, and we offer veteran discounts.
Do you handle international air medical transport?
Yes, including bringing a loved one home from a hospital overseas. The flight coordinator manages the clearances, customs paperwork, and the ground transport at both ends, and keeps family who aren't traveling informed of the flight's progress.
Can family travel with the patient?
On an escorted commercial flight, yes: we book family seats on the same flight. Dedicated medical aircraft have strict weight and space limits; many allow one passenger at most. If staying together matters most, that's a strong argument for an escorted flight or our ground vans, where family rides along the whole way.
What if my loved one isn't cleared to fly?
That's not a dead end. It's what our ground fleet exists for. A patient who can't hold safe oxygen levels in a cabin, can't sit upright, or shouldn't be at altitude rides in a real bed in one of our own medical vans, with a medical professional aboard and no airports, door through door.
How quickly can air medical transport be arranged?
Escorted commercial flights usually need a couple of days for the airline's medical clearance; dedicated aircraft and ground transports can often move faster. Call and we'll tell you what's possible for your dates. Phones are answered 24/7 at 800-550-1025.

Reviewed by the ACC Medlink teamUpdated How we review our pages

One call. Every option. One honest answer.

Tell us about your loved one and where they need to be. You'll have real numbers today for air, escorted flight, or ground, and a straight recommendation on which fits.

2,500+ reviews10M+ patient milesSince 2010

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