Request a Flight
We strive to cultivate a supportive environment for our children and their families. This page provides a comprehensive overview of our booking process.
Your Checklist
Age Eligibility
Patients 17 and under qualify for program services. Families can receive travel assistance for the child patient and up to two parents or legal guardians.
Medical Appointment
The treatment site will need to verify your medical appointment date. Please send them this form.
Form
Lead Time
Applications and all supporting documents must be submitted at least 14 days before the departure date.
Financial Guidelines
Our financial thresholds are based on household size and are generally three times the annual Federal Poverty Guidelines listed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You can check them out here.
Poverty Guidelines
Service Dog
We provide flights for individuals who need to pick up their service dogs and/or attend mandatory training sessions. These flights are available for patients of all ages, accompanied by one parent, legal guardian, or caregiver if medically necessary.
Cleared for Flying
The child patient must be medically cleared to travel safely on a commercial plane.
Frequently Asked Questions
Program Eligibility
How can I determine if my family qualifies financially? Which financial documents are necessary for us to submit?
Our financial thresholds are based on household size and are generally three times the annual Federal Poverty Guidelines listed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You can check them out here.
- For example, a family with a household size of four and a total combined gross income of $75,000 may qualify for our program services, while another family with a household size of four and a total combined gross income of $100,000 will not be eligible for our program services.
- All financial information must be verified by uploading IRS tax documentation for all income earners in your household when completing your online application. Generally, this is the first two pages of your most recent Federal IRS Form 1040 and any additional income documentation (ex., SSI and/or SSDI statements, child support income, etc.). If you are SELF-EMPLOYED or OWN YOUR BUSINESS, please upload your SCHEDULE 1 and any SCHEDULE C, E, or F documents.
Our family’s situation has changed significantly, and our financial documents, which indicate that we do not qualify for Miracle Flights, do not reflect our difficult economic circumstances. Is there someone we can speak to about our unique situation?
We understand that a family’s financial situation can change dramatically very quickly. If you’d like to connect with one of our team members about your unique situation, please email [email protected]
What if I need help flying home from my treatment site?
We do not provide one way to treatment sites. If flying to a treatment site, we ask that all applications have a return flight so that we can coordinate both the departure and return flights. If the treatment site is unsure about the release date for a patient, we ask that they project the most optimistic release date, and we’ll base the return flight date on that projected release date. If the treatment site pushes back the release date, we’ll amend the return flight date for you.
Miracle Flights only provides one-way flights from your treatment site back to your home. This is provided as long as you are receiving medical care at a treatment site outside your local community and satisfy all other relevant eligibility requirements.
Does Miracle Flights provide flights for elective medical treatment or compassionate care?
Miracle Flights only provides flights to patients and families who need to travel for medical care far from home. We do not provide flights for elective medical procedures or compassionate care.
Does Miracle Flights help adults?
Our medical flight programming services are only available to pediatric patients 17 and under.
However, our service dog program is open to all individuals who need help retrieving or training their service dog.
Is there a limit to how many flights we can receive?
Miracle Flights will provide up to two round-trip flights each month for eligible patients and family members for as long as necessary. Over the years, some families have received dozens of flights from us.
Does Miracle Flights do one-way flights?
We do not provide one way to treatment sites. If flying to a treatment site, we ask that all applications have a return flight so that we can coordinate both the departure and return flights. If the treatment site is unsure about the release date for a patient, we ask that they project the most optimistic release date, and we’ll base the return flight date on that projected release date. If the treatment site pushes back the release date, we’ll amend the return flight date for you.
Miracle Flights only provides one-way flights from your treatment site back to your home. This is provided as long as you are receiving medical care at a treatment site outside your local community and satisfy all other relevant eligibility requirements.
Does Miracle Flights help international patients fly into the US for medical treatment?
Unfortunately, we are not providing any new international flights at this time.
Application Process
Do I have to submit a new online application each time?
We ask that you submit a new online flight request for each requested medical travel journey.
Who can fly?
For a Child Medical Patient: Miracle Flights will provide flights to a qualifying child patient (age 17 and under at the time of medical appointment) and up to two adult parents/legal guardians/family members (up to three passengers total).
For the Service Dog Program, Miracle Flights will provide flights for the service dog recipient (child or adult) and one spouse/caregiver/family member (up to two passengers total) if it is medically necessary for the patient to travel with a chaperone.
Where can we fly?
We’ll provide flights to anywhere in the United States as long as your treatment site verifies your medical appointment date. In cities with multiple airports, we’ll generally provide flights to the airports that are best for you and your family as long as they are economically feasible for our organization. At this time, we do not provide flights to or from US territories.
What departing and returning flight dates may we request?
Your departure and return dates depend on your appointment and release dates, as dictated by your treatment site. Generally, you can request a departure up to three days before your first scheduled appointment date (the date you must be at the treatment site) and a return date up to three days after your release date (the date you are medically cleared and released from the treatment site).
What happens if our family has additional passengers who need to fly in addition to the two or three airline tickets that Miracle Flights is providing?
We will book your two or three tickets for you, and then you’ll be on your own to book the remaining tickets for the other traveling members of your family. Our team will work closely with you to coordinate the flight(s) and relay relevant flight details like airlines, flight numbers, and seat numbers (if applicable) to ensure a smooth transaction. We’ll even make sure the timing of the booking is coordinated with you. However, flight bookings happen quickly, so Miracle Flights can never guarantee all family members will be on the same flight and seated next to each other.
What happens if a family member needs to return earlier than the remaining patient and accompanying family member?
We can certainly help with that! If one family member requires a different return date, please email us at [email protected] so we can coordinate that for you.
How does the Treatment Site Verification Form work?
Each applying family is responsible for making sure their treatment site submits the online Treatment Site Verification Form on their behalf to verify their medical appointment dates. This form shall only be completed by medical treatment site staff members, not Miracle Flights applicants. The Treatment Site Verification Form and the completed Flight Request Application must be received at least 14 days before your requested departure date.
Fraudulent statements or representations shall be considered sufficient cause for denial of service. The Treatment Site Verification Form is available on our website. Applications cannot be processed, and flights cannot be booked without a submitted form.
How do we choose flights?
We coordinate our flights with our airline partners, donors, and supporters. We must balance every family’s unique circumstances, preferences, and requests with our organizational policies and mandates. We always do everything we can to accommodate each family. We can generally provide each approved family with one to two flight options. We continuously review the flight option(s) with the family before booking and email the flight itinerary when everything is booked.
How do we provide a return flight date if our treatment site states the post-operation surgery recovery time will be a few weeks?
We generally do not provide one-way flights to treatment sites. If flying to a treatment site, we ask that all applications have a return flight so that we can coordinate both the departure and return flights. If the treatment site is unsure about the release date for a patient, we ask that they project the most optimistic release date, and we’ll base the return flight date on that projected release date. If the treatment site pushes back the release date, we’ll amend the return flight date for you.
Does Miracle Flights help international patients fly into the US for medical treatment?
Unfortunately, we are not providing any new international flights at this time.
Who can fly as passenger two and passenger 3?
For Passenger 2 – If the patient is 17 or under, passenger two must be the traveling child patient’s parent or legal guardian as displayed on the patient’s birth certificate or other legal documentation.
For Passenger 3 – If the patient is 17 or under, passenger three may be the traveling patient’s other parent, legal guardian, or an accompanying family member.
Travel
Does Miracle Flights check us in for our flights?
No, we will not check you in for your flights. All flyers must check-in for themselves within 24 hours of their flight date and time.
What happens if we need to change or cancel our itinerary?
For all flight changes and cancellations, please contact us at 800-359-1711 as soon as possible. They must be made through Miracle Flights, not the airlines, and the treatment site must verify them.
Please note that Miracle Flights is a charity that uses monetary support to purchase your flights, and we are not exempt from any airline change or cancellation fees. If you change your flight with the airline directly or don’t show up for your scheduled flights, the funds used to purchase your flight(s) will be lost and cannot be recovered. Furthermore, Miracle Flights may hold you responsible for the lost funds and/or any additional unauthorized change or cancellation of airline fees.
Does Miracle Flights pay for baggage fees?
Our medical flight programming services are only available to pediatric patients 17 and under.
However, our service dog program is open to all individuals who need help retrieving or training their service dog.
