AirMed International

What AirMed International is

AirMed International is an air ambulance operator that owns and flies its own medical jets, and it sells an air ambulance membership alongside its per-flight transport service. The membership is not insurance, and the enrollment portal says so in plain terms: "The air ambulance membership agreement is a membership plan and not insurance coverage." It is a service agreement with one operator, not cover for hospital bills. The site footer calls AirMed "the premier air ambulance company and medical evacuation membership program."

The about page says "AirMed International is part of the Global Medical Response family of companies," and describes the company as "a contracted carrier for the U.S. Department of Defense." It claims accreditation "from both CAMTS and EURAMI," and says AirMed "owns and operates all aircraft, as well as employing its own dispatch, flight, and medical teams." The homepage says the team "has pioneered the air ambulance and air medical transport industry for over three decades" and calls AirMed "the leading air ambulance and medical transport company in the United States." The pages give different mission totals: the homepage says "33,000 total missions," the about page says "more than 34,000 total missions," and the membership portal says "over 18,000 total missions." The homepage banner separately claims "Over 25,000 transports in 150+ countries worldwide."

The fleet and the bases

The fleet page says "Our planes are used exclusively for medical evacuation, not leased for other purposes," and that "the average price of our planes is $9 million," after which the company spends "60–90 days permanently configuring it" as an intensive care unit. The homepage says "All of AirMed's flight crews are simulator trained annually, which exceeds industry standards, and all long-range pilots hold ATP ratings," and describes AirMed as "an FAA-certified Air Carrier with worldwide operating authority."

The fleet page gives specifications for each aircraft type. The Beechjet 400 lists a cruise range of 1500 statute miles, one patient, up to 4 medical personnel and 3,400 liters of oxygen. The Hawker 800A lists 3000 statute miles, up to 2 patients, up to 4 medical personnel and 28,000 liters of oxygen, with a stand-up cabin and a worldwide area of operations. The Nextant 400XTi lists 1000 statute miles and one patient. The Learjet 35A is listed with a cruise range of 2,400 statute miles and a cruise altitude of 45,000 feet. The page also names King Air B-200C and Challenger 601 aircraft.

The bases page says "In addition to our 4 permanent base locations, AirMed manages a fleet of dedicated aircraft (Learjet 35/36) on a" point to point model, meaning they "float throughout the United States." The named bases are Birmingham, Alabama, which serves customers worldwide "utilizing three Raytheon Hawker 800 air ambulance aircraft" equipped with "a liquid oxygen system allowing longer transport of ventilator-dependent patients"; San Antonio, Texas, serving "the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean"; Singapore, for "Southeast Asia and beyond"; and a UAE branch "based in Dubai's Medical Health Care City" offering a medical escort service. For non-emergency cases the site says it will "offer an upfront price quotation for service."

The membership and how enrollment works

The homepage names an expat product, "Expat Extended Stay Plans ensure bedside‑to‑bedside care," under the heading "Work Anywhere, Get Home Quickly in an Emergency." The enrollment portal offers three membership options, listed as "AirMed International Membership," "AirMed" and "AirMed:Expatriate," and a choice of term: 14 days, 30 days, 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years or 25 years. The portal shows no dollar figures; its price field reads "Updating Plan Prices..." and fills in as the application proceeds, and there is a field for a discount code.

The application collects each member's name, date of birth and contact details, and the primary applicant can add others, with the form stating it "will not allow to enter more than 10 dependents." The contact address fields offer only the USA and Canada as countries. The portal also carries boxes for "Accept Knox Keene" and "Accept Wyoming Terms," state-specific terms a buyer accepts during enrollment.

One eligibility rule is written out in full. The portal says "Some state laws prohibit Medicaid beneficiaries from being offered air ambulance memberships or being accepted into air ambulance membership programs," so an applicant "must attest to the fact that the applicant is not currently, nor plans to be, enrolled in Medicaid." A member who enrolls in Medicaid during the term "must notify the air ambulance membership organization within thirty (30) days." The same notice says "TennCare Medicaid covers air ambulance transport services and requires no out-of-pocket expense by the enrollee for air ambulance transport services."

Payment is by card, with Visa, MasterCard, JCB, American Express and Discover listed, and the portal warns that "your bank's local security measures may prevent international charges." Buyers agree to the "AirMed International Network Terms and Conditions" when they apply. Former members get a "Renew Now" link on each page.

Contact and requesting transport

The membership portal lists AirMed International, LLC at "950 22nd Street N, Suite 800, Birmingham, AL 35203," a toll-free line of 800-356-2161 under "NEED IMMEDIATE AIR MEDICAL TRANSPORT?", and a membership email address. The main site carries a "Request Transport" button, and the homepage says "AirMed air ambulances are on call around-the-clock to respond to your needs," under the banner "24×7×365 Medical Air Transport Services." Its leadership page names a Medical Director, a Director of Medical Operations and a Director of Membership Sales, among others, and says the President, Denise Treadwell, is "responsible for managing daily operations of the company" and has been with it "for more than 23 years." The services menu lists bedside to bedside service, medical repatriation, commercial stretcher service, long distance medical escorts and neonatal transport alongside emergency air ambulance flights.

Who it suits

AirMed suits a US or Canadian resident who wants a membership with an operator that flies its own jets, staffs its own crews and runs its own dispatch, and who is buying transport rather than medical cover. The term options run from 14 days for a single trip to 25 years, and the AirMed:Expatriate option and the Expat Extended Stay Plans are aimed at people living abroad. Applicants must attest that they are not enrolled in Medicaid. The portal does not show a price until enrollment is underway, and the pages set out no membership benefits, limits or exclusions; those sit in the terms and conditions a member accepts.