Travel Assistance Support for Insurance & Assistance Companies
Commercial medical travel for appropriate patients
Returning a client home following illness or injury often requires balancing clinical needs, logistics, timelines, and cost.
In many cases, commercial air travel with the appropriate level of support is a safe and practical alternative to air ambulance transport. In others, it isn't.
Portage helps insurers and assistance companies determine whether commercial travel is appropriate and, when it is, plans and manages the journey from departure to arrival.
Assessing the most appropriate option
Not every traveller requires an air ambulance.
Not every traveller can safely travel on a scheduled commercial flight.
Our role is to assess the traveller's medical condition, functional abilities, itinerary, equipment requirements, and anticipated support needs to determine whether commercial travel is a suitable option.
If commercial travel is appropriate, we'll recommend the level of support required to complete the journey safely.
If it isn't, we'll advise accordingly and, where appropriate, recommend referral to an air ambulance or charter provider.
Matching support to the traveller
Every case is different.
Depending on the traveller's needs, support may include:
An experienced travel companion.
A registered nurse.
An advanced care paramedic.
Physician oversight for more medically complex situations.
Our recommendations are based on the traveller's needs and the journey—not a predetermined service model.
Coordinating the journey
Once a travel plan has been confirmed, we coordinate the operational details required to complete the journey.
This may include working with:
The traveller and their family.
Treating healthcare providers.
Airlines.
Ground transportation providers.
Receiving healthcare facilities.
Case managers.
Claims representatives.
International assistance providers.
Our objective is to ensure everyone involved understands the plan and that the journey proceeds as expected.
A practical alternative when appropriate
Commercial travel can often provide a safe, clinically appropriate, and significantly more cost-effective alternative to dedicated air ambulance transport.
Our role is not to recommend commercial travel in every case.
Our role is to determine when it is appropriate, identify the support required, and provide an honest assessment when another mode of transportation would be safer.
Supporting domestic and international travel
We assist with a wide range of travel situations, including:
Medical repatriation.
Returning travellers home after illness or injury.
Hospital-to-home transfers.
Interprovincial travel.
International commercial medical travel.
Travel to rehabilitation or long-term care facilities.
Each journey is planned individually based on the traveller's condition, destination, and operational requirements.
Need to discuss a case?
If you're managing a traveller who may require assistance returning home by commercial airline, we're happy to review the circumstances, discuss the available options, and determine whether commercial travel is an appropriate solution.
Our goal is straightforward: recommend the safest, most practical, and most cost-effective approach for each individual case.