Who We Are

Angel Flight West (AFW) is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization that arranges free, non-emergency air transportation within the 12 Western states for children and adults with serious medical conditions and other compelling needs. AFW matches volunteer pilots to people in need, enabling them to receive medical treatment and other essential services that might otherwise be inaccessible because of financial, medical, or geographic circumstances.

As an IRS-registered 501(c)3 organization, Angel Flight West does not endorse any political candidate for office, take a position on political matters, or grant the use of its name and logo to any candidate.

All services are free! There are no costs of any kind for passengers to fly with us or for the hospital and agencies that request a mission for their patients. Our volunteer pilots fly their own private or rented aircraft and pay for fuel and all other flight-related expenses, and commercial airline flights are donated through our partnerships.

We provide flights to and from hospitals and other healthcare facilities for people requiring treatment for all medical conditions. In some cases, we also arrange flights for organ transplants—for the organ recipient, organ donor, and for the organs themselves.

Yes. We can arrange “compassion flights” for individuals who need to visit critically ill or injured family members. We also provide flights to relocate survivors of domestic violence, to transport children and adults to camps for a variety of specialty camps (such as burn survivors and families impacted by HIV or AIDS), and to fly support staff and supplies during natural disasters or other crises. For more information, see read about the types of missions we fly.

Unfortunately, we do not. Our limited resources don’t allow us to arrange flights for funerals.

No. Angel Flight West arranges transportation only within the 12 Western states, including Alaska and Hawaii. We can’t arrange flights outside of the U.S. If your destination falls outside our service area, we may be able to arrange a flight that connects you to a flight provided by another Angel Flight organization.

Due to the limited range of the aircraft flown by our pilots, flights are limited to 1,000 miles in each direction. Longer flights are usually broken up into segments of about 300 miles each. A flight that is around 1,000 miles would be done in three separate planes and take about 6-8 hours of flying time, not including time spent on the ground changing planes. A travel day on either side of your appointment would be necessary.

Everyone who flies with us must be medically stable, ambulatory, and able to board and exit the plane with limited assistance. 

To be eligible for an AFW mission, a person must demonstrate a financial need or other compelling reason, such as an inability to use public transportation because of a weakened immune system or other medical condition, or living in a rural area that doesn’t have easy access to commercial transportation.

For more information, see our flight request page.

We need a minimum of 7 days, in order to have enough time to process all necessary paperwork and secure a pilot. In some urgent situations, we may be able to arrange a flight with less advance notice. Please contact the office to inquire.

Once all details have been collected, we’ll submit your flight request to a private board our pilots see when they log into our secure system. As soon as a pilot has signed up for your mission, we’ll accept their request and assign the mission.

We will then send you, your requester (if you have one), and your pilot an e-mail with the itinerary, which includes your pilot’s contact information. Shortly after they have been assigned the mission, you should expect to hear from your pilot to discuss all flight-related details. Although you are also welcome to reach out to your pilot directly if you have any questions, it’s best to wait a little while to give them time to coordinate details on their end.

We aren’t able to provide a definitive timeline of when you will be notified that we have found you a pilot. Additionally, there may be times when we won’t be able to secure a pilot until the day before your flight. We understand this can cause some anxiety, but we do our best to find you a pilot as soon as we can. Since our pilots are volunteers, we have to consider they too have their own personal and professional schedules. Having a back-up plan is helpful so you know you will be able to get to your appointment a different way or reschedule, if need be.

Yes, you may travel with a companion. However, as weight is extremely critical on a small aircraft, staff must approve any companions traveling with you before the day of the flight. It is advisable to bring just one companion, as many of our pilots can only accommodate two passengers.

Please do not bring a companion without telling staff and your pilot in advance. Unexpected guests can cause serious problems, and your pilot may not be able to accommodate the additional passenger.

There is no limit. You may apply to request as many flights as you need, as per your doctor’s recommendation.