Flying With Hearing Aids: Airport Security, the Flight and Ben Gurion Airport

Keep them in, keep them close

Airports are noisy, announcements are hard to hear and gate changes happen fast. For most people with hearing loss, the best place for hearing aids on a travel day is in their ears. This guide covers security, the flight and arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. For what to pack and what to do if something goes wrong once you land, see hearing aid problems while visiting Israel.

Security screening

Rules differ by country and airport, so check the rules where you fly from. The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is a clear example:

• You can keep them in. TSA says you are not required to remove any hearing aids or cochlear implants.
• Tell the officer. TSA advises informing the TSA officer if you are deaf or hard of hearing and require assistance with the screening process. TSA says you can do this verbally, with a TSA Notification Card or with medical documentation.
• Extra checks are possible. TSA notes that additional screening, including a pat-down or inspection of a device, may be required if a medical device alarms.

Chargers, batteries and spares

Keep everything you need for your hearing aids in your hand luggage: the charger and cable, spare batteries in their original package, and cleaning tools. If your hearing aids are rechargeable, charge them fully the night before.

TSA says spare (uninstalled) lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks, must be carried in carry-on baggage only. If you charge your hearing aids from a power bank, it goes in your hand luggage. Airline rules vary, so check yours before you fly.

On the plane

Many hearing aids use Bluetooth. Instructions about flights and Bluetooth differ between models, so read what the user guide for your exact model says before you travel, and follow the cabin crew's instructions.

Practical tips for the flight:

• Tell the crew. Let a flight attendant know you have hearing loss, so they make sure you get important announcements.
• Keep the case within reach. If you take your hearing aids out to sleep, put them straight into their case, never in a tissue or a seat pocket.
• Check before you leave the seat. Hearing aids, case and charger are easy to leave behind on a long flight.

Arriving at Ben Gurion Airport

The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) describes accessibility services for people with hearing loss at Ben Gurion Airport:

• Induction loops. The IAA says some service desks at the airport are equipped with induction loop systems for people with hearing impairments, and that the systems are designed for people with hearing aids.
• An earpiece option. According to the IAA, the system also includes an earpiece, so it can be used by people without a hearing aid or without a telecoil in their hearing aid.
• Signage. The IAA says each desk equipped with an induction loop is marked with the appropriate signage.
• Ask in advance. The IAA says that to receive this service, passengers should inform their airline in advance.

The US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) explains that a telecoil works by receiving an electromagnetic signal from the hearing loop. So to use an induction loop with your hearing aids, they need a telecoil (T-coil) programme that is set up and switched on. Not every hearing aid has one. Ask your hearing care provider before you travel whether yours does and how to select it.

After you land

If your hearing aids stop working, a charger fails or you run out of supplies during your stay, see hearing aid problems while visiting Israel. If you are moving to Israel, see making aliyah with hearing aids.

You can call G-Sound in English. Have your hearing-aid make and model ready, and describe what has happened. G-Sound offers Philips and Oticon hearing aids.