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Which airlines carry EpiPens? This is relevant not only for those who have an anaphylactic allergy themselves or in their immediate family, but also for passengers with young kids, who may not be aware that their child has an anaphylactic reaction; it may also be used to treat very low blood pressure in an emergency. For those who think allergies only emerge in childhood, it's possible to develop an anaphylactic reaction later in life; my husband had his first anaphylactic reaction in his twenties to a substance that previously never gave him an allergic reaction. It's a good thing he wasn't on an airplane flight.
While virtually all airlines carry vials of epinephrine in their emergency medical kit, as we wrote in Will the FAA Mandate EpiPens on Flights or Keep Putting Passengers at Risk, there's a vast difference between a vial of epinephrine that must be measured, placed into a vial, and injected by a licensed medical professional (if there is one on your flight and if s/he volunteers to assist, by no means a given), or an EpiPen auto-injector that the passenger, flight crew, or another passenger can safely inject into the person's thigh. Tip: make sure to hold the EpiPen or auto-injector firmly in place for at least three full seconds so that the medication enters the patient. Withdrawing it too soon will mean you've wasted the EpiPen.
Note that among U.S. airlines, Delta and United Airlines are notable for NOT carrying EpiPens or any other epinephrine auto-injector. Fly at your own risk.
Below are the airlines we're aware of that carry an EpiPen or Auvi-Q auto-injector in the emergency medical kit. If you know of others, please comment, ideally with a source, so we can add them.
Alaska Airlines: Auvi-Q
Alaska Airlines carries Auvi-Q epinephrine auto-injectors, per Allergic Living.
American Airlines: Auvi-Q
AA's main fleet carries Auvi-Q in its emergency medical kits, per the same Allergic Living article above.
British Airlines: EpiPen
British Airways confirms that the airline carries epinephrine auto-injectors on all flights, per this Guardian article. It may have been prompted to do so by the 2016 death of a passenger following an anaphylactic reaction on a British Airways flight.
easyJet: EpiPen
EasyJet confirms that the airline carries epinephrine auto-injectors on all flights per the same Guardian article above.
Hawaiian Airlines: Auvi-Q
Hawaiian carries Auvi-Q auto-injectors per the Allergic Living article cited above.
JetBlue Airlines: EpiPen
The JetBlue allergies page states that “Our Emergency Medical Kits all contain an EpiPen in case of an emergency.”
Southwest Airlines: EpiPen
In December 2023, Southwest started rolling out new medical kits across its fleet, per this WSJ article. They contain epinephrine auto-injectors as well as nalaxone spray (NARCAN) to treat opioid overdoses.
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