What Is the Difference Between Air Ambulance and Medevac?

When someone needs medical transportation, two popular — and often misunderstood — options include air ambulance services and medical evacuation (medevac). Both options provide necessary medical transportation, typically with trained professionals and equipment on hand. Still, they have a few subtle differences, like the type of aircraft used, the start and end destinations, and the status of the patient.

Choosing the right medical flight service is essential to booking safe, fast, and affordable transit. We will take a closer look at air ambulance flights and medevac flights and how to pick the best one for your needs.

What Is a Medevac Flight?

Although there is no official definition, a medevac flight can refer to many kinds of air transit used to move a patient from one place to another. Common applications for medevac flights include moving someone from the scene of an accident to a hospital or from one hospital to another, perhaps one with better facilities or in the patient’s hometown. The term “medevac” can mean more general transportation, too, such as ground transportation.

Medevac flights usually occur in helicopters or air ambulances. These vehicles are specially equipped for medical care. Helicopters, or rotor-wing aircraft, are fast and maneuverable. They can travel to spaces where a jet wouldn’t be able to land, such as a mountain where a patient needs an airlift. Since they’re smaller, they don’t have much equipment and cannot accommodate long-distance travel. Medevac flights can also occur in fixed-wing aircraft, or air ambulances, which we’ll discuss later.

In both cases, trained medical professionals typically accompany and care for the patient during transit. Many medevac flights occur in emergencies, with patients requiring significant care. Others occur when the patient is stable but a commercial flight would not accommodate them or would create unnecessary risks.

What Is an Air Ambulance Flight?

An air ambulance flight is a type of medevac service that uses a medical jet to transport patients. Unlike helicopters, air ambulances typically have comprehensive medical equipment onboard to offer the same level of high-quality care in the air as they would get on the ground. These fixed-wing flights offer spacious and fast transportation across long distances.

Some air ambulances, like our jets here at AirCARE1, fly at higher altitudes than commercial jets. This approach allows us to achieve higher speeds and reduce turbulence, which often occurs at lower altitudes. The patient can enjoy less disturbance, and the medical team can work in a steady environment.

While medevac services often include more critical circumstances, such as in-field airlifts, air ambulances are generally used when the patient is relatively stable. Some applications include:

Moving between two medical facilities: An air ambulance is ideal for transferring a patient from one facility to another, such as from a general hospital to one with more specialized care options.
Relocating for hospice care: Air ambulances can offer attentive, low-stress transportation to hospice facilities.
Returning home: Patients who receive care when traveling abroad or even in far-away domestic locations may need an air ambulance to get back home.
Traveling with mental health considerations: Air ambulances can also provide a calm space and close medical attention for patients with certain mental health conditions. At AirCARE1, for example, we use various holistic methods to create a calm environment, such as playing music, using aromatherapy, and providing noise-canceling headphones.

Air ambulances can accommodate long-range flights, including international flights. They’re often the method of choice for transferring patients who have been injured or become sick while traveling abroad.

Medevac vs. Air Ambulance

While medevac’s meaning initially comes from the military, in everyday language, it can refer to many types of medical evacuation, including ground transportation, helicopter flights, and air ambulances. Medevac encompasses a broader collection of transportation methods, but both medevac and air ambulance flights can ultimately transport patients and provide in-transit medical care.

That’s about where the similarities end between an air ambulance and other medevac services. Some of the differences include:

Distance: Other medevac services besides air ambulance flights are typically reserved for more critical situations, such as airlifts to the nearest hospital. Ground ambulances and helicopters are restricted to short flights, limiting which facilities they can reach.
Speed: While all forms of medevac are fast, air ambulances are the fastest. Helicopters have an average cruising speed of 184 miles per hour, while fixed-wing aircraft can reach 517 miles per hour. Air ambulances are the best way to cover long distances quickly, but in critical situations, a helicopter can speed up the process by avoiding ground transportation entirely. A helicopter doesn’t need a runway, so it can drop down almost anywhere, even in major cities. An air ambulance still needs a nearby runway.
Equipment: Since ground ambulances and helicopters are so small, they can’t accommodate the same level of equipment available in an air ambulance. They are usually limited to just the basics. For more sophisticated equipment needs, an air ambulance might be more accommodating.
Space: Similarly, air ambulances offer more room to move around. Their spacious design allows more people — such as medical professionals or the patient’s loved ones — to fit onto the aircraft. It can also provide more comfort for patients with claustrophobia or issues with flying.
Stability: Unsurprisingly, some types of medevac transportation can lead to a bumpy ride, which can be uncomfortable and hinder the medical team’s ability to provide care. Air ambulances, however, are exceptionally stable, especially if they fly above normal cruising altitudes. This approach is the one we use at AirCARE1, and it allows us to avoid the weather conditions that often cause turbulence on commercial planes.

Both medevac services and air ambulance flights excel in certain situations. For non-emergency care, an air ambulance often provides more capabilities and comfort.

Learn More About Air Ambulance Options With AirCARE1

If you or a family member needs medical air transportation, working with a trusted provider is crucial. At AirCARE1, we offer reliable and straightforward air ambulance services, all provided with the patient’s care and comfort in mind. From spacious interiors and holistic care to stable flights and sophisticated medical equipment, we strive to make a difficult situation as relaxing as possible.

We own and operate a fleet of well-maintained Learjets and uphold the industry’s highest level of safety standards. With accreditations from multiple industry standards organizations, you can be confident in our commitment to quality. Our flight teams — including pilots and medical professionals — undergo extensive medical transportation training and have significant experience in their fields. Whatever your medical needs entail, our skilled team is there to help.

Reach out to us today to learn more about air ambulance services, or request a quote online to schedule a flight.

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Denise Waye

Denise Waye is the Founder and President of AirCARE1. Her career as a critical care registered nurse started in 1994 revealing her many years of experience in the field. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from the University of New Mexico and has worked in a variety of critical care patient settings including ICU, CCU, and the emergency department. Shortly after becoming a flight nurse with another provider, Denise founded AirCARE1 in 2004 on the premise of providing unmatched patient care with a holistic approach along with outstanding customer service.