Air Nurses Featured on the Cover of In Flight USA Magazine

Check Air Nurses cover article here

Press & Media | March 2026

We are proud to announce that Air Nurses Founder and CEO Ericka Essington has been named the cover story of the March 2026 issue of In Flight USA — one of the most established and respected publications serving the private aviation community. The feature, titled "Air Nurses: Concierge Care in Flight," offers an in-depth look at how Air Nurses is redefining medical support for private aviation travelers across the country.

A Service Born from Personal Experience

In the interview, Ericka shares the story behind Air Nurses — one that is both professional and deeply personal. As a board-certified flight nurse, flight paramedic, and medical transport executive with decades of experience in aviation medicine, Ericka had long recognized a gap in the market: patients who were medically stable but still required clinical oversight during travel often had very few safe options.

That gap became personal when her grandmother, at 92 years old, needed to travel internationally for a family wedding. Commercial flight was not a realistic option given her grandmother's mobility limitations, and when Ericka began searching for qualified medical companions to travel with the family, she found that most had minimal medical knowledge and little understanding of the in-flight environment.

"What started as a solution for my grandmother quickly became something bigger — because if my family was struggling to find the right level of support, I knew other families were facing the same gap with even fewer options," Ericka shared in the interview. That insight became the foundation for Air Nurses.

What Air Nurses Does

Air Nurses is a non-emergent medical support service built exclusively for private aviation. The company places board-certified air ambulance flight nurses onboard private aircraft — whether a client owns their aircraft or accesses private charter through a broker or flight department. Air Nurses does not operate aircraft; they provide the clinical oversight and bedside-to-destination care that travels with the client.

The service bridges the gap between commercial medical escorts and full air ambulances — serving clients who are medically cleared to fly, but still need monitoring, mobility assistance, medication management, or professional oversight to travel safely and with dignity. Air Nurses clinicians operate under physician medical direction and are equipped with FAA-approved medical equipment, providing ACLS-level readiness discreetly onboard.

Who Air Nurses Serves

Air Nurses serves three primary types of clients. The first are seniors and families — individuals who cannot travel commercially and need qualified support, whether for mobility challenges, oxygen needs, mild dementia, or simply the peace of mind of having a trained clinician present. Air Nurses also supports families in tender seasons, including hospice or comfort-focused travel.

The second group is corporate executives traveling on private or chartered aircraft, who may seek onboard medical support for known health needs, general wellness, or proactive risk management — including IV hydration and vitamin protocols for long-haul travel.

The third and fastest-growing segment is medical repatriation — non-critical patients who need a medically supported way to get home or reach a hospital for surgery or specialty care. These clients may have fallen ill or been injured while traveling and need to move quickly. Pairing a charter aircraft with an Air Nurses clinician is often far more cost-effective than a dedicated air ambulance, and Air Nurses works directly with hospital case managers and discharge planners to coordinate these trips seamlessly.

A Standard of Care That Travels With You

Air Nurses was built for speed and readiness. The company can mobilize within hours — a critical advantage for families navigating urgent situations. Every Air Nurses clinician is a board-certified flight nurse with a background in air ambulance medicine, trained to assess, stabilize, and coordinate escalation in real-world in-flight scenarios, not just routine bedside care.

"At the end of the day, Air Nurses exists because I know what it feels like to look at someone you love and think, 'How do we get them there safely?' We built this so families have an option that protects dignity, preserves privacy, and brings calm into an overwhelming moment — because people don't just need a flight. They need someone who will care for them all the way through it."

Read the Full Feature

The full interview with Ericka Essington is available in the March 2026 issue of

In Flight USA at www.inflightusa.com. To learn more about Air Nurses and our services, visit airnurses.com.

Download the issue here