American Airlines : The website just says to call, so I went for it. I priced out a ticket from SFO

Update: This continues to be a very popular post so I thought I d update the information since airline policies for bereavement fares tend to change. But first I d like to thank all of the travelers who wrote about their experiences in the comments section of this post. I know that losing a loved one is hard and booking a compassion fare is very stressful. Your advice is wonderful and you re helping other people navigate this challenging period.
Pros: A bereavement, compassion, or emergency fare is a heavily discounted fare typically 50% off the highest unrestricted fare. These fares offer travelers lots of flexibility from being fully refundable to allowing date and schedule changes at no additional cost but the rules vary by airline. If you re not sure when you want to arrive or return, this might be the best choice bbc travel news for you.
Cons: 50% off an unrestricted fare sounds pretty good until you do the math. In today s competitive travel marketplace, virtually no one buys full-price fares and even half off an unrestricted fare can be hundreds more than the lowest online fare. You ll probably be able to find a much cheaper flight through a quick Internet search and don t forget to check Flight + Hotel prices too. Vacation packages bbc travel news tend to be your best value at the last minute and everybody can t stay at Aunt Judy s house!
Plus, most airlines only offer compassion fares to immediate family members and they re limited to death or medical emergencies. And they typically require the name of the deceased or ill family member and the contact information for the funeral home or doctor. You may also have to mail in a copy of the death certificate, which could be a painful and annoying errand.
Policies by Airline: Here are the bereavement fare policies for some major North American airlines. Please note US Airways, AirTran, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and Virgin America do not offer bereavement, compassion, or emergency fares.
American Airlines : The website just says to call, so I went for it. I priced out a ticket from SFO to ATL leaving the next morning. Their program works like this. Each route has a fixed, reduced price and customers are allowed to change their flight as much as needed.
The customer bbc travel news service representative was very kind and priced out my ticket. Normally to leave the following day on that route, it would be $1,006 round-trip. But the bereavement fare was $623.80. And the bereavement fare does not fluctuate in price nor are you charged change fees. This means you can stay as long as you need and change your ticket many times without coughing up more dough. This might be a good option bbc travel news if your plans are uncertain.
Continental Airlines : Continental offers a sliding scale of discounts on bereavement fares. You can save 5% on round-trip tickets up to $499, 10% on round-trip tickets up to $999, and 20% on round-trip tickets $1,000 and over.
Two days ago I booked a bereavement fare for my wife from Seattle to Detroit. Her brother had died. At the time of booking, we were told the only restriction was that it the trip had to be completed in 60 days. The fare was 575.20.
I wasn t sure how long she would have to be there, but the man selling the ticket told me, You don t need to worry about that. The return fare can be changed without a penalty. I thought that was great.
When she arrived in Detroit, she found that it would not be necessary for her to stay as long as she thought, so she called Northwest, and asked to make the return flight for the day after the funeral. The agent told her that there would be a $760 charge to make the change.
We were incredulous. Now we were told that although there is no reservation change penalty if the fare is available on the particular return flight you want, if the few which were allotted, are full, even though the flight may be half empty, they can turn the screws on you. It is like their one page advertisements about getting cheap fares they only make a tiny few seats available.
They looked at what was available, and while she wanted any Sunday flight, the first one available bbc travel news out of Detroit was on Thursday. This may give you an idea about how many seats they allocate, unless people are dropping like flies in Seattle and Detroit.
I didn t get angry, bbc travel news although I think I would have be justified, and I believe the person with whom I was speaking was sympathetic, but he was unable to do anything. He then put me through to customer relations.
I got the same story from the woman in customer bbc travel news relations. bbc travel news She put me on hold, and when she came back on the line she told me that she found a flight on Wednesday to which she could change the ticket. This meant that in order to save the rebooking charge to an earlier flight my wife would have to stay an additional bbc travel news three days.
I told that woman that was not reasonable, but again, I felt that we were not being treated well by Northwest Airlines. I told her that if we had been told the seats are rare like hen s teeth, we would have paid the 835 dollars in the first place and paid a 50 dollar rebooking fee. At least this would have been less than 900 dollars, rather than the 1,335 dollars it is now going to cost us. She was understanding of my being upset, and said she was sorry, but there was nothing she could do. She said that the best that she could do would be to give us a 75 dollar electronic voucher from Northwest Airlines, which I guess they give to distressed customers. I took the voucher number.
Now after what I would consider an ethically challenged situation caused by Northwest Airlines, I went to their web site. I sucked it up, and decided that we really didn t have any choice, but at least I would apply the 75 dollar voucher. However ..the web site didn t give me any way to apply it; only allowing me to put in the VISA card number, so I again got on the phone to Northwest Airlines, and asked for help with there web site.
When I explained the situation, the man at Northwest Airlines said . Vouchers are only good on new reservations. Not rebooking. That is why it won t give you the opportunity. I guess that Northwest Airlines wanted to rub a little salt in the wound.
I think we have really been taken advantage of, at a time when we were looking for a little support. If you have read this far, you will know to be a little skeptical at the benevolence of the airline, while you might get a good deal if you happen to hit the right flight with enough seats for a bereavement fare, you want to remember this caveat, that you can t make the changes which they imply are so easy for you.
Submit your problem to The Fixer at the Chicago Sun Times. Her name is Stephanie Zimmerman and she puts out a few columns a week. She is great at contacting companies and has helped many people receive money back for different situations.
I just got off the phone with NOrthwest. I called because I just didn t have the energy to wade through an online reservation, I could leave from either of two airports, and arrive at either of two. I am going from the East Coast to the midwest because my mother is very ill and I am leaving in three days, which I mentioned only because I was assuming that I would be charged the going rate plus the 20.00 per ticket for NOT going online, and I was just blathering on a bit about that being OK because I just wanted someone bbc travel news to figure it all out for me. The customer service rep (her name was Frankie offered a medical bbc travel news emergency fare (all she requested was my mother bbc travel news s name and the hospital and phone number). She accomodated my special seat request (toward the front, a little claustrophobic and that helps). Also connected me to a reservationist for a car, at a discount as well. Return trip booked, bbc travel news but date can be changed. She was so pleasant to deal with, and helpful.
bbc travel news I ve only flown Northwest bbc travel news one other time, it was fine (though the first leg was cancelled but I got on another flight so it worked out OK). Travelling is tough now, and people seem to really take it out on the airline staff, which is unfortunate. I m sure most of them would rather be pleasant, but demanding passengers must take a toll.
I found out last night (thursday) that my Aunt died suddenly. The funeral is coming up this Sunday, I live in Seatle, the funeral is in Chicago. Cheapest flight to get there was 733.20, with no bereavement rate available. I tried 4 airlines (AA, Continental, Jetblue, Southwest) all with similar results. I threw my hands up in the air in frustration.
People this is a funeral, something that comes up unexpected and the screws are being turned into those who are grieving. I don t have the money, my husband has been unemployed for over a year, my son laidoff for 4 months now, our savings is drained to nothing and I can t even get to my aunt s funeral to say goodbye and console and be consoled by my family members.
All airlines differ in their prices for bereavement fares, and usually you are to pay full price up front and then submit the evidence of the death in the family (because a lot of people take advantage of the lower fare) to get a refund.
Please note that with most airlines you are only eligible for this fare if you are a parent, grandparent (including step-parent and in-laws), spouse, child, aunt/uncle, sibling (including step-siblings/in-laws), and niece/nephew. Most airlines (but not all) also include same sex domestic partners and legal guardians as eligible family members.
Most airlines that offer bereavement fares will waive last minute restrictions and allow you to book using your frequent flyer miles as long as there is frequent flyer space available for the flights, and provided you give the airline the information outlined above.
Sometimes you may not be able to get all of the above details before you travel. Hold onto receipts, boarding passes, and obtain a copy of the death certificate and provide the details mentioned above. Submit bbc travel news these items to the airline as soon as possible after you have completed travel (many airline