Bereavement Airfare Rates?

[AckermanPartyof6]

Hello,

My grandmother is not doing so well and was advised that she may only live a few more weeks. She is 100 and has lived a prosperous life.

With this being said, I will need to book 3 flights for our family to make it to California on last minute notice. Are there any airlines that offer bereavement rates?

Thanks in Advance.

 

[Disneylush]

when we where is this situation we found better deals online then with the airline services funeral flights... remember she has to have past to even get these flights.

to you and your family I know it is a stressful time and can be very exhausting.

 

[shaylyn]

We too found the flights online were cheaper than any bereavement fare. Quite a few airlines did not even offer the bereavement fare any longer. Even online, the flight, because it was last minute, was SO, SOOOO much money!

When my Grandma passed, the flights were so expensive we decided that Dh would stay home with the kids and I went to the funeral alone. Perhaps that's an option?

 

[maggiew]

We just looked into this when my FIL passed away. The "deal" that airlines give you for bereavement rates is usually a % off full fare price. I was able to find cheaper fares online. However, my FIL passes away at Spring Break, so last minute, spring break fares were not cheap. DH went by himself and the rest of us stayed home.

Maggie

 

[ToodlesRN]

We too found the flights online were cheaper than any bereavement fare. Quite a few airlines did not even offer the bereavement fare any longer. Even online, the flight, because it was last minute, was SO, SOOOO much money!

When my Grandma passed, the flights were so expensive we decided that Dh would stay home with the kids and I went to the funeral alone. Perhaps that's an option?

Ditto they were more expensive than finding your own flight.

 

[bumbershoot]

remember she has to have past to even get these flights.

And, when I was looking into it, you will have to have an official death certificate to get the rates, or fax it in asap...

 

[MommaMouse411]

bereavement rates...I called several airlines and they said no they don't do that. the first time i flew out to chicago..I paid $1400 roundtrip (2 fares) because they had said my grandmother was on her death bed. well she got bettter and then she passed away a month ago..so there was no way I can do that again..so I went to MCO -Orlando for sooo much cheaper. and I took my kids again.

I almost was going to have to go alone if I couldn't have found a deal. its kind of sad that they don't offer a special rate for such things.

 

[NYEmomma]

My brother flew from Ottawa to Cleveland in January when my grandmother died & my dad booked the flight for him... he did get bereavement rates with Continental & the price was better than what he could book last minute online. My grandmother died on a Monday night & he flew in on Wednesday.

 

[AckermanPartyof6]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Cruise]

Just used this 3 weeks ago, unfortunately.

United offers 10% off the base fare that you can find online. The taxes and fees are not lowered, of course. So even with last minute flights, you're only looking at about $40 saved. Still, $40 is $40.

 

[goofyisinphilly]

I used Northwest Airlines about 3 years go. Want to hear my story?

My dad calls and tells me that my grandfather passed away on Saturday morning at about 8 am. I hop online and the cheapest airfare is about $700 on Airtran for a same day flight. Nothing cheaper to be found. So I bit the bullet and bought the ticket.

I get to the airport and my flight was cancelled. They weren't even sure when I was going to be able to get out. I looked across the concourse and a NWA flight was leaving in a hour. I looked at the ticket agent and asked "if I can get on that flight will you refund the my money?" He said "sure."

So I went to the gate and explained to the ticket agent what the situation was. She gave me 2 phones to use at the same time and connected me to booking. Booking said they could get me on the flight at a bereavement rate if I could connect them to the funeral home for proof. So I called my mom on a 3rd phone and got the funeral home's name and called the funeral home in Missouri to be on stand by for NWA's call.

NWA called while I was live on the phone line with them and funeral home. Confirmed the scheduled service and booked my ticket for.....are you ready....$300.

So ticket in hand I went back to the Airtran counter where the ticket agent refunded my money on the spot and apologized for the situation. I then got on my now direct flight to Memphis from Charlotte and that was that.

Oh and my luggage showed up on Airtran the next day.

 

[SandrA9810]

Lucky you got your luggage. My aunt's luggage has made trips across the US on Airtran before. Which wound up in a free round trip flight...

If you know it's coming, book a flight now with Southwest, and each week you can change it to the following week. That's one thing I like about them, you can change your flight a number of times without loosing any money.

So book a flight for the 1st, and then on the 2nd change it to the 7th. If things haven't changed, change it to the 15th. That way you'll only be a few days out from leaving if something should happen in the middle of the week. 7 days seems to be the magic number between spending a whole lot and spending regular rate.

Just don't be surprised if the weather puts a damper in traveling though too, with all the storms out in the Mid-west. Try to avoid San Fransisco if you're going into the northern end of the state, they're known for their delays as well.

 

[Junebugwv]

When we tried to arrange for bereavement flights when my FIL passed away, United was the only airline that offered it on a very limited availability. The flight they offered us was from an airport over 200 miles away and would not arrive in time for the wake. We had to pay over $1,000 each for 2 adults and 5 children all at adult fares.

 

[mtblujeans]

When my Dad passed away, suddenly, 10 years ago, my daughter and I also paid about $1000 per ticket and we had to call and ask for the funeral discount to be reimbursed after we got back. It wasn't much of a discount.

 

[Sossy]

Few airlines still have bereavement fares, and it really depends on where you want to go. When I checked a few weeks ago I found that both American and Continental said they could, but they are only better if you need to be able to change flights or are truly last minute. You also do need info from the funeral home, usually they can talk to the airline to confirm.
My Grandfather was dying too quickly to go visit so I waited and got flights for the funeral a week later and non-refundable was much cheaper. If you need an open or changeable ticket then call airlines and have doctor/funeral home info ready.

 

[antree]

We tried to get bereavement fares last August and all the airlines we called said they did not offer it anymore. What they do is offer you the refundable rate, which was at least $500.00 or more depending on the airline. Sadly we needed it again this past week and once again the airfare was just to high. My cousin finally decided to drive from Florida instead.

 

[Donnainnj]

When my Dad's friend was dying years ago he wanted to go see him last minute, before it was to late. The best deal I could find was through travelocity last minute travel. I couldn't find it on the main page, but a google will show it is still available. It either includes a rental car or hotel room, and for last minute flights seems to be a good deal. You can usually get a fare from Thursday to Tuesday or any of the days in between. Don't know if it will work for you, but is good to check.
Donna

 

[3princes+1princess]

Hello,

My grandmother is not doing so well and was advised that she may only live a few more weeks. She is 100 and has lived a prosperous life.

With this being said, I will need to book 3 flights for our family to make it to California on last minute notice. Are there any airlines that offer bereavement rates?

Thanks in Advance.

If you can fly American Airlines, call their 800 number to get a bereavement fare. It was the ONLY airline that we could find that still offered them. It is a set price from one location to another. It was by FAR the cheapest, but not close to cheap. The best part about this fare was that the flights could be changed at anytime with no change fee or cost difference. At times like these, you just don't know how much time you will need to be there, or if you need to get there sooner. They were great when my Mom passed away this past January and we needed to get us home for the services (now getting my mom from here to 'home' was another bad story).

 

[tagall4]

Anyone know about refunding or transferring flights due to a death? For instance; plans to fly to Disney had to be canceled due to death. Could flights be rescheduled at a later date or credited somehow?

 

[antree]

I know with Southwest you can change your flight or cancel your flight and get a credit that's good for a year without penalty. You can call the airline and see what their policies are. I am sorry for your loss.