Do any airlines give discounts for emergency tickets like funerals?

[vi edit]

visgf lost her uncle today and the funeral is a 12 hour drive + holiday traffic. The cheapest ticket I can find flying out on friday is close to $450 because of the short notice. Do they offer any sort of a discount for family emergencies like funerals?

Thanks.

 

[xuanman]

they do offer emergency discounts..but often they're not really that "discounted" ...and it may be tougher to get during the holiday...

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
visgf lost her uncle today and the funeral is a 12 hour drive + holiday traffic. The cheapest ticket I can find flying out on friday is close to $450 because of the short notice. Do they offer any sort of a discount for family emergencies like funerals?

I believe you need to ask about bereavement fares when you book your travel. You likely need to talk to an actual agent for this (i.e. no Travelocity/Expedia/Orbitz).

 

[vi edit]

Yeh, travelocity and orbitz were a no-go on any sort of emergency discounts. I browsed through United's website and couldn't really find much related to bereavement.

 

[notfred]

Ask George Costanza.

 

[dolph]

i've heard from many sources that they do, though i've yet to see it confirmed. call a couple of major airlines and find out from them.

 

[DonaldC]

Most airlines have 'bereavement fares' but you need a copy of the obituary or some other proof when you pick up the tickets.

 

[Atrail]

The discounts are not much. AFAIK you can only get the discount through a ticketing agency..

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

I found this link by searching Google for "airline bereavement fares"

 

[RossMAN]

My condolences to your g/f's loss.

I found http://www.bereavementair.com/ using a Google search, call them at 1-800-999-2599

Some cc's (such as Amex?) may have perks also, I'd give them a try as well.

 

[vi edit]

Thanks guys. Ross - I just left a voicemail with that American Express bereavement agency. Lets see what they can do.

 

[wyvrn]

According to that article, most airlines (except Southwest) have them and they are typically 50% off. I think this is one of those cases where talking to a phone rep would do you the most good.

Originally posted by: FeathersMcGraw
I found this link by searching Google for "airline bereavement fares"

 

[Mill]

Delta offered me a bereavement rate for my grandmother's funeral. It was cheap enough that I was then able to budget the cost of the ticket and make the funeral.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Thanks guys. Ross - I just left a voicemail with that American Express bereavement agency. Lets see what they can do.

Cool. Please let us know if/what they can do. It would be helpful for AT'ers/lurkers should this ever happen to them.