What Are Bereavement Fares?
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 | |  | Published by Diavolo on 20.10.2006 at 20:44. |
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Most major U.S. airlines offer bereavement or "compassion" fares for travelers needing to attend a relative's funeral or be with a very sick or dying relative. Bereavement fares do offer a discount, usually around 50 percent, but only off the highest unrestricted fares, which are often exorbitantly priced. Even at half price, these fares may still be quite expensive. However, most airline seats—with the exception of some distressed inventory for last-minute weekend travel—tend to be most expensive at the last minute. Thus, you should expect to pay high prices for any fare type you purchase.
The benefit of bereavement fares is that they usually have flexible travel rules that you cannot get with other last-minute fares. Most are refundable and allow date changes and open returns, meaning that you do not have to determine your return date at the time of booking.
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A Bogus Bereavement Fare
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| | | Published by Linda Nelson on 20.10.2006 at 14:33. |
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Q: My sister died unexpectedly last summer and I had to fly to Pittsburgh for the funeral. I called several airlines to request a bereavement fare, but the best they could do was $625 roundtrip, which didn't seem like a good price.
I stopped by the airline ticket counter on my way home and asked about bereavement fares. An agent told me they don't really offer them anymore because so many people ask for them who aren't entitled to them. I wrote to Travelocity twice, but received two form letters.
Bereavement fares are ineffective because the fare structure of the major airlines, which tries to charge last-minute travelers the most money, is obsolete. Even the way in which airline tickets are priced (they use sophisticated computers to change prices literally by the minute) is as outdated as a biplane.
The bad news is that what you encountered with the Travelzoo referral to Travelocity could easily repeat itself. Airlines and online travel agencies pay Travelzoo to publish its specials, but as they appear on the site, the bargains are long on promises but short on details.
Does that mean you're out of luck? No. Although you agreed to the fare, that doesn't necessarily mean you also had a positive customer-service experience. Travelocity acknowledged your frustration by sending you a $150 voucher, which nearly covers the fare difference.
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A Bogus Bereavement Fare
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| | | Published by Tim on 20.10.2006 at 18:24. |
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Q: My sister died unexpectedly last summer and I had to fly to Pittsburgh for the funeral. I called several airlines to request a bereavement fare, but the best they could do was $625 roundtrip, which didn't seem like a good price.
I stopped by the airline ticket counter on my way home and asked about bereavement fares. An agent told me they don't really offer them anymore because so many people ask for them who aren't entitled to them. I wrote to Travelocity twice, but received two form letters.
Bereavement fares are ineffective because the fare structure of the major airlines, which tries to charge last-minute travelers the most money, is obsolete. Even the way in which airline tickets are priced (they use sophisticated computers to change prices literally by the minute) is as outdated as a biplane.
The bad news is that what you encountered with the Travelzoo referral to Travelocity could easily repeat itself. Airlines and online travel agencies pay Travelzoo to publish its specials, but as they appear on the site, the bargains are long on promises but short on details.
Does that mean you're out of luck? No. Although you agreed to the fare, that doesn't necessarily mean you also had a positive customer-service experience. Travelocity acknowledged your frustration by sending you a $150 voucher, which nearly covers the fare difference.
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