Can someone tell me about bereavement fares?

DaiLyght

How much of a discount is it, or is it worth it?

ETA: my situation would also be a case of "imminent death" rather than a just passed. I'm not sure how much of a difference that makes or if that makes things more difficult to jump through the airline's hoops.

hikerbeth

Usually not worth it if you have any other method of getting a ticket (airline miles, etc.)  It's a percentage off the fare which is usually *really* high since you're buying just a day or two out.

lildevil968

When my grandfather died 2 years ago we saved $500 on our cost. We did have to provide them with an official copy of the death certificate though.

j-w

hikerbeth:

Usually not worth it if you have any other method of getting a ticket (airline miles, etc.)  It's a percentage off the fare which is usually *really* high since you're buying just a day or two out.

My aunt had to grab a flight one time and because of the immediacy (flying out the next morning), the fares were astronomical, even with the bereavement discount.

veloelle

You might be better off buying a fare that you can change w/out incurring a fee/or a small fee. I *think* bereavement fares are based off the full fare coach price, which no one pays unless it's last minute or a business traveler. You might ask Belle, she might know.

Depending on where you're going to/from, a discount carrier that allows changes to the ticket for a small fee might be better than going w/ a major carrier. Try Frontier, Jet Blue, Southwest, AirTran rather than Delta, United, American.

Also, to your other post. DH's father died unexpectedly. One of DH's brothers was estranged from the family for a few years, mostly from the dad. I can say that he did 'come back' to the family less than a year before DH's dad died. I know had he not done that, he'd never have forgiven himself for not having closure.  

EliseB0323

We looked into this in Jan. when my FIL passed away. Most airlines don't offer them, and the ones that did still had fares higher than some of the cheaper airline even with the discount.

ak1234

I've found that with Priceline, lastminute, etc you can usually get a better deal elsewhere.  I haven't used a bereavement fare in over 10 years, because I have always been able to find a cheaper ticket.

mlc92404

I believe the only way to get a good, discounted fair is if the person has already passed and you have proof such as a death cert.

Baby4OT

The last time I looked into them was about 10 years ago, but even then it was cheaper to find other options than use bereavement rates. I have to think that now that there are so many discount travel websites that you can definitely find cheaper flights than using bereavement fares.