Bereavement and Compassionate Fares

September 8, 2006
By

The LA Daily News had an article last week about a mother and her difficulty in getting understanding from Delta Airlines in a death situation. Betty Haack made arrangements in April to visit her son in July, and ended up moving them back a week…not to visit her son, but to bury him after he died suddenly. She had been charged $357.51 to change the outbound flight back a week. She returned on her originally scheduled return flight. When she sent Delta a letter, asking them to reverse or reduce the charge, they replied in a phone call, informing her it would be not. The representitive informed her they were in the business to make money.

We fully agree that companies are in business to make money. We don’t see funeral homes discounting their products because someone is dead. Of course, no industry we know of other than the airline industry sells the same product, ie a seat on an aircraft, for multiple prices based on when you purchase it.

Bereavement/Compassionate situations are divided into several types of situations. First, when you buy a ticket to attend a funeral. Second, when you try and change an existing ticket to attend a funeral. Finally, when you are in the midst of travel and must return early due to death. Most airlines will waive change fees or refund the ticket if death occurs before departure. If you have to change, however, you will often be subject to any difference in fare.

Waiving differences in fare is rare for a carrier. Few reservations departments will do it. If you end up in this situation, and run up against an airline who will not try to reduce your charge before you go, advise them to note you intend to contact their customer relations or customer care department after your return. At that point, you are likely in a better frame of mind to plead your case to the airline. Also, those departments have a broader latitude than the reservations centers, which at many carriers are the least trained people in the company. And if they say no, you have not lost any more than you did before.

We’ll be working on a comprehensive list of bereavement policies, but for now, we’ll mention Continental Airlines has its bereavement policy on its website. They offer 5-10% off. Most carriers are not even that generous.

In the end, airlines respond to pressure as much as anyone else. The squeaky wheel may get the grease. But emergency situations are when you are least in the mood to squeak.

This entry was posted on September 8, 2006 at 5:51 PM and is filed under Advice, Fares and Fees. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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  • jfkadlec

    Wait a minute. Be careful of the Northwest Airlines bereavement fare.

    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 my wife 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 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.

    My wife then called me and told me the situation. Initially, I didn’t believe her, so I called Northwest Airlines since I had made the reservation and recalled the ticketing conversation. It was true.

    I didn’t get angry, 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 relations. 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 my wife 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 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. They certainly proved that they were the ones in control.

    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 the airline might suggest are so easily done.



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