Bereavement airfare? : Tue Dec 31, 2013 6:23 am  

Has anyone had to get one or knew anyone who's used one?

The mother in law passed away recently and we need to get back for the funeral, we've just been back to uk and had a big xmas so with us having to take time off unpaid funds are a bit tight.

The main problem isn't the just the fair the misses is 20 weeks into pregnancy and she could do with an bit of extra room, i've read a bit of info on the internet and some airlines seem a bit of a nightmare so just looking for a bit of info for airlines who were helpful?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Bereavement airfare? : Tue Dec 31, 2013 8:27 am  

My father died in the US in 2002 and I had to go out at very short notice. I used Delta Airlines and they didn't have a bereavement airfare from the UK to the US (It happened in January so the fare was pretty reasonable anyway), but I had to get from Ohio to Texas which my relatives in the US arranged and they did get a bereavement fare for the the intercontinental flights. I'd never heard about it until then.

As for the leg room, as I'm sure you know I need the leg room, I get a letter from either my consultant or GP to confirm what I have and you just need to show it to the airline who should hopefully obllige. The front row seats are usually reserved for the disabled and mothers with babies. I'm sure they would accomodate your wife.

Condolences on your bereavement and congratulations on the pregnancy, how bittersweet.

Re: Bereavement airfare? : Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:10 pm  

The US airline I worked for until recently didn't offer them, and iirc I was only asked for them once in over 7 years. It purely depends on the airline - many don't offer them these days full stop. Others will offer a large percentage discount off the most flexible (and therefore most expensive) fare - but this will still probably be more expensive than the cheapest fare (with no flexibility). Some do still offer a sliding percentage scale off various classes - the cheapest fares will have the lowest discount, say 5%. As for legroom, you should submit a request to the airline. As many legroom seats are exit seats they can only be occupied by able-bodied passengers, I know pregnant women can't sit there in the US - again check with the airline first. You'll also find most legroom seats reserved by passengers who've already booked, frequent flyers, etc. You could always ask which aircraft you'll be on and check Seat Guru or similar for the best seats. Stay away from toilets for more peace and bear in mind some seats have bulkheads which means you can't stretch your legs forward. It comes down to speaking to the airlines. Most try to be compassionate but are tied by stringent rules imposed by fares and pricing analysts, whose only job is to eliminate CASM (cost per available seat mile) and maximise yield, load and RASM (revenue per available seat mile), etc.

The US airline I worked for until recently didn't offer them, and iirc I was only asked for them once in over 7 years. It purely depends on the airline - many don't offer them these days full stop. Others will offer a large percentage discount off the most flexible (and therefore most expensive) fare - but this will still probably be more expensive than the cheapest fare (with no flexibility). Some do still offer a sliding percentage scale off various classes - the cheapest fares will have the lowest discount, say 5%. As for legroom, you should submit a request to the airline. As many legroom seats are exit seats they can only be occupied by able-bodied passengers, I know pregnant women can't sit there in the US - again check with the airline first. You'll also find most legroom seats reserved by passengers who've already booked, frequent flyers, etc. You could always ask which aircraft you'll be on and check Seat Guru or similar for the best seats. Stay away from toilets for more peace and bear in mind some seats have bulkheads which means you can't stretch your legs forward. It comes down to speaking to the airlines. Most try to be compassionate but are tied by stringent rules imposed by fares and pricing analysts, whose only job is to eliminate CASM (cost per available seat mile) and maximise yield, load and RASM (revenue per available seat mile), etc.

Re: Bereavement airfare? : Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:36 pm  

This might help on various airline policies. http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Bereavement_Flights

This might help on various airline policies. http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Bereavement_Flights

Re: Bereavement airfare? : Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:55 am  

Thanks for the advice.

The airlines who fly the route couldn't offer any discounts or upgrades but could guarantee getting us on the flights we needed. By then all of the saver prices had gone at all but one airline so we've had to book with emirates (it would have cost us $1800 more without them), they've been pretty good and said they'll upgrade us if the flights aren't sold out and if they are they'll try and get us 3 seats in economy.