Consumer Law

Bereavement Fares Aren?t Always Fair

By Sam Glover

When an out-of-town family member dies, you only have a few days to hop on a plane for the funeral. Thus, the idea of a bereavement fare, which—in theory—enables grieving family members to pay their last respect without paying airlines’ extremely high last-minute fares.

A bereavement fare is usually a discount off the “full fare,” but as Consumerist’s Chris Morran explains, nobody ever pays full fare these days, so bereavement fares are rarely a good deal:

The lesson here is: Don’t always assume a bereavement fare is going to be the least expensive way to reach a family member’s funeral or in the case of a medical emergency. So be sure when booking the flight to make sure you’re purchasing the ticket that best suits your needs.

Why Is Delta’s “Bereavement Fare” $290 More Than A Regular One? | Consumerist

(photo: Olastuen)

Full post as published by Caveat Emptor on February 18, 2010 (boomark / email).