Bereavement flight
 

Hi my mum is very ill and i have been told that she will pass away very soon. I am needing to fly from Alabama to Newcastle at short notice and need a bereavement flight does anyone have any experiance with this.

Re: Bereavement flight
 

Sorry to read this...i've been through it 3 times. Best to call the airline and ask. Continental gave a 10% discount. You apply for the refund when you return. You will need copies of a death cert and your tickets/boarding passes. Flying at short notice will be very expensive.

Re: Bereavement flight
 

thanks heading to north yorkshire

Re: Bereavement flight
 

Sorry can't help with the flight info, just wanted to say i'm sorry to hear your Mum is so ill, good luck getting a flight, hope you get there in time hun.

Re: Bereavement flight
 

Try AA. You can connect through Chicago to Manchester. At least it won't be too far to drive, from there.

1-800-433-7300

The Reservation Agent will advise you what you need to do.

Thinking of you.


Jim.

Re: Bereavement flight
 

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...reavement.html

Here's a link to Delta's Page on Bereavement Travel. They may be your Best Option, as you are in Alabama.

You can fly to Newcastle via Amsterdam.

Jim.

Re: Bereavement flight
 

Sorry for your situation. If you have any air miles (or a friend that has) it might be your best bet. The airlines don't give much a break.
Good luck

Re: Bereavement flight
 

Very sorry to hear this - I had the same thing last year with my poor mum and i also flew into Newcastle - i went KLM and they were very good - i phoned them and said i needed to get a flight asap and they were really helpful. I flew from San Fran

I was in the UK 10 weeks in all - i had booked a return but because of mums situation i kept changing it which they did for just a change fee - i didnt have to pay for any difference in costs of ticket- i did explain what had happened
I know exactly how you feel - the main thing is for you to get there asap - good luck to you

Re: Bereavement flight
 

Sorry to hear about your mom.

I have been through this myself several times and nearly always used Delta when it required returning to the UK.
I just called their reservation line and told them what was happening. They were very helpful and I think what they do is give the cheapest fare available and waive the book in advance. Another thing they did was essentially let the return flight be changed without paying a fee.
It has been a while since I was in that situation so things may have changed.

One other time I had to return to the UK on Thanksgiving Sunday. The only airline that was any help was BA and they actually took my number and called me back. It was impossible to get flights on that Sunday from where I lived to an airport with flights to the UK but BA said they would find a way and they did and called me back.

Re: Bereavement flight
 

Sorry to hear about your mum.

I don't know if BA fly in your local hub, but they often seem to be pretty helpful with bereavement fares. Virgin is another one.

Re: Bereavement flight
 

BA did not fly in to my local hub, but being that it was Thanksgiving all other airlines said there were not any seats to somewhere that BA did fly from. BA can book flights with partner airlines to get you to their hubs.

BA was the only one who helped and checked with all other airlines to try find me a seat even asking if I could be given priority. In the end BA found a first class seat to Chicago on United and persuaded United to give it to me a coach fare so BA could book the entire journey me. BA was the only airline this helpful and who took my number so they could figure it out and call me back.

Re: Bereavement flight
 

I don't know if this will help as I've not tried it myself. If you have an Amex you could try their concierge service.

Re: Bereavement flight
 

Sorry to hear about your loss. I also live in Alabama and had to face the same situation last July. For me, I heard while at work and had to make a last minute flight and did not have any time to find cheap flights. for me it costs over $2,000 to fly the same day and I did not get any special price from Delta/KLM. The only thing that they would do is to waive any change fees if you need to stay longer.

Re: Bereavement flight
 

Sorry to hear this.

I went through the same thing a couple of years ago, and for what it's worth, both Virgin and BA came up trumps.

I had a Virgin flight booked for a week later, but got the call that I should come immediately. Virgin couldn't fit me on a flight that day, but cancelled the later flight without charge. BA got me on a plane that afternoon and gave me a really good price (basically what I pay when I spend weeks researching).

Both airlines just took my word about it over the phone.

It made a not-very-fun situation slightly better. It's the way customer service should work, but so rarely does. The reps were very sympathic, and I was so grateful for that.

Re: Bereavement flight
 

I am sorry to hear your sad news.
My husband had to fly home in December to be with his Dad, he made it 24 hours before he passed away. We rang Delta and they gave us a same day ticket $1000 cheaper than the prices quoted on Kayak and the Delta website - It still cost $1400 for a return seat.
I explained the circumstances and all they needed was the name of the funeral director that handled the arrangements. They also waved the fees to moved the return flight, as we had no idea how long my husband would be in the UK. My husband flew Detriot-Amsterdam-Manchester.