Originally Posted by DEE_UK

British Airways do not offer compassion fares!

Originally Posted by mandpete

So in some cases BA do offer compassion fares.

Originally Posted by sibsie

Was it an actual compassionate fare, or them just not charging for flight changes and being helpful?

My brother in law was working in Dubai and his father was dying of cancer. He literally had 48 hours to get back and see him before he died. He tried everything with BA and got absolutely nowhere. In the end they grudingly said they'd waive a flight fee change if he could show them the death cert but as he wanted to get back *before* his father died he just stumped up the cash for a new ticket.

Originally Posted by mandpete

My Uncle died suddenly 4 years ago whilst on a golfing holiday in Florida (aged 56). My Dad called BA to explain my Aunt's position and they couldn't have been more helpful. They offered compassion fare to my cousin so he could be with his Dad who was dying in the hospital. After he died BA put them on the first available flight back to Manchester at no extra cost. (My uncles body was flown back to England 2 weeks later.) They were the very first ones allowed on the plane and the first ones off at Manchester. One stewardess was assigned to look after my Aunt and cousin the whole time and she constantly made sure they were OK.

So in some cases BA do offer compassion fares.

Originally Posted by DEE_UK

Check this link out - http://www.britishairways.com/travel...ext=compassion then click on "Do you offer bereavement/compassionate fares?"

Maybe they did offer it some years ago. But right now, they are saying that they do not.

Originally Posted by ladylisa

I booked 2 tickets thru American Airlines to go home short notice in February to attend my Nan's funeral. I didnt know about compassion fares. As it happened the day before we left we realised that if we had left the states we wouldn't have been able to have got back in unless we had visited the US embassy in London to get our visas put in our passports first. We are on L visas, our petition was sorted out this end however without the visa in the passport it restricts us travelling. The embassy could only book us in the day before we were due to fly back to the states, and wouldn't make an exception even though it was explained about my Nan's funeral. AA wouldn't let us cancel our tickets but agreed to hold them for 1 year. However when we do go to use them again we will be charged an extra $200 per ticket for the privilege!! I'm wondering now whether I should write to AA and explain everything as I never told them it was for a funeral in the first place.

Originally Posted by woodsey

I would definitely complain, as British Airways are asking for a copy of my Grandfathers death certificatel I am assuming they are going to do something about refunding part of the cost so if British Airways will do it then I'm sure AA will..

Originally Posted by cindyabs

The rules on the international tickets are a 200.00 change fee and they are usually non refundable-however, it also should be in the fare rules that penalty is waived for death of the passenger OR immediate family. So I sure would pursue that angle!!!
Bereavement fares have lessened in availability and I am almost positive that Delta has dropped them this year.
We travel agents don't have access to them, since they are not normal published fares, and I tell folks that. I had an interesting occurrence last week- 2 bereavement calls within a half hour !!! One was for Panama and one for Puerto Rico. I advised both clients to check with the airlines FIRST and then check back with me. I always advise my clients what airline their best bet for flights and give them the phone numbers to save them hassle in an understandably stressful time after I explain we don't have the bereavement fares. One client called back to thank me since they had found what they needed. The other called back and said they had the bereavement fare but perhaps I could do better? So I looked and sure enough, I found a fare that was 25.00 cheaper than the berevement fare. I said well here's my price, but the bereavment fare probably doesn't have any penalties for changes, since many folks know they have to go, but they are not always sure about their return. The client told me no, that they would charge them a penalty to change!!
Woodsey, you got taken on your deal with BA and I do hope you are able to recoup some of that money.

Originally Posted by woodsey

they don't offer a compassionate fare as such but they are supposed to offer you a lower price fare if there is decent availability on the flight, we paid $10,000 for our tickets home yet there were plenty of empty seats on the flight, shortly after my Grandfather died in April, my Father in Law also died and when we rang them to book another flight home for my husband they actually mentioned it to us..

Originally Posted by NC Penguin

I've only read about this but yesterday I learnt firsthand about these discounted fares for passengers traveling to family for reasons of bereavement or serious illness.

My father-in-law was supposed to go into hospital for a straightfoward cardiac catheterization but ended up being told he needed to have triple bypass heart surgery.

Continental Airlines offer a direct, non-stop flight from RDU to Cleveland (where father-in-law lives) and looking on the web yesterday, flights for travel today were at least $1000.

I rang Continental to enquire about how I could get prices for an open return ticket and said in passing that this was for my spouse to travel to see his father who was about to have surgery. The lady at Continental then told me about the Compassion fare and on the spot told me that I could get this.

She checked flights for me, explained how the fare works and what information she needed in order to purchase this special fare.

The airline asked for the following:
name of patient
hospital where patient was having surgery
phone number of hospital
name of surgeon (fortunately was able to obtain this before the end of the evening)
contact number for passenger

Continental also wants the physician to provide a letter to them stating the above. The lady at Continental explained that doctors are familiar with doing this and shouldn't balk at providing such a letter.

The problem I nearly had was that I had to provide all the information verbally to the airline before the passenger checked in for the flight. Let's face it. When you hear news like this, it doesn't occur to ask for the name of the physician.

Not surprisingly, my mother-in-law did not have her cellphone switched on so I left a message but by about 10.00pm, I had the name of the physician.

Mr. NC Penguin flew out on a 10am flight to Cleveland this morning. He has a return flight booked but this can be changed at no extra cost within 60 days of his outward flight date. If it's done any later, Continental charge $100 for changing the date.

In the end we paid a little over $615 for this compassion fare. It is a "K" class of ticket (a class I'd never heard of).

If the lady at Continental had not brought this up, I doubt I would've remembered of its existence.