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Family Bereavement

sonya37r
Explorer C

Good Morning,

 

I would like to talk about family bereavement.  Why are there not any discounts/promotions/deductions towards ticket prices for family emergencies?  I understand that Southwest Airlines may have "reasonable" discount prices but there are cases where the prices are not "reasonable" when there is a death in the family and you have to book a flight at the last minute to attend a funeral for a loved one the week/following week.  My father's mother passed a few days ago and was advise there are no discounts for bereavement that will apply for immediate family members. There was no information that I could find on the Southwest website that addresses this subject.  Maybe a Southwest representative could provide more information.

4 REPLIES 4

Re: Family Bereavement

CareforNOLA
Frequent Flyer A

@sonya37r,

I am sorry to hear about the loss of your family member, and I hope you all can get to the funeral.  

 

While not an employee of Southwest Airlines, I remember when bereavement fares were offered, but it has been quite a long while.  I called about them in 1993, and was told then that they were no longer being offered.  It was a heart-breaking answer on top of the death of my mother, because I did not have much money or flying time back then.  But my husband and I took out a loan and paid the fare so that we went and could spread out the cost and pay it over time.

 

I suspect these fares were removed because people seemed to be taking unfair advantage of the fare rates.  If you read these discussion boards, you can see lots of comments about pre-boarding and emotional support pets.  It seems that many people unfairly claim privileges to achieve some cost savings, and the airlines may have found that the way to avoid the issue was simply taking it away.  

 

Unfortunately, that answer does not help your situation.  I am sorry that you have to deal with travel complexities at such a tough time, on top of the loss of a family member.  

 

Again, this is my personal reply on a customer to customer forum, and it does not represent any official response from the airline.  I am sorry for the loss of your mother-in-law, and I hope that you all can find your way there.

Re: Family Bereavement

sonya37r
Explorer C

Thank you so much for your condolences.  It's something that I beleive need to be discussed. Maybe someone will see this and find a solution. 

Re: Family Bereavement

dfwskier
Aviator A

Hello. My condolences on the death of your grand mother..

 

I've attached two articles about bereavement fares.

 

The first from 2012 provides an overview of which airlines offer them, which airlines don't, and a rationale from the airlies.

 

The second is from 2014 -- just after American Airlines said it was doing away with  the fare.

 

The net effect is that just two US based carriers offer the fare: Delta and United, and the discounts offered are VERY SMALL. - small enough that you might find that Southwest's Anytime Fare is lower than the bereavement fare offered by the other two.

 

Regretably, the best you can do is price shop all airlines to see who might offer the best deal.

Remember to keep fees in mind as you do this so you won't be surprised later.

 

 

 

https://www.bankrate.com/personal-finance/smart-money/which-airlines-offer-bereavement-fares/

 

https://www.cnn.com/2014/02/27/travel/american-airlines-bereavement-fares/index.html

 

Re: Family Bereavement

sonya37r
Explorer C

I would also like to add......

 

God rest his soul and my condolences to the Kelleher family. 

 

Not every family is as well off others...and even if you are well off,  it would be a huge burden lifted, when needing to make last minute arrangements to get family members to their love one's homecoming service?

 

A bereavement discount would be an awesome relief to a very stressful time in a families life during the mourning period.