Airlines still offering bereavement fares?

cornbb

A Spanish friend of mine's grandmother is unfortunately expected to pass away soon and she is facing the prospect of paying €600+ for trains, planes and automobiles to get back there at the last minute.

Aer Lingus' website refer to a discounted bereavement fare but only for US routes. I feel like I shouldn't even bother asking about Ryanair as they are certainly not famous for human compassion...

Can anyone suggest whether it might be worth while enquiring with the airlines, or whether there might be any other options open to her to lessen the stress and the financial burden?

Cheers.

Happyman42

My wife's sister got home at short notice with Aer Lingus when their mum died suddenly, they couldn't have been more helpful. They flew her home and allowed her to defer reduced payment until she could afford it. This was a few years ago though.

Skyhawk684

Does the friend have travel insurance?

My grandmother passed away two weeks ago while I was in Athens, and the travel insurance payed for the last minute flight back to Dublin.

cornbb

Happyman42 wrote: »

My wife's sister got home at short notice with Aer Lingus when their mum died suddenly, they couldn't have been more helpful. They flew her home and allowed her to defer reduced payment until she could afford it. This was a few years ago though.

Thats good to hear, thanks, sounds like its worth a phonecall at least.

Skyhawk684 wrote: »

Does the friend have travel insurance?

My grandmother passed away two weeks ago while I was in Athens, and the travel insurance payed for the last minute flight back to Dublin.

Good question. She's a resident of Ireland, and AFAIK travel insurance would only pay for flights home somewhere, not flights to another country. I'll check it out though.

seanmacc

I believe Aer Lingus still do to the US for an immediate family member (Mother, Father, Brother, Sister) but they will require documentation like death certificate and proof of relationship when you return. You have to pony up the full fare and they reimburse you when you give them the documents. A work colleague of mine had to do this last year and to be fair she found them very helpful (after she was able to find someone in their reservations office that knew what they were on about). And the reimbursement was very quick.

I think they have to do this under some old PSO obligation. They don't make it widely known they do it either. I wonder how long it'll last when the government share is sold.

coylemj

Michael O'Leary has publicly stated that he makes a pile of money on last minutes bookings from people who have to travel to funerals so no need to expect any sympathy or reduced fares with FR.

basill

Yep link here.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/funeral-flights-bring-in-best-profits-says-ryanair-boss-1397374.html

CaptainSkidmark

I asked last year when i had to travel for a close friends funeral but i could hardly go asking his parents for a copy of the death cert.

coylemj

CaptainSkidmark wrote: »

I asked last year when i had to travel for a close friends funeral but i could hardly go asking his parents for a copy of the death cert.

Surely the death cert. is a public document (e.g. like a will) so anyone can apply for a copy?

http://www.groireland.ie/apply_for_a_cert.htm

scudzilla

This reminds me of around 10yrs ago, my grandfathers brother died in Mayo and he booked, at short notice, to fly BA from Manchester to Knock, him and my dad booked, cost around £500. My grandad was then around 80, and at the airport he had a funny turn and ended up in hospital.

BA refused point blank to give a refund, after numerous requests.

In the end we wrote direct to the BA chairman(think was Willie Walsh), saying that they had 7 days to issue a refund or we'd go to the press, playing the WW2 vet going to bury his brother card.

2 days after letter was sent we recieved a call from the chairmans secretary and a Full refund came within 5 days and a pair of free return flights to any European destination.

Pays to go to the top sometimes

coylemj

scudzilla wrote: »

This reminds me of around 10yrs ago, my grandfathers brother died in Mayo and he booked, at short notice, to fly BA from Manchester to Knock, him and my dad booked, cost around £500. My grandad was then around 80, and at the airport he had a funny turn and ended up in hospital.

BA refused point blank to give a refund, after numerous requests.

On what moral grounds did you feel entitled to a refund? He fell ill in the airport so in all probability the plane took off with an empty seat, why should the airline reimburse the full fare?

I can understand why you make the threats you did and why BA caved in, the Daily Mail has cornered the market for sob stories like yours.

cson

Walsh is only CEO since 2005 and I doubt very much that whoever the CEO of BA at the time was saw that letter. I think you probably got lucky with a sympathetic secretary.

scudzilla

coylemj wrote: »

On what moral grounds did you feel entitled to a refund? He fell ill in the airport so in all probability the plane took off with an empty seat, why should the airline reimburse the full fare?

I can understand why you make the threats you did and why BA caved in, the Daily Mail has cornered the market for sob stories like yours.

Why did i think he should have had a refund? He couldn't afford to lose that money, the plane probably had empty seats anyway, and he only booked 2 days before. It wasn't his fault he was unable to fly, it was just one of those things, and BA can afford it that's for sure.

He was distraught at not being able to say goodbye to his last brother and coupld with the financial loss it was getting to him
He was my Grandad, that's why i made those threats, and if he were alive today i'd do it again for him, in a heartbeat.

cson wrote: »

Walsh is only CEO since 2005 and I doubt very much that whoever the CEO of BA at the time was saw that letter. I think you probably got lucky with a sympathetic secretary.

I said i thought it was Willie Walsh, maybe that name just rings a bell as he's there now isn't he? Was 2004/2005 so may well have been him, but not 100% sure.

basill

Is that not why you get annual travel insurance to cover these unforeseen types of events? Expecting an airline to front up for something outside of their control is a bit rich. Bit like a big volcano no one can pronounce in fact.

L1011

basill wrote: »

Is that not why you get annual travel insurance to cover these unforeseen types of events? Expecting an airline to front up for something outside of their control is a bit rich. Bit like a big volcano no one can pronounce in fact.

Travel insurance won't cover these situations (someone at home having to go abroad due to an incident).

John C

CaptainSkidmark wrote: »

I asked last year when i had to travel for a close friends funeral but i could hardly go asking his parents for a copy of the death cert.

A neighbour suddenly. His widow applied for a pension. She had not yet got a death certificate from Cork county coroner.
In lieu she submitted a complete copy of the Irish Examiner with her husband's death notice.
Note Bena a cutting of the death notice did not suffice.

If it ever happens again, could you provide a newspaper with the death notice?

There is a website www.rip.ie. I do not know how much acceptance it has.

Our man in Havana

Not everyone does death notices.

Coroners will provide interim death certs on request pending an inquest.