Publication: Travel Tips
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COOL TRAVEL MAIL'S
TRAVEL TIPS
Tips & Adice for the Seasoned and Armchair Traveler Alike!
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http://www.CoolTravelMail.com
June 12, 2007
When a loved one is dying, you want to be by their side as
soon as possible.
When a family member passes away, you need to pay your final
respects: Regardless of where the funeral is.
Because it’s a last-minute booking, however, you could be
facing some of the most steeply priced airline tickets
available.
Unless you ask for a bereavement flight.
This week's edition includes:
* WHEN DEATH DRAFTS YOUR ITINERARY
* BEREAVEMENT FLIGHT TIPS
* LIMITATIONS AND LOVED ONES
P.S. If you're interested you can now post comments on this
and recent issues on our forum at... Travel Tips Forum
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WHEN DEATH DRAFTS YOUR ITINERARY
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When tragedy strikes, the last thing on your mind is finding
the best airfare deal. That’s why most airlines offer a
discount to people who need to quickly arrange a flight to
visit a dying relative or attend a family member’s funeral.
It’s a nice gesture. But in many cases, it may not end up
being much more than that.
Arlene Fleming, the airline customer service and sales agent
who runs About.com’s air travel Web site
(http://airtravel.about.com), has a very useful section on
bereavement fares. Since I’ve been lucky so far and haven’t
had to use any of these types of programs, I’m leaning
heavily on Fleming for this week’s list of facts and tips
about this type of airline ticket:
* Bereavement fares are offered for family members traveling
to a funeral. They can also be offered for family members in
the case of imminent death, where a family member is gravely
ill. “Imminent death” is the key. Very, very, very, very
sick doesn’t count.
* Don’t think of bereavement fares as the lowest fares
available. They‘re not. Instead, think of them as flexible
fares - last-minute fares that can be booked right up until
departure time at a less-than-exorbitant price.
* The flexibility extends to the ticket rules. Most
bereavement fares are refundable and allow date changes and
open returns. That means that you do not have to determine
your return date at the time of booking. Several allow stays
of up to 30 days with no minimum stay requirements.
* Bereavement fares are usually calculated as a discount off
of a full, unrestricted fare. They are often much more
expensive than the cost you would pay for a sale ticket, and
certainly more expensive than the kind of deeply discounted
deal you might find through a last-minute broker trying to
pawn off excess inventory days before the flight.
Those cheap, distressed tickets are getting scarcer,
however, as the airline industry becomes more efficient. And
when you need to get out of town in a hurry, you don’t have
time to wait for a desperate seller to show up on e-bay with
your itinerary.
* If you are able to have flexibility in terms of your
travel times and dates, ask if a seat sale fare is
available for the destination you need before you ask about
bereavement.
* Before you book a bereavement fare, it would be wise to do
the kind of online bargain-hunting through Orbitz, Expedia,
Cheap Seats and the other aggregators that you would
normally do. The larger the air market, the more important
this is.
Of course, depending on the circumstances, you may not be in
a frame of mind where you can do that. In that situation,
you may want to enlist the help of a travel-savvy friend or
contact a travel agent who can call around and find the best
options for fares and flights.
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BEREAVEMENT FLIGHT TIPS
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* You can usually secure the discount before you travel if
you provide certain required information. In general, that
information includes the name of the deceased, your
relationship to that person and the name, address and phone
number funeral home. You will also need the date of the
service.
* Sometimes you may not be able to get all of the above
details before you travel. Hold onto receipts and boarding
passes, and obtain a copy of the death certificate in
addition to the details mentioned above.
Submit these items to the airline as soon as possible after
you have completed your trip because many airlines have time
limits for obtaining refunds. Keep a photocopy of the items
that you have given to the airline.
* A few airlines will only refund the value of the discount
after travel is completed. However, all airlines that offer
bereavement fares will allow you to apply for a refund after
travel is completed. Usually, you must apply for a refund
within 90 days after completion of all flights.
This application should include all of the required
documentation. In this situation, you will probably have to
obtain and submit a death certificate.
* Bereavement discounts range from 10 to 75 percent off of
full fare prices. The discount most often offered is 50
percent off of full fare.
But even at half price, these fares may still be quite
expensive. Keep in mind, however, that most airline seats
are the most expensive at the last minute anyway.
* Policies differ - sometimes greatly - from airline to
airline. Make sure you contact the airline directly and make
no assumptions. Some carriers, most notably the low-cost
ones like AirTran, don't offer bereavement flights at all.
* Discounts usually apply for one airline only. In effect,
if you need more than one airline to get to where you need
to go, you will need to buy separate tickets and ask about
each airline's policy.
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BEREAVEMENT FLIGHT TIPS
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* Bereavement fares may not be available to all destinations
offered by an airline. There are fewer bereavement fares
offered for traveling internationally. That’s especially
true in cases of imminent death rather than funerals because
the information is harder to verify.
Where bereavement fares are offered for international
travel, the value of the discount may only be given upon
your return and the presentation of a death certificate.
* Bereavement fares are offered over the phone or in person
at the airline's ticket counters.
* If you are traveling to see a dying family member, it is
common for information demonstrating that death is imminent
be presented BEFORE you travel. Less often, you will be
allowed to submit documentation after travel is completed.
In general, you will need the following information: The
name of the person who is ill. Your relationship to that
person. The name, address and phone number of the hospital
or health care facility, and the name and phone number of
the attending physician
* Not all family members are eligible. If your second
cousin, twice removed, is terminally ill, you're probably on
your own, even if he or she is your closest relative in the
world.
The following people would usually qualify for the fare :
parents and grandparents, including step-parents and in-
laws; your spouse; your children, including step-children
and in-laws; grandchildren; aunts and uncles; siblings,
including step-siblings and in-laws; nieces and nephews.
Most airlines - but not all - also include same sex domestic
partners and legal guardians as eligible family members.
Well, that's it for this week, group. Thanks again for
reading, and please keep those comments, complaints and
questions coming in.
You can send me an e-mail message at: Email Pierce
Until next week, thanks for reading.
Your Tipmeister,
Pierce
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