Airline bereavement fares

My husband and I were looking into travel for one -- and possibly two -- funerals this week. Happy Holidays, right? We're certainly not feeling as festive as in years past.

Anyhow, I started wondering about airline bereavement fares...those "low" fares airlines are supposed to give you if you have to travel for the death, or impending death, of a relative. In my research, I found out some pretty interesting information.

First off, bereavement fares are basically a thing of the past. Yes, they are all but dead and buried. It appears that starting a few years ago, airlines began to gradually cut back or eliminate these fares, to the point where now only a select few carriers offer them, and you'd be hard-pressed to figure out which ones without calling them individually. No, I did not do this...as I did not need to. Why? Because basically airlines have lowered their last-minute walk-up fares enough that they are probably cheaper than any bereavement fare that you would get. And with all of the last-minute discount travel websites out there, you're bound to find an itinerary (and a price) that works for you. Now, since some people are not Internet savvy, or don't care to spend their moments of grief surfing the Web, it does appear that select carriers have empowered their ticket agents to lend a sympathetic discount to relatives -- and sometimes even close friends -- who have to travel last-minute for a funeral...or other medical emergency. Just don't bother looking for information or fares online -- you won't find much, and your time will be better served focusing on more important things, like the reason behind why you're searching for these fares.

A couple of other tips:
-If you live near an airport served by Southwest Airlines, don't just assume they will have the lowest walk-up fare. Much as I love Southwest for a number of reasons, I've been finding lately that they can often be the MOST expensive (unless you have a free ticket).

-Some airlines charge a fee to book frequent flyer mileage tickets last minute...if you can even GET the itinerary you want. If you happen to be so lucky to find availability, don't be afraid to state your case to the airline -- the same way they empower agents to find bereavement or emergency fares using their discretion, they can also waive the fees a lot of times!