• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » American Airlines » American Airlines Kills Bereavement Fares
American AirlinesNews

American Airlines Kills Bereavement Fares

Matthew Klint Posted onMarch 4, 2014December 9, 2016 2 Comments

With cost-cutting CEO Douglas Parker at the helm, American Airlines has deep-sixed bereavement fares. Considering bereavement fares rarely make sense to the cost-conscious consumer, this is not a big deal. Still, there was a better way to bury these special fares than by a formal announcement.

Essentially, American accurately claimed that times have changed and conventional bereavement fares are dead:

“We remain committed to doing all we can to relieve the burden of travel for our customers in times of need. With the advent of more choices, lower cost carriers and larger networks, the industry has started to move away from bereavement fares because walk-up fares are generally lower than in the past, and customers now have more opportunities to find affordable fares at the last minute,” American spokesman Matt Miller said in a statement. 

“American is moving toward that industry trend and the airline offers customers changeable and refundable options with the ability to apply future reservations to bereavement travel without change fees. We believe this policy is a cost-effective solution for customers in need of bereavement travel.”

It’s true–rarely is a bereavement fare the best deal and a quick online search for a last-minute airfare will almost always result in a better price than a special bereavement fare. The draw of a bereavement fare had been that it allowed free changes or at least one or two changes without paying a change fee.

But the thing is, nearly every fare is already a bereavement fare.

Examine your fare rules next time and with nearly every airline no matter what the fare class, you will see the following rule or something similar–

beravement-cancellation-fares-airline-tickets

Sure, not quite as convenient as having a fully flexible ticket, but even with the cheapest restricted ticket, with a little documentation you can recoup any change fee due to bereavement or even sickness or other “emergency”.

That gives airlines a lot of discretion, but in running an award booking business I deal with cancellations all the time and I can tell you that airlines usually come through in a family’s time of need. In fact, a good sob story often obviates the need for documentation.

But AA is getting a lot of negative press for this decision to axe these special bereavement fares, which leads me to say that AA was just foolish to announce a formal end to these fares.

I would have instead priced bereavement fares the same as an unrestricted ticket and still called it a bereavement fare. That way, families can still buy a “bereavement” fare and feel like the airline cares about more than their pocketbook in their time of need. False and misleading advertising? Not at all.

But be warned: Delta and United still offer bereavement fares and you need to do your homework before you buy one. I am willing to say with a high degree of confidence that it will not be your best deal.

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article Free Double-Dipping: Introduction To Business Incentive Programs
Next Article Business Incentive Program – American Airlines Business Extra

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • American Airlines Airport Standby

    American Airlines Reinstates Airport Standby For All Passengers

    July 1, 2025
  • Supreme Court Norheast Alliance

    Supreme Court Deals Final Blow To American Airlines’ Northeast Alliance

    July 1, 2025
  • Biden American Airlines

    “Woke” American Airlines Bumps First Class Passenger To Accommodate Joe Biden

    June 30, 2025

2 Comments

  1. John K Reply
    March 6, 2014 at 10:14 pm

    “Kills bereavement fares”

    Chuckling slightly…

  2. Matthew Reply
    March 6, 2014 at 10:44 pm

    Thanks John–at least you did!

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for July

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • a lobby with a marble counter and a wood ceiling
    Review: Korean Air KAL Business Lounge Los Angeles (LAX) July 1, 2025
  • United Airlines flight attendant contract vote
    United Flight Attendants Turn Against Tentative Contract, Cite Failed Union Leadership July 1, 2025
  • American Airlines Airport Standby
    American Airlines Reinstates Airport Standby For All Passengers July 1, 2025
  • Supreme Court Norheast Alliance
    Supreme Court Deals Final Blow To American Airlines’ Northeast Alliance July 1, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Qatar Airways Economy Class Breakfast
    Economy Class Breakfast On Qatar Airways June 7, 2025
  • Favorite Airline Commercials
    My 10 Favorite Airline Commercials June 15, 2025
  • Israel Flight Cancellations
    Major Carriers Extend Flight Cancellations To Israel: Here’s The List June 6, 2025
  • Qantas Lounge Review Hong Kong
    Review: Qantas Lounge Hong Kong (HKG) June 14, 2025

Archives

July 2025
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
« Jun    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.