BA bereavement fares? Info needed ASAP
#17
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Central Scotland
Programs: MUCCI - Order of the Diamond Hairbrush and Champion of Queens,BA Broon,HH Diamond,PC Plat,BA Amex
Posts: 1,122
Team Leaders / Supervisors in BA Contact Centres do have the authority and the discretionary powers to waive Advanced Purchase restrictions on tickets, but AFAIK there is no set protocol to follow --- it is very much dependant upon getting somebody on the end of the line who is sympathetic to your predicament, and who is prepared to go to bat for you, so to speak.
My sympathies, and my best wishes to you at this time.
My sympathies, and my best wishes to you at this time.
#18
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYZ
Programs: BA Gold/Marriott Gold/HH Diamond/IC Plat Amba
Posts: 5,990
Team Leaders / Supervisors in BA Contact Centres do have the authority and the discretionary powers to waive Advanced Purchase restrictions on tickets, but AFAIK there is no set protocol to follow --- it is very much dependant upon getting somebody on the end of the line who is sympathetic to your predicament, and who is prepared to go to bat for you, so to speak.
My sympathies, and my best wishes to you at this time.
My sympathies, and my best wishes to you at this time.
#20
Join Date: May 2007
Location: London, UK and Occitanie, France
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 517
I found the same when I was going back to the states for a similar reason about three years ago. Had to make changes to the return a couple of times due to the ongoing medical issues and they were very flexible indeed.
#21
Join Date: May 2007
Location: London WC2/W1
Programs: BAEC Silver; Muccis du Monde des Peluches
Posts: 6,627
If you need to travel at very short notice bear in mind that redemptions often open up a couple of days before a flight and will cost the same as if you bought them months ago - and of course they are pretty flexible.
If you need to fly to LAX tomorrow, it will cost you a cool £8250 on a revenue ticket (in J) but there's plenty of redemption availability for 100k miles. (This was absolutely the first example I tested.)
Other than that, just shop around and perhaps be prepared for a funny routing. For my previous example, you can get a revenue ticket on Swiss for just £2260 or Delta for a bit more - not much more than quarter of the cost of BA although with a bit of extra inconvenience. It's just an example, but it shows you need to be a bit more flexible.
But if that doesn't work, I'm afraid these sorts of events are when the rainy-day fund needs to be used. And I suppose there's always the M cabin .
If you need to fly to LAX tomorrow, it will cost you a cool £8250 on a revenue ticket (in J) but there's plenty of redemption availability for 100k miles. (This was absolutely the first example I tested.)
Other than that, just shop around and perhaps be prepared for a funny routing. For my previous example, you can get a revenue ticket on Swiss for just £2260 or Delta for a bit more - not much more than quarter of the cost of BA although with a bit of extra inconvenience. It's just an example, but it shows you need to be a bit more flexible.
But if that doesn't work, I'm afraid these sorts of events are when the rainy-day fund needs to be used. And I suppose there's always the M cabin .
Last edited by LeisureFirst; Oct 12, 2010 at 4:10 am
#22
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Cambridge, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Platinum
Posts: 1,367
Fortunately, I have never been in the situation (yet) to need such a fare but my understanding is that it also depends upon your status with the airline. If you are a Gold then you have a much better chance of being helped out than if you walk in off the street.
Elite status also allows you to take advantage of the "reservation guarantee" perks, as long as you don't feel bad about someone else being thrown off the plane.
Elite status also allows you to take advantage of the "reservation guarantee" perks, as long as you don't feel bad about someone else being thrown off the plane.
#23
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: Executive Club, Miles&More
Posts: 237
#24
Join Date: May 2007
Location: London WC2/W1
Programs: BAEC Silver; Muccis du Monde des Peluches
Posts: 6,627
Since you mention it, there's actually a better case for BA offering bereavement fares in J than M. That's because the short-notice WT fare can be quite reasonable, but in CW they have very strict AP requirements, presumably to screw the business passenger rather than to penalzie an individual needing to travel for an emergency. If by "bereavement fare" we mean waiving any AP requirements, as many seem to imply, that's going to have far more impact in CW than in WT.
#25
Join Date: May 2009
Location: London
Programs: BA
Posts: 1,409
Very sorry to hear of you needing such a ticket.....
My personal experience was asking for a last minute ticket LHR-IAD-LHR in Y and was quoted £1100 in 2002. That was at a ticket desk in LHR-T4 - the sales clerk was extremely apologetic but said he was limited to what the system could offer.
£1100 wasn't something I had at that time.
My personal experience was asking for a last minute ticket LHR-IAD-LHR in Y and was quoted £1100 in 2002. That was at a ticket desk in LHR-T4 - the sales clerk was extremely apologetic but said he was limited to what the system could offer.
£1100 wasn't something I had at that time.
#26
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: Executive Club, Miles&More
Posts: 237
Since you mention it, there's actually a better case for BA offering bereavement fares in J than M. That's because the short-notice WT fare can be quite reasonable, but in CW they have very strict AP requirements, presumably to screw the business passenger rather than to penalzie an individual needing to travel for an emergency. If by "bereavement fare" we mean waiving any AP requirements, as many seem to imply, that's going to have far more impact in CW than in WT.
BA does not have civic duty to give bereavement fare and it does not look like they offer much now anyway. But if it is going to be generous, then it should only be economy. If you can expect or can afford business class travel, then you should not be looking for discuont from airline.
For OP, it depends on routing. If we know that, i reckon a good cost option can be found whether BA or other.
#27
Join Date: May 2007
Location: London WC2/W1
Programs: BAEC Silver; Muccis du Monde des Peluches
Posts: 6,627
My own fears in this regard mainly involve the possibility of having to return to London suddenly when away, when I'd be interested not such much in a bereavement fare as bereavement flexibility, i.e. a ticket change that wouldn't normally be allowed. I got a very strange response from BA when I asked about this once for a friend who was seriously ill. I explained he was in hospital and couldn't travel so needed to change (or cancel) his ticket.
BA: What's wrong with him?
LF: He has pneumonia. Why?
BA: That's a pity. If it was a serious illness we might be able to make an exception to the rules.
LF: Well it is life-threatening.
BA: But it's not serious enough.
LF: <gobsmacked and silent>
LF: He has pneumonia. Why?
BA: That's a pity. If it was a serious illness we might be able to make an exception to the rules.
LF: Well it is life-threatening.
BA: But it's not serious enough.
LF: <gobsmacked and silent>
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
There is a very good case for airlines to offer a "bereavement fare" in the sense of "I really need to get to X very quickly because my father has died (or is about to die) but the cheapest fare that you are currently offering for sale is too expensive for me, and because I can't afford it I will not be at my own father's funeral." You would not expect the airline to offer anything more fancy than a reasonably-priced economy class ticket, and then only if such a "bereavement fare" is cheaper than the cheapest fare that you could otherwise buy. If fraud has led to the airlines withdrawing this type of fare, that is a pity.
I can't myself see any sort of case for airlines to offer a "bereavement fare" in the sense of "I really need to get to X very quickly because my father has died (or is about to die), and I could perfectly well afford the cheapest fare that you are currently offering for sale, so that there is no danger of me having to miss my own father's funeral; but I would prefer to travel there in a premium cabin because I like the style to which I have become accustomed, and I would like a generous discount please because of the circumstances in which I'm travelling." If you want to travel in a premium cabin, pay for it.
#29
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BOS
Programs: BA Silver, Mucci
Posts: 5,289
It really depends on what you mean by "bereavement fare".
There is a very good case for airlines to offer a "bereavement fare" in the sense of "I really need to get to X very quickly because my father has died (or is about to die) but the cheapest fare that you are currently offering for sale is too expensive for me, and because I can't afford it I will not be at my own father's funeral." You would not expect the airline to offer anything more fancy than a reasonably-priced economy class ticket, and then only if such a "bereavement fare" is cheaper than the cheapest fare that you could otherwise buy. If fraud has led to the airlines withdrawing this type of fare, that is a pity.
I can't myself see any sort of case for airlines to offer a "bereavement fare" in the sense of "I really need to get to X very quickly because my father has died (or is about to die), and I could perfectly well afford the cheapest fare that you are currently offering for sale, so that there is no danger of me having to miss my own father's funeral; but I would prefer to travel there in a premium cabin because I like the style to which I have become accustomed, and I would like a generous discount please because of the circumstances in which I'm travelling." If you want to travel in a premium cabin, pay for it.
There is a very good case for airlines to offer a "bereavement fare" in the sense of "I really need to get to X very quickly because my father has died (or is about to die) but the cheapest fare that you are currently offering for sale is too expensive for me, and because I can't afford it I will not be at my own father's funeral." You would not expect the airline to offer anything more fancy than a reasonably-priced economy class ticket, and then only if such a "bereavement fare" is cheaper than the cheapest fare that you could otherwise buy. If fraud has led to the airlines withdrawing this type of fare, that is a pity.
I can't myself see any sort of case for airlines to offer a "bereavement fare" in the sense of "I really need to get to X very quickly because my father has died (or is about to die), and I could perfectly well afford the cheapest fare that you are currently offering for sale, so that there is no danger of me having to miss my own father's funeral; but I would prefer to travel there in a premium cabin because I like the style to which I have become accustomed, and I would like a generous discount please because of the circumstances in which I'm travelling." If you want to travel in a premium cabin, pay for it.
#30
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: WC1
Programs: BAEC Gold, SK *G, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 660
Wouldn't travel insurance kick in at this point if an illness prevents someone from travelling?