What if every industry require planning your life in advance. If you buy a meal in a restaurant 14 days in advance you get the best price. If you decide you want a meal right away, you pay double. If you want to take public transporation, you pay less if you know you want to go downtown two weeks from now. If you decide you want to go today, you pay triple. Toll booths should charge more if you haven't paid in advance. If you pay in advance, and don't get there because of a flat tire, you should pay double. What other industry penalizes people to the extent that the airlines do? If they allowed another passenger to use your ticket for a reasonable fee, some last minutes changes wouldn't be a problem. Why is that not possible? For the funeral suit example, how would you feel if you were charged triple for that suit, because you didn't plan ahead and buy a funeral suit 21 days in advance - after all people die all the time, and you should be prepared. Asking for a bereavement fare is asking for a fare that isn't an exorbitantly high last minute fare - which shouldn't be so high to begin with. It's a little like we, in the country take for granted that health insurance should be tied to employment and can't quite get it that it shouldn't. The airlines make rules, and we are told we agreed to something. We have no choice. We live in a world, that our families and close friends don't live in the same town and making it difficult to cross the country makes life less user friendly. Years ago, airline tickets were refundable and changeble without fees and the airlines weren't losing money. I don't think NOT charging these fees is what go the airlines into trouble.

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Ms.DtG