I'm flying on NW from Chicago ORD to Rome FCO next week. Alas, I have a brother that has turned seriously ill, and has an over 50% mortality rate. If he dies before I leave, what might Northwest do so I could attend his funeral? (The funeral is local, so I'm not looking for bereavement fare tickets).

My tickets are class V (very cheap-- $372 RT).

For example, if he died today and his funeral would be Wednesday, could they rebook me from my Tuesday flight to a Thursday or Friday flight? What kinds of charges would I expect? Or should I just expect to get a full refund if I don't go at all?

Thanks, I really enjoy the discussions.