Unfortunately, I've had to take advantage of bereavement/compassion fares twice. The first time was when we recieved a call from California that my aunt was sick and might not live much longer. That was 10pm on a Sunday night and I needed to leave from Boston early the next morning. I stayed up most of the night calling every airline in the yellow pages and thankfully I held out to the end of the alphabet - US Airways was by far the most "compassionate". They came through with a fare of about $450 which was pretty close to the going rate at the time. Everyone else wanted somewhere around $900. The only proof they wanted was the patient's name and the hospital. I think they called to confirm that she was there. Thankfully, my aunt recovered and she is alive and well today. Unfortunately, a few years later, my uncle died in Toronto and again I needed to travel at the last minute. US Air came through again with a very reasonable fare. That time, I think they wanted the name of the funeral home but since it was late at night I think they took my word for it since they couldn't call to confirm.

As far as customer service goes, everyone I spoke with at all of the airlines were very helpful and compassionate. And I have to say that I feel a little bad for the customer service people on the other end of the phone. Dealing with someone who can't get through booking a ticket without crying, has to be tough!

Because of my experience with bereavement fares, I have been asked several times by friends in similiar situations to look into plane tickets for funerals. US Air is always my first phone call!