Sirecca

We recently had a death in the family and needed tickets on a few days notice from ATL-CMH. DL wanted more than $1,200 per seat for the one-hour flight, more than $900 if we wanted to go to Detroit or another out-of-the-way city first.

I've done a slow burn on this and concluded that my hometown airline is immoral. They eliminated bereavement fares a while back on the premise that their Simplifares made even last-minutes fares "affordable." $1,200 for a one-hour flight is neither affordable nor reasonable nor even conscionable. It is plain and simple immoral. They are taking advantage of people with a last-minute change in circumstances -- and in my opinion it shouldn't matter WHAT the reason for the change is.

I have understood as DL has increased their baseline fares in order to return to profitability. However, I have lost respect for them in their greed to charge rip-off prices that have no relationship to the service being offered. "Supply and demand" is no excuse.

Traveller

I too was surprised to find out that bereavment fares no longer exist. My brother wanted to go MCO-AUS round trip last weekend and the last minute fare was about $800, and even Southwest was about $600.

But back when DL had bereavement fares, weren't they 1/2 of the normal full coach fare? I just checked and full fare MCO-AUS round trip is $1397.99, so that would still have been $700 round trip. Wasn't there once a cap on Simplifares? I thought it was around $500 one way? When did that go away???

Lehava

Shame on them for trying to make a profit and selling at a level the market will allow *insert sarcastic look here*

Know what you call an airline that gives away their product cheaply to be charitable....OUT OF BUSINESS!!!

DLfan

Why not? That's how capitalism works.

Very sorry for your loss Sirecca.

Traveller

Well for a last minute trip to a funeral (and most are ), the airlines should offer a true low bearevement fare to family. The airlines can ask for documentation so that every other traveller doesn't use the funeral excuse to get a cheap fare.

TMOliver

Nobody ever promised you a rose garden....."

Don't fly Delta, a simple choice, but meanwhile a bit of exploration might have shown you several less expensive alternatives, none non-stop and some actually requiring a bit of driving.

On the other hand, one presumes that out in your driveway, waiting to pick up the slack, even with high-cost high-octane, the old family flivver would have moved you to CMH (providing local transport as a bonus) in a day's haul.

You had a number of choices, and let your disdain (likely deserved) for the first of them cloud your perspective. Meanwhile, tomorrow, you may need to travel to a destination for which the DL ticket is the "best deal". Are you going to let your reaction over the cost of an emergency trip to CMH prevent you from exercising economic good judgement in a later choice?

I don't like DL much, but fly it when advantageous...

Mateo4321

Sirecca sorry to hear about your loss.

In the future check prices to places like Dayton, it is only 70 miles away from Columbus and more low cost carriers fly there (you could take airtran)

And since you on such short notice it might help to check with a travel agency as well.

DLfan

This can sometimes be hard to get on short notice, causing even more frustration for a family already stressed.

We complained that there were too many fares and fare types. Now that they've been reduced, we want them all back?

gardener

A very good use of miles, if you ask me. Even if you have to redeem 50K miles per ticket, that is $1200.00/50K miles or 2.4 cents per mile.

Lehava

Think you will find more than just DL has gotten rid of this, not sure why but my guess is it was impossible to manage. Getting documentation I am sure was a nightmare (especially since most documentation comes out days after the death)

GoCanes

I believe that airline supervisors should have the ability, in terms of bereavement, to find the lowest possible fare in which the airline will not take a loss on the ticket. I would consider it unfare for the airline to have to lose money on a ticket, but I also believe in special circumstances like this, they should not profit or at least not substantially.

One suggestion I would make, is that the airline, to ease the difficulties with bereavement fares, permit those with proper documentation to use miles at the Skysaver rate with the terms of Skychoice, so there will be availability. Just a courtesy to those who have lost.

Cholula

Sirecca....let me add my condolences for your loss.
Ironically, here's a recent quote from Jim Whitehurst, DL's COO:

"Q: Simplifares?
A: There was a cap and reduction to 6 coach fares and 2 FC fares. We still like this, we don’t have special fares and bereavement fares and all that crap that adds cost."

Sounds a bit harsh but it seems bereavement fares went South when DL tried to simplify it's fare schedule.

Lehava

I dont mean to sound cold (we have all had to face this situation at some point) but there is a real financial reality to this. Appx 5500 people die each day in the US, if each of these people has only 20 people who care and need to get to their funeral we are talking 110,000 people a day that would need these special fares. Yeah I know all wouldnt fly and so on but I am trying to make the point that when we look at it from our own view it seems like a rare occurance that exceptions should be made for, but when you look at it in the mass view the numbers are really costly and large, particularly since people also want these fees when someone is sick, injured, on death bed and so on, so the numbers are much much higher actually.

Traveller

He said crap?

BamaVol

If there was no other way to travel between 2 points, I might agree that DL had a moral obligation. But that is not the case. No one owes you a free ride anywhere, or a reduced fare either.

Those of us who have chosen the nomadic life would do well to plan for contingencies such as this. The last time I had to drive a great distance for a funeral, I was able to pack 6 in a van and drive 600 miles overnight. I did not blame anyone for having to do so.

I'm sorry for your loss. Your judgement may be clouded by your emotional state.