Bereavement fares are a lesser-known offering from airlines that offer potential discounts or flexibility to your ticket when paying respects to a loved one.

What are bereavement fares?

I’m sure it’s something that none of us want to think about, but sometimes you get a call that requires you to rush off to another city to visit with a loved one for a potential final visit or to pay respects one last time. A bereavement fare is a rate that a handful of airlines provide in the event you need to make that unexpected journey. Generally speaking, it covers both when you need to fly to attend a service for a deceased family member and when death appears imminent.

Airlines that offer bereavement fares tend to add flexibility to the ticket you’re purchasing, as it might not be obvious when you’ll return home. Airline policies vary on what counts as an immediate family member that counts, but generally speaking expect anywhere from grandparents to grandchildren to count (but not cousins).

Keep in mind that documentation is generally required to purchase these fares. It might be difficult relaying the information to the ticketing agent, especially if you might not know all the details yet. In some cases, documentation can be provided after returning from your trip.

Bereavement fare policies by airline

Air Canada

Information on Air Canada’s bereavement policy is on their website.

• Call their customer service line to book (888-247-2262)
• No discount is offered; the main benefit is flexibility
  • You can think of this as purchasing a refundable ticket at the price of a non-refundable ticket
  • Cheaper tickets can be found on their website (because bereavement fares do not book into basic economy)
• Eligible immediate family members:
  • Spouse, domestic partner, or ex-spouse
  • Parent, stepparent, parent-in-law, or common law in-law
  • Child or stepchild
  • Sibling, half-sibling, stepsibling, sibling-in-law, and common law sibling
  • Legal guardian or spouse of legal guardian
• Documentation needed (upon booking):
  • The name of the hospital or residence, including
    • Street address
    • Phone number
    • Name of attending physician
  • The name of the memorial or funeral home, including
    • Street address
    • Phone number
    • Date of the memorial service or funeral
• Documentation needed (within seven days of returning from bereavement travel):
  • A copy of the death certificate, or
  • The funeral director’s statement, or
  • The coroner’s statement, or
  • Registration of death issued by a provincial government, or
  • A letter from the treating physician on official letterhead and/or prescription pad that clearly defines the situation as one of imminent death

Alaska Airlines

Information on Alaska’s bereavement fare policy is on their website.

• Call their customer service line to book (800-252-7522)
• A 10% discount off the lowest available fare
• Eligible immediate family members:
  • Spouse or domestic partner
  • Parent, stepparent, or parent-in-law
  • Child, stepchild, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law
  • Sibling, half-sibling, stepsibling, or sibling-in-law
  • Grandparent, step grandparent, or great grandparent
  • Grandchild, step grandchild, or great grandchild
  • Aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew
• Documentation needed
  • None explicitly stated
• Other rules:
  • Travel must begin within seven days of purchasing
  • Must be a Mileage Plan member if over 18 years old

Delta Airlines

Information on Delta’s bereavement fare policy is on their website.

• Call their customer service line to book (800-221-1212)
• No discount is offered; the main benefit is flexibility
  • You can think of this as purchasing a refundable ticket at the price of a non-refundable ticket
• Eligible immediate family members:
  • Spouse or domestic partner
  • Parent, stepparent, or parent-in-law
  • Child, stepchild, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law
  • Sibling, stepsibling, or sibling-in-law
  • Grandparent
  • Grandchild
  • Aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew
• Documentation needed
  • Deceased person’s name
  • Customer’s relationship to the deceased
  • Name and phone number of funeral home, hospital, or hospice
  • Name of doctor
• Other rules:
  • Must be a SkyMiles member

Hawaiian Airlines

Information on Hawaiian’s bereavement fare policy is on their website. This only applies for itineraries wholly within the Hawaiian Islands and not other destination.

• Book your flight on their website or call to book (800-367-5320)
  • Any overage you pay will be refunded after receipt of documentation
• Fares follow a flat rate for one-way travel
  • Single-segment main cabin: $83
  • Single-segment first class: $133
  • Multi-segment main cabin: $110
  • Multi-segment first class: $160
• Eligible immediate family members:
  • Spouse
  • Parent, stepparent, or parent-in-law
  • Child, adopted child, stepchild, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law
  • Sibling, stepsibling, or sibling-in-law
  • Grandparent, step grandparent
  • Grandchild, step grandchild
• Documentation needed:
  • Copy of your ticket
  • Death certificate (if deceased) or a signed medical waiver form / copy of hospitalization or ER receipt (if imminent death)
  • Proof of relation
• Other rules:
  • No benefit provided if travel is needed outside the state of Hawaii

WestJet

Information on WestJet’s bereavement fare policy is on their website.

• Call their customer service line to book (888-937-8538)
• No discount is offered; the main benefit is flexibility
  • You can think of this as purchasing a refundable ticket at the price of a non-refundable ticket
  • Cheaper tickets can be found on their website (because bereavement fares do not book into basic economy)
• Eligible immediate family members:
  • No explicit relationship requirement listed on their site
• Documentation needed (within seven days of returning from bereavement travel):
  • Name of deceased or gravely ill individual
  • Location of hospital or hospice
  • Date and time of memorial service (if deceased)
  • Name of attending physician
• Other rules:
  • Must be a WestJet Rewards member
  • Available on Econo or EconoFlex fares only

Airlines in North America that do not offer bereavement fares

• American Airlines
• Frontier (but they do allow you to change an already-purchased flight for free)
• JetBlue
• Southwest
• Spirit (because they say their fares are already low)
• United Airlines

Consider using miles

We’ve mentioned it in other posts, but it bares repeating as the principles easily apply here. You don’t have to use cash to book your last-minute travel; using points and miles is just as good.

First of all, the main benefit for many airlines offering these fares is making non-refundable fares flexible. The only airlines offering a discount to cash fares are Alaska and Hawaiian. If one of those airlines works for you, it might be worth your time to see if the discounted cash fare is good. For everyone else offering bereavement fares, the benefit is really just flexibility. Don’t forget, in many (but not all) North American airline programs, canceling award flights incurs no fees.

Secondly, last-minute cash fares are expensive. If you’re buying bereavement fares, you’re not doing so with months of notice so you can track down the best fare. You’re generally going when there is little notice and at the last minute. While cash fares might be high, it doesn’t mean that award fares will also be high. It could be that the airline released more saver award space as the departure date drew near. That could result in getting good value out of your miles.

Lastly, it can help open up more options. Many airlines these days do not offer bereavement fares and you might feel limited to those that do. Using miles (and the increased flexibility of canceling for no fee), you can expand the number of airlines to almost all of them. That might change a lengthy day of connections on Delta (which has bereavement fares) to a nonstop on United (which does not).

Suggested reading:

• Travel Insurance: Do You Actually Need It?
• Award Programs with Life Event Protection for Elites
• Global Entry: What Is It And Why It’s Needed