Do airlines offer discounts for travel to a funeral?

Most airlines do offer a bereavement fare, which is a discount (usually 50%) offered on the higher non-discounted rate. Sometimes you can find cheaper deals direct, but it never hurts to give the airlines a call.

“Bereavement fares” are going by the wayside, though abuse of the system didn’t have much to do with it. Before the airlines deregulated in the ’80s, airline fares were quite expensive and air carriers offered these bereavement fares as a break to those that could prove the situation. This often meant copy of a death certificate, obituary in a paper, etc., sent to the airline.

Since deregulation, airfares are quite inexpensive and cut-rate. Domestically, an offered bereavement fare is only small discount off the full-fare coach fare.  Cheaper fare can be found somewhere else directly through Southwest, JetBlue, or through most any domestic airline website. If traveling international bereavement, it might be worth asking a ticket agent directly.

The best recommendation is to contact the funeral home where the arrangements are being made. Funeral directors come across this situation many times, and are more than happy to help. Although most of their contact with airlines is cargo shipping, they know how to work the system. If you want to do research on your own, you need to call the airlines and ask about bereavement travel, or look it up on their website. Links to airlines that have bereavement information on their websites are at the end of this article. Last but not least, if they made arrangements with an SCI Corporate Firm, also known as Dignity Memorial Providers, they will provide an 800 number for you to call and make discounted arrangements through their travel agents.

Delta Bereavement Fare Information
Continental Bereavement Fare Information