American scraps discounted bereavement fares

American Airlines has scrapped its policy of offering discounted bereavement fares, the carrier has revealed.

The reason for the change was to have a "single, consistent program for American and US Airways," it said in a statement.

Merger partner US Airways had never offered a discounted service for passengers forced to travel at the last minute due to a family member’s death.

American added that it "continues to offer customers flexible fare options when booking last minute travel for a variety of reasons."

According to a Fox Business report, the news was announced quietly last week without any fanfare.

United Airlines still offers a 5% discount on last minute fares in the event of a death or serious illness of an immediate family member, and Delta has a ‘flexible policy’ on lowest available fares.

In both cases, the airlines require valid documentation before processing the discounts.

However, a leading travel agent says special bereavement fares are not always the cheapest option.

Kate Rosevear of Travel Leaders agency in Plymouth, Michigan said: "If someone walked in my office to do a bereavement fare, I would tell them that the best available fare may actually be cheaper, people don’t realize there are other options out there."