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."
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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