When a Relative’s Illness Makes Travel Urgent : Airlines: Most allow discounts for emergencies, but exclude some fares. Rules also differ on who qualifies.

There are significant differences in how airlines handle the cases of passengers who are forced to suddenly initiate, change or cancel ticket plans due to the death or serious illness of family members.

Some carriers only offer so-called “bereavement fares” when the death of an immediate family member is involved. Others will offer the special rate when a family member’s serious illness causes the change in plans.

Some airlines had dropped bereavement fares altogether in April, 1992, as part of an attempt to restructure and simplify the multitude of air fares. But not all airlines followed suit.

Three airlines--American, United and USAir--that had eliminated bereavement fares as part of their ticket restructuring, reintroduced them last fall, albeit with more stringent rules. Now, on those carriers, these special fares are available only in cases of the death of an immediate family member. Previously, life-threatening situations might have sufficed.

Most airlines extend a discount off full coach fares starting at about 15%, though the figure often goes much higher. Other carriers achieve a discount by permitting waiver of the advance-purchase condition on their discount fares, resulting in a lower rate.

Bereavement fares are generally only available on a round-trip basis, though there could be exceptions in this area, too.

How airlines define an immediate family member can vary as well. Parents, children, brothers and sisters invariably meet the definition. Grandparents usually do, but not necessarily great-grandparents or great-grandchildren. Similarly, in-laws are generally accepted. Policies vary on aunts, uncles and legal guardians.

Travelers should call individual airlines to determine their bereavement fare policies, and what discounted fares would be on particular routes.

An important point for consumers to note is that most airlines, including American, United, Delta and USAir, figure the bereavement-fare discount off of the price of a full-fare coach ticket, not off of advance-purchase fares that are already heavily discounted.

For example, Delta’s round-trip coach fare from Los Angeles to Atlanta--with no advance-purchase discounts--is currently $1,220. The bereavement fare, which Delta offers only off its regular coach fares in situations of death or imminent death, is $570, not far from 50% off. American’s round-trip coach fare on the same LAX-Atlanta route is $1,180, and its bereavement fare is $983, about 20% off. Consumers should also note that the percentage of discounts offered by airlines on bereavement fares can vary from market to market, thus the savings may be greater on a flight from, say, LAX to Atlanta than from San Diego to Atlanta.

“We base our bereavement fares on regular fares because they allow consumers to buy the ticket at any time without any restrictions,” said Clay McConnell, a Delta spokesman. “Passengers have a better chance of getting a seat on regular fares, which are not capacity-controlled, than on discount fares, which are heavily capacity-controlled.

“Unless they already have documentation (of the death), passengers should buy a full-fare ticket, either on a round-trip or one-way basis, and advise us that they will apply for a bereavement fare, which they can do on their return flight or when they’re back home.”

USAir has a similar policy.

“Our bereavement fare is now offered when time is critical, and it’s absolutely necessary for the traveler to fly as soon as possible,” said Susan Young, a USAir spokeswoman. “We feel this policy is both fair and compassionate. Moreover, if the passenger can supply us with information verbally, such as the name and phone number of the doctor and funeral home, they can get the discount immediately. Otherwise, they would have to buy a full-fare coach ticket and apply for a refund with documentation afterwards.”

Airlines acknowledge that passengers have often attempted to describe “emergency” situations that really weren’t in order to receive the discounted fares.

“We saw abuses on medical emergencies in the past, but not a lot of abuse when passengers were flying to funerals,” said Martin Heires, an American spokesman. “Our policy now is to verify in advance.”

Bereavement refunds can be obtained at the airport or a city ticket office.

“Passengers should bring documentation, which can be a death certificate, a doctor’s note on letterhead stating the situation, or an obituary printed in a publication that includes the name of the passenger,” Delta’s McConnell said. “Fares will be recalculated accordingly, and any refund will be issued on the same basis as the original payment. For example, if passengers paid by credit card, they would get a credit to their account. The refund is by check if the ticket was paid for by cash or check.”

Travel must commence within seven days of the death or life-threatening situation, McConnell added.

Delta’s policy on immediate family members covers spouse, children, parent or grandparent, brothers and sisters, daughters and sons-in-law, and fathers and mothers-in-law.

At least one airline, TWA, waives its advance-purchase requirements in order to achieve discounted fares in emergency situations. TWA allows this waiver for situations involving death and serious illness.

If a death occurs, the passenger can get the advance-purchase condition waived for any of the carrier’s discount fares, including the non-refundable fare, which is the lowest promotional rate, explained Jeff Black, TWA’s director of area reservations at LAX.

However, when a serious illness is the cause for the emergency flight, passengers can’t get the non-refundable rate, the lowest promotional rate, if there are other discount fares available on that routing.

“Passengers can call us for information on what fare they can use and simply provide information on what the emergency is over the phone,” explained Black. “No written documentation is needed, but we have to get the name of the patient, the name and phone number of the hospital if pertinent, the attending physician or the funeral home. We also need to know the relationship of the passenger who’s flying. Passengers don’t have to wait for verification since we recognize the urgency for flying quickly.”