Angry at airlines

[Mom-ninja.]

My grandmother passed away on Sunday. Her service is on Sat. and I can't go.

 

My dad has been searching for flights. He has even contacted a travel agency, and called airlines himself.

 

First, airlines no longer do grievance fare. Second, due to it being thanksgiving week the prices are outrageous. :angry:

 

Oh, sure I can book a flight as stand-by and pay close to one grand, taking multiple connecting flights that would bounce me all over the country.

 

Thanksgiving weekend is not the weekend to have a funeral.

 

I sit here thinking about all the people boarding plans to go see their families and enjoy the holiday, and I'm a bit put out. I can't get on a plane to go to my grandmother's funeral because so many people are traveling. How many people don't even really *want* to travel to their families but are going anyway?

 

I know is simple supply and demand, but geesh, it should not be so impossible to attend a loved one's funeral because it's a holiday weekend!

[Sasha]

I'm so sorry about your loss. :hug: We lost my uncle over Labor Day weekend and let me tell you, it sucks to *plan* a funeral over a holiday as well. Everything costs a ton more (and it's expensive to begin with!)

 

Have you contacted the funeral home that is doing your grandmother's service? The funeral homes here have bereavement arrangements with airlines.

[Amber in AUS]

My thoughts are with you. How terrible!

[Mom-ninja.]

Have you contacted the funeral home that is doing your grandmother's service? The funeral homes here have bereavement arrangements with airlines.

 

Yes, but due to lack of availability the airlines will not give the reduced rate.

[MommyX8]

Yes, airlines are super busy over Thanksgiving. Actually, from this point through the holidays they will be quite busy.

 

We don't even fly our kids home from college for Thanksgiving. They can fly home in December, Spring break, and at the end of the school year.

 

We do the stand-by thing and if it looks like flights will be oversold (which is common), then we don't even show up at the airport.

 

Sorry about your loss.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I know it's not the most desireable form of travel but could you take a train or bus instead? It would take longer of course, but it might be your only option. Unless you live out of the country.

[kiana]

Can you take a train, bus, or car? I'm driving 12.5 hrs for Thanksgiving myself rather than pay the exorbitant rates.

[Mom-ninja.]

I live in Florida and the service is in Washington state. That's a tad too far for me to go by bus, train, or car.

[Dobela]

I am so very sorry. My FIL died at Thanksgiving 1999. We also had to travel from mid America to Washington state and even then getting grevience flights was extremely difficult. We finally had to fly in on a Tuesday but stay extra days and fly home after the holiday rush. And the funeral home was no help either. I could go on about the lousy service/treatment from them for days because his death interferred with Thanksgiving and their plans. We recently looked at train service from Missouri to Portland, OR and it was a 4 -5 day ride. I can't imagine how long that would take from Florida.

 

Would your family be willing to reschedule the service? I know it is hard, but if that is so important, then speak out. The only other suggestion I have is to look at smaller airlines or private ones thru smaller airports. It may cost more but you may be able to get a flight that way. My uncle used to fly to see us in a variety of small airlines.

 

:grouphug:

[hornblower]

Just a thought & it might not work but since it's WA state - have you considered heading north to Canada (I'd suggest Toronto) & then West, to Vancouver & then a short hop to WA by rent a car or greyhound etc.....

 

The reason I suggest it is that it's NOT a holiday in Canada. Westjet usually has good reasonable fares.

 

I just checked & Westjet has Toronto-Vancouver on the 26 Nov, returning on the 30th for $338 + 117 taxes.

 

sorry for your loss & best wishes ~

[unsinkable]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

I am really sorry about your loss & your troubles at getting back.

[JFSinIL]

Sorry about your loss. Could someone attending the ceremony discreetly tape it for you?

[Brilliant]

changed my mind

Edited November 24, 2009 by OC Mom

[choirfarm]

Does anyone in your family have frequent flier miles? Even paying the last minute fee, we saved our sil tons of money by giving her miles she could use to fly here for a funeral. She paid less than 100 dollars a ticket.

 

Christine

[readwithem]

Since you really want to go would you family consider holding off on her service a few days? I also like the idea of flying into Canada or using FF miles.

 

I'm sorry for your loss. :grouphug:

[The Governess]

Have you tried Southwest? I just browsed their site and they have a flight from Fort Lauderdale (wasn't sure where in FL you are) to Seattle for $229 on Friday and $384 to come back on Sunday (plus taxes and fees I am sure). If you can wait to come back until Tuesday AM the price for the return flight drops to under $200. Each have 1 stop. Not cheap, but better $1000 and multiple stops. I think that Southwest gets overlooked sometimes because travel agents don't really use them much, or at all.

 

:grouphug: I'm so sorry for your loss and hope you can find a way to get there.

[Tree House Academy]

Just wanted to offer my condolences. I hope you can find a way there. *hug*

[KidsHappen]

I just wanted to add that if she passed on Sunday and they are not having the service until Saturday, they are already pushing the envelope for an open casket service. We ran into the same problem with my mother when she passed as she was in TX and one of my brothers was in Oregon and had a hard time getting home from there. I am so sorry for what you are going through. I know how hard it can be, :grouphug:

[Mom-ninja.]

Thanks everyone. It's hard.

 

Flying into Canada? Well, if I hadn't procrastinated with renewing my expired passport. :glare: Plus, the baby doesn't have one yet.

 

I've been on the phone all day with my family. The service cannot be changed. There are several reasons why. We have decided that out of all of us, I will not go. My parents and my sister will go. My sister will be using my dad's flier miles.

 

I'm sad but logistically I'm the best pick for staying home. I have the boys to try and arrange for. DH does not know if he can get time off work. He's still looking into it though. I have to take the baby with me, so it's easier for my sister to just jump on a plane than it is for me.

 

My dad kind of jokingly said I can listen through his phone. Sigh. I'm still looking at options and talking to DH about it.

 

I feel confident, however, that my grandmother will understand if I don't make it.

[Impish]

:grouphug:

[Mrs Mungo]

I'm sorry. My grandfather passed away the Tuesday before Halloween. It wasn't even into the holiday season and flights were already climbing in price.

 

I had a connecting flight, my sister and cousins picked me up in Dallas (3 hours away) and I still paid a good sum. They did offer me a bereavement discount but it was only 10% off a *regular fare*. It was cheaper to go through Kayak and find the lowest fare. They finally agreed to match the fare I found online since I was flying out that night and there were still seats. I live in Hawaii, so, car/bus/train was not an option.

[G5052]

:grouphug:

 

Even though both of my in-laws passed away at a time when they did have bereavement fares, we were unable to get them because of a holiday weekend and then a big snow storm that wrecked havoc with airline schedules/train schedules for days. Both times we drove all the way down the East Coast with young children.

 

When my Dad died we got a fairly decent last-minute deal on Southwest that beat anything else, but I went alone, rented a car, and stayed with a relative. I paid less to fly from the East Coast than my brother did from Texas, but it still set us back. I only found one bereavement discount in all my phone calls, and it wasn't anything near the fare on Southwest.

[WiseOwlKnits]

I'm sorry. :( Definitely check into Southwest - their fares usually beat everyone else by a long shot! But they're often overlooked since they're not as big as United or American.

[Paz]

I know that most people book online but if you could call the airlines and ask to talk to a manager, explain your situation and see if she could do anything for you. I know it's a longshot but my mother was able to make changes to an existing ticket recently that they never allow you to do but she got the right person and they felt sorry for her and let my dad use my already booked ticket to fly out that day. She may be able to get you on a flight or find you a discount that you don't know about? It may be worth a try.

[asta]

This is going to sound absolutely awful, but who on earth schedules a funeral for Thanksgiving weekend?

 

My MIL died this summer. We live over 3000 miles away. The medical examiner simply held on to her until we could get there and do the funeral arrangements. Due to modern facilities, there was no time sensitivity. She wanted a Catholic funeral, so there was a religious component involved.

 

Perhaps if she were Muslim or Jewish and we were under specific time constraints, someone else would have had to take care of things for us, but as it stood, we had time, so to speak.

 

I mean this very gently and respectfully - I think they should have considered you and waited for you. Inevitably, there are others in the family in the same situation as you. No one can get flights on T-giving.

 

 

a

[LittleIzumi]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: