Can I get a bereavement fare?

Rarely, and it varies enormously by region. Delta, Alaska, Air Canada, WestJet, and Qantas still offer it. Most others, including Emirates and Singapore Airlines, do not.

• North America: Delta, Alaska, Air Canada, WestJet, and Hawaiian still have formal programs
• Australia and Pacific: Qantas offers compassionate fares, Virgin Australia and Jetstar do not
• Middle East and Asia: Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Singapore Airlines have no formal discount but may waive change fees case by case
• American and United (USA): formal programs ended, fee waivers granted at agent discretion

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Detailed Answer

How It Works

Bereavement fares, also called compassionate fares, were once a near-universal airline practice. A passenger could call, explain a death or serious illness in the family, and receive a discounted, flexible fare with minimal paperwork. That era has largely ended. Most of the world's major airlines have phased out formal programs over the past decade, replacing them with discretionary fee waivers or simply pointing travelers toward travel insurance instead.

What remains today is a genuinely uneven landscape depending on where in the world you are flying. North America retains the strongest formal programs, with Delta's policy being one of the most structured in the industry. Australia has Qantas, which maintains a documented compassionate fare program covering both domestic and international travel. Much of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia has moved away from formal discounts entirely, even at airlines known for high service standards, though many will still waive change fees or offer a refund with appropriate documentation.

The discount itself, where it exists, is often smaller than people expect, and it does not always beat a standard last-minute fare. The real value in most surviving programs is flexibility: a waived change fee, an extended return window, or the ability to book without paying a same-day change penalty. Comparing the bereavement fare against the best published fare for your route before committing is worth doing every time.

By Region: Bereavement and Compassionate Travel Policies

North America

• Delta Air Lines: formal bereavement fare program for SkyMiles members traveling due to the death of an immediate family member, book by phone or message only, service fees waived, fare differences may still apply
• Alaska Airlines: maintains a bereavement fare program, requires phone booking and documentation
• Air Canada: bereavement discounts on Economy Standard, Flex, Comfort, and Latitude fares, requires phone contact with hospital or residence details and physician information before booking
• WestJet: maintains a compassionate travel program, requires phone booking and documentation
• Hawaiian Airlines: Neighbor Island Emergency Travel program covers hospitalization or death, restricted to one-way flights between Hawaiian Islands only, does not extend to mainland or international routes
• American Airlines and United Airlines: no formal bereavement program, supervisors may grant a fee or fare difference waiver for documented emergencies at their discretion
• Southwest Airlines: no bereavement program, but its standard no-change-fee policy with travel credit applies regardless of reason, useful when your return date is uncertain

Australia and Pacific

• Qantas: discounted compassionate fares for domestic and international travel in Economy, Premium Economy, and Business, discount typically around 10%, first flight must depart within 7 days of the qualifying event, requires supporting documentation such as a death certificate, funeral notice, or medical letter
• Virgin Australia: no formal compassionate airfare program, requests handled informally and inconsistently, not designed for urgent next-day travel
• Jetstar: no formal compassionate fare program
• Air New Zealand: offers discounted compassionate or bereavement airfares for urgent family medical emergencies or funerals, contact the airline directly for current eligibility

Middle East

• Emirates: no formal compassionate fare discount, but the airline will waive date change fees for passengers needing to adjust travel due to a death or illness in the family, and offers a refund on unused tickets with a medical certificate or death certificate
• Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways: no widely documented formal bereavement fare program, contact the airline directly to ask about fee waivers or flexible rebooking for a documented family emergency, policies are applied at the airline's discretion

Europe

• Lufthansa: has historically offered bereavement fares on select routes, contact the airline directly to confirm current availability and documentation requirements for your route
• British Airways, Air France, KLM: no widely advertised formal bereavement program, ask about fee waivers when calling for a documented emergency
• Loganair (UK regional): offers a 50% compassionate travel discount for bereavement, critical unexpected illness, or in-patient treatment involving an immediate family member, application available through the airline's website
• Most European low-cost carriers (Ryanair, EasyJet, Wizz Air): no compassionate fare programs

Asia

• Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, ANA, Korean Air: no widely documented formal compassionate fare programs, contact the airline directly to ask about discretionary fee waivers
• Most Asian budget carriers (AirAsia, Scoot, IndiGo): no compassionate fare programs

What You Need to Know

• Bereavement and compassionate fares are almost never bookable online, you must call or message the airline directly
• Documentation requirements vary by airline but commonly include a death certificate, funeral home notice, hospital letter, or obituary
• Most programs define immediate family narrowly: spouse, parent, child, sibling, sometimes grandparent or grandchild, extended family such as cousins or aunts and uncles rarely qualifies
• The discount itself is often modest, sometimes as little as 10%, and is not always cheaper than a standard last-minute published fare
• Flexibility, not price, is usually the real benefit: waived change fees, an extended return window, or a waived same-day change penalty
• Some airlines extend bereavement policies to situations involving imminent death or serious illness, not only after a death has occurred, ask specifically if this applies to your situation
• Travel insurance with trip cancellation or interruption coverage, including policies attached to some credit cards, can sometimes reimburse costs that no airline policy covers

How to Request a Bereavement or Compassionate Fare

• Step 1: call the airline directly rather than attempting to book online, these fares are almost never available through a website or app
• Step 2: explain the situation clearly and ask specifically whether the airline has a bereavement, compassionate, or emergency travel policy
• Step 3: have your relationship to the affected family member, relevant dates, and any documentation details ready before the call
• Step 4: ask whether documentation is required before or after booking, policies differ
• Step 5: before confirming, ask the agent to also check the standard published fare for your route, occasionally it is cheaper than the bereavement rate
• Step 6: if the airline has no formal program, ask to speak with a supervisor and request a fee or fare difference waiver, explain that travel is due to a death or serious family emergency

Real Traveler Experiences

"Called Delta after losing my father unexpectedly. The agent walked me through the bereavement process kindly. The fare itself was not dramatically cheaper than what I found online, but the flexibility on my return date mattered more than the price." Reddit r/delta

"Emirates told us directly there is no compassionate fare discount. They did waive the date change fee on our return and refunded an unused leg once we sent a death certificate. Not a discount, but it helped." Flyertalk forum

"Qantas asked for a death certificate and funeral notice before approving the compassionate fare. Process took about a day. The discount was around 10 percent but the real benefit was being able to book a one-way ticket without the usual restrictions." Australian Frequent Flyer forum

Pro Tips

• Always compare the bereavement or compassionate fare against a standard published fare for the same route before booking, the discount is not always significant and a regular sale fare can sometimes be cheaper
• Call rather than book online wherever a program exists, none of the airlines that still offer this allow it through their website
• If your airline has no formal program, ask specifically for a supervisor, frontline agents typically have far less discretion to waive fees than a supervisor does
• Keep documentation accessible during the call, even informal details speed up the process considerably during an already difficult time
• If your return date is uncertain, a flexible no-change-fee fare or travel insurance with trip interruption coverage may serve you better than a one-time discounted bereavement fare
• If you are not yet a member of the airline's loyalty program, enrolling is usually quick and free, and several bereavement programs, including Delta's, require membership to qualify

Related Questions

• How do I get a refund on a non-refundable flight?
• What are my rights if a flight is cancelled?
• What is the cheapest day to book a flight?

Sources

• Delta Air Lines: Bereavement Fares
• Air Canada: Bereavement Fares
• Qantas: Fares for Compassionate Travel

This is a sensitive topic, and we're sorry if you're going through a loss. AskTravel.org is an information website only. Airline policies, especially compassionate and bereavement programs, change frequently and vary by region, always confirm directly with your airline before booking.