Holy Cow! What's happened to air fares????????

[housewolf]

I got a phone call about an hour ago informing me that my dear favorite aunt died this afternoon. They think the funeral will be on Friday.

I'm looking at air fares, and they run between $650 and $750!!!!!

I can't afford THAT!

Is it just because it's summer?? Because of the short lead time?

Grrrr.... how can make it in a world like this??????

[begin_within]

1. They are at least twice what they were 10 years ago.

[Sedona]

2. If your near a hub

wait till Wednesday for last minute weekend fares posted on airline's websites....

If your not, I dunno? the train? A bus?

[lob1]

3. It's because of social security and medicare obviously.

[AsahinaKimi]

4. wait..

isn't there such a thing as a bereavement fare anymore?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Yes, but depending on the airline it might be limited to immediate family.

The OP should check, though, to see whether that's available.

[Gormy Cuss]

18. Bereavement fares aren't always the cheapest available.

In fact, they're usually mid-range. What they offer that economy fares don't is flexible dates without penalty, provided the fare is available on that flight.

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. Continental will give you a 10% off

but they are not the cheapest airline.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Fuel. It's the single largest cost for any airline, and one over which

they have very little control. They can do some hedging, but when fuel gets as expensive as it has been, fares are going to up. They've already taken about as much as they can out of the hides of their employees.

[liberal N proud]

6. About 3 months ago, everything just skyrocketed

We noticed it in business travel.

Pricing everyone right out of travel.

[comrade snarky]

8. It's both

You're under 7 days and at the peak of summer travel.

Try calling some airlines, you may be able to get a bereavement fare but it will depend on the airline rules and how the person you talk to is feeling at that moment.

[cbayer]

9. Ask about bereavement fares. Many airlines will give you a discount.

So sorry about your aunt.

[Schema Thing]

10. the short lead time probably doubles the price.

[jimlup]

11. Don't they offer bereavement fairs anymore?

[alphafemale]

12. Ask for the bereavement fare. nt

[Tanuki]

13. When my dad passed away,

I was able to get a special "compassion fare" rate that was only about half the price I would otherwise have had to pay for a last-minute flight. They don't really advertise these and you have to call the airline and speak with an agent rather than boiling online.
Good luck finding something reasonable, and please accept my condolences on the loss of your beloved aunt.

[alphafemale]

15. ++++this

You have to use coded language sometimes.

[ljm2002]

14. Air fares are always high when booked at the last minute...

...however, if you are flying due to a funeral of a family member call the airline, they may give you a discounted fare. At least they used to do that, maybe they still do. Worth a phone call anyway.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. I quickly looked at one airline

and they do consider an aunt an immediate family member. I assume the others probably do, too. However, bereavement fares aren't always the best deal so you need to call around. I'm sorry about your aunt, hope you can figure out a way to get there.

[robinlynne]

17. try priceline.com if you dot find a good fare there, they have an option where you bid on a ticket.

I have used it, right in the middle of the olympics i got a round trip ticket to athens for 600.00 when my friends got married. the trick is this: You give a date and a price. Then you are obliged to buy the ticket if they say yes. You amy have to sit in an airport in transit for 3 hours. I had to go at 5 in the morning. You have no choice about the flights, and you always have to make connections. You can start bidding with say 175.00 for your ticket. if you do not get a ticket a t that price, try a little more. The routes are wacky, wherever there is an empty seat on a plane going somewhere. It is called name your own price. you can get a ticket for today even.

[peacetalksforall]

19. The best fares require advance purchase. You are paying what a business person

would pay to travel without an advance purchase or a minimum stay at the destination or both.

[MADem]

20. Lead time, probably.

Can you get there by JETBLUE or SOUTHWEST?

They seem to have the best prices.

Also, try alternative airports--even if you have to drive twenty five or fifty miles, you might save a bundle, and you'll probably need a rental car, anyway.

Edit--from where/to where are you going?

[housewolf]

32. I need to fly from Portland, OR to Columbus, OH

So far, Southwest's fare are running about 30% ABOVE everybody else's.

Closest airport to me is Seatle, more than 3 hrs away. I'd probably spend the difference just in gasoline to drive that far & back.

[MADem]

39. You're probably right. I think maybe trying Priceline is your best bet

at this stage, and doing the whole bidding thing. AMTRAK doesn't even go to Columbus--and they're never a bargain, generally.

[NYC_SKP]

21. I'm booking flights, Round Trip between Sacramento and New Orleans, Only $312.

Pretty low price. United or American, about the same.

Are you using KAYAK?

www.kayak.com

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[kestrel91316]

22. It's the lesbians' and witches' fault.

[Ruby the Liberal]

27. Nationwide Convention this week?

[madinmaryland]

50. Christine O'Donnell is in Portland, OR this weekend. Thanks for the warning!!

[kestrel91316]

23. FWIW, the special "bereavement" fare I got from LAX to Denver and back

in 1999 was about $1000.

I was definitely bereaved after paying that. I forget which airline - might have been Southwest, or Frontier if they were still around

[True Blue Democrat]

38. Frontier's still around

Already hearing that Frontier's parents Republic Airlines are divesting themselves from Frontier, making F9 an independent airline once again, moving back home to Denver.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. It's both... they really skyrocketed about three months ago

When we had to go for my dad's funeral it ran close to 1300 for both of us.

[alphafemale]

25. Also try that one Shatner advertises. Priceline?

If you have a few airports within reason of you it will help.

Go to the web site. Start low. I got my daughter a tic from NY to SAV for $99 on that site last minute.

Only thing is you have to put your credit card info in ahead of time. If they accept your price...You have to buy it.

But anyway. Start low you may be surprised. If that price is rejected...bump it up. Keep trying. And do ask an agent about a bereavement fare.

[FarCenter]

28. It's called "yield manangement"

The art of making each traveler pay as much as possible.

On short notice, you are put into the "business traveler" category of people who are willing to pay more in order to make trips whenever they must. 14 days advance purchase would put you in the less expensive "leisure traveler" category.

[pa28]

29. Fares jump when fuel prices rise.

You'd might think airlines would be wildly profitable at the prices they charge but that's not really the case.

[housewolf]

34. One ticket I looked at has $110 in taxes and more for fees

For others, taxes run in the $60 range

[Politicalboi]

30. Back then

We didn't have TSA handing out massages like we do today. Somebody's gotta pay. Sorry to hear about your aunt though.

[BackToThe60s]

31. The answer lies withing your question, ohmmmmmmmmm

As a nation, we're getting as fat as cows!

[alittlelark]

33. Alaska Air has great bereavement rates.

I've flown them sadly 2 times in 3 years.

[Shagbark Hickory]

42. I wonder how they know you're really bereaved?

(Or is it bereaving?)

[uppityperson]

43. They may ask for funeral home number, or hospital number, to call

They did that with me yrs back.

[Shagbark Hickory]

49. Why couldn't you just clip any old obituary or any funeral listing and submit that to the airline

whenever you need to travel.

I think I'm going to try that!

[uppityperson]

55. I think that is why they call, to make sure your relative is dead or in the hospital.

And to make sure you were related.

[SharonAnn]

45. Theya sk for some documentation such as death certificate, obituary, funeral card, funeral home, etc

[Shagbark Hickory]

48. A death certificate?! Wow. They got a lot of nerve!

[uppityperson]

56. they had too many people "clip any old obituary or funeral listing and submitting that to the air..

airline". Which makes it more difficult for people to use this service during times of crisis. And yes, the quote is yours.

[True Blue Democrat]

35. Take a gamble with Priceline

sometimes you WILL get a deal for the fare you are willing to pay.

A caveat: Expect a minimum of one day travelling at weird places. If you want to get there cheap enough. So plan ahead.

[Speck Tater]

36. I stopped flying and started Amtraking years ago.

I Amtrak from Oregon to Los Angeles frequently, and I'm Amtraking from Portland, OR to Chicago and then on to DC next week. Sure, it takes a little longer, but it's really a nice relaxing way to travel.

[MADem]

40. I don't think they go to Columbus though--Cleveland and Toledo, yes... nt

[True Blue Democrat]

37. Pricing tickets to New York has been difficult for us

especially now we have to pay an additional fare now that my son's past the 2 year old limit.

We used to see fares for about $199, now if we're lucky $250 round trip.

For the October trip family trip to see the in-laws (plus a side trip to Baltimore is being planned) as well, we found a fare from Continental for $232 per person with tax.

Now we're just begging our in-laws to come visit to us (and they have made a lot of frequent visits).

We live in a city where it's considered the 7th busiest airport in the world, and we can't even BUY a good deal!?

That sucks.

[eilen]

53. Mega Bus.... that is what most other people in NY are doing now. nt

[Shagbark Hickory]

41. Just hop on one of those new fandangled high speed bullet trains then.

Oh wait.
We aren't getting bullet trains. The airlines saw to that.

[SharonAnn]

44. Is that the airline's "Beareavement Fare"??? They used to have one that was

euql to their advance purchase excursion fare. You had to present some documentation on your way going or returning that was either a death certificate, an obituary, a funeral card or ???? It depends on the airlines.

Anyway, you used to have to get these directly from the airline. You couldn't get them on-line or through a travel agent.

[tuckessee]

46. Just be happy there's no inflation.

Otherwise a ticket would cost a lot more.

[HubertHeaver]

47. Does Southwest Airlines service your destination city?

I bought 4 round-trip tickets for my children to come to their step-brother's funeral a few years ago from a ticket broker. The broker handled soon-to-expire airline award tickets for SWA customers. We found the broker in the classifieds in the local newspaper. The great thing about award tickets is that they are treated as full-fare tickets.

[sendero]

51. The price of oil..

...is what happened to air fares.

[TBF]

52. Try this site -

www.cheapoair.com

My SIL swears by it. We haven't used it because we like to fly direct with our two small kids, but you're right about non-stop flights being about $600 each if you want to fly within the next week.

But if you are just going by yourself and can deal with a couple of connections ...

We are close to a smaller airport with SW and often fly them - but I'm worried that their fares will go higher now that they bought AirTran. With 14-day advance purchase we had been able to fly non-stop most places in the US for no more than $400 ticket. But we don't go that much - one or two trips a year to see family at most.

[gauguin57]

54. I could not attend my aunt's funeral because of the air fares.

Not even a bereavement discount (if they still offer those!) could have gotten me an affordable fare to get there.

I looked at dozens of discounters, and couldn't find anything affordable at the last minute.

[sarcasmo]

57. Last minute fares are always expensive.