Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jcarter30]

I just received an e-mail from my sister informing me that my father died..
The problem that I have is, I am short about 350,000w for a ticket home.
Here is the flight information in which I found..... It is for a Monday flight I would like to be able to leave tomorrow or even Sunday if possible.

Total Air, Taxes & Fees $1,575.39
Your Trip - 1Adult
Modify Flight

Flight - 1 round trip ticket
Mon, Jan 19

Depart:
Arrive

6:00pm
6:25pm

Seoul, (ICN) to
Missoula, MT (MSO)
OZ
Asiana Airlines - 1 Stop
Flight 272
AS
Alaska Airlines
Flight 2396
Operated by Horizon Air
Sat, Jan 24

Depart:
Arrive

7:00am
5:25pm next day

Missoula, MT (MSO) to
Seoul, (ICN)
AS
Alaska Airlines - 1 Stop
Flight 2347
Operated by Horizon Air
OZ
Asiana Airlines
Flight 271

If you are willing to help me out please e-mail me at [email protected]

[Mr. Pink]

Credit Card?
Also why don't you contact the airlines about special rates for deaths in the family?

[plynx]

are you serious? if you needed the money that badly, you could get it from your family, friends, or someone you know. (anyone with a credit card.) i'm really sorry if there has actually been a death in your family, but requesting money from strangers is more than a little excessive.

[BrianInSuwon]

Have your family fax the death certificate. I think that if you show the death certificate to the airline you will receive a travel discount - bereavement fare. It will allow you to get any flight , ever this Saturday or Sunday, for 50 to 75% of the full fare.

I have also contacted my travel agent to see if they can get you a better price.

I feel for you.

[Xuanzang]

Your boss should be willing to chip in and the staff. We usually chip in if a Korean teacher`s xxx died.

[sojourner1]

Sorry to hear about the worst news no one wants. This is always so hard and even more so if you're abroad or broke or both. I too wished the airlines helped people more, but they don't as people would abuse their service if they did. Luckily when this happened to me I had like $10,000 saved up after my 1st 8 months. No one chipped in as I had to pay the hagwon director 1.5 million won for the actual last minute airfare she secured. She did let me have 2 unpaid weeks, but acted surprised that I returned as if she'd hoped I wouldn't return.

I found out the bereavement fares are actually more than the typical specials travel agents sell, thus, making for no real practical bereavement fares. This was true in September 2007 and I'm sure it's even more so today with airfares bottoming out. If you had some time to shop, you could get that RT airfare for as little as $700 right now. It might still be possible to get it cheap, especially if you have a Korean help you.

If no Korean to help, then...

Call Shoestring travel 1st thing in the morning. http://www.shoestring.co.kr/en-main.htm

You can also try Unique Travel http://www.uniquetravel.co.kr/

If you have a Korean to help you, you'll probably be set up at even lower price than you can get on your own and they can directly make the payment over the phone and you pay them. To my knowledge, we can't make payments over the phone using our Korean accounts, but I could be wrong on that. Get a Korean to help right now if you can. Just call them even though it's the weekend.

It's well worth a try. The only thing is banks are closed so you'll have to visit a travel agent to make payment if not able to make phone payment.

[esetters21]

BIS is spot on about bereavement flights.

I did notice this about your posting history: Search found 1 match

I feel for you if you do indeed have a situation that you need help with, but I will say that people are going to be less inclined in this situation with nothing more than a flight itinerary. Sorry again for your loss.

[moosehead]

I'm not sure but I do think the Red Cross will fly immediate family members home if there is a death in the family. again - I'm not sure - but it's worth a try.

sorry for your loss - hope all turns out ok.

[chris_J2]

Read your contract

I think I recall a section in Gepik / Epik where your employer will either give you compassionate leave, or may even pay your return airfare?

Sorry for your loss.

[strange_brew]

Sorry for your loss. Is this a one way or return. I found a cheaper oneway ticket if it is.

[Straphanger]

[agoodmouse]

GEPIK allows 7 days, but doesn't offer money. Take care.

[jcarter30]

I would like to thank you for all your advice on some more options in which I over looked. Thank you. Also thank you for your condolences.

Mr Pink---you suggested a credit card. I do not have one, I know I should because it would be real beneficial right now.

Brianinsuwon--- you as well as Mr Pink also brought up the option to go to the airlines about Bereavement. I have been looking into that and what I have found is that, with bereavement you need to buy the ticket at the counter and they give you the lowest fare plus a 20% discount. Now with that in mind I looked at the fares that are on the internet of each airline that offered the service and it would come out to where I would have to pay more money then the airfare in which I have already have found...

Sojourner-- I would like to thank you for providing me those travel agents I will try and give them a call in the morning to see if they are able to find me anything cheaper then what I have already found.

esetter-- as for me only having one post on here, I am one of those people who enjoy reading this site as.

Plynx-- you did bring up some valid points. I would like to share with you why it is that I am unable to use those options in which you have brought up. I am not one that really has any friends, I do have casual acquaintances, this is due me being focused on my family and helping out. You see my mother had Lupus and because of our wonderful health care in the US her medical care ran out and we had to pay for her care ourselves. Now my father and mother were both only children and both there parents are not longer with us, died when I was a child. I only have my sister and I am over here in Korea to be able to make more money, so that I am able to pay for here college. My sister had to put off going to school to take care of my mom. So now you have a little more of an idea of what is going on.

[ChinaBoy]

Let this remind everyone who's been here more than one month - ALWAYS save enough air fare to get home on a moment's notice.

The poor OP now has to worry about her flight in addition to thinking about her dad.

[Straphanger]