Korean Job Discussion Forums

[gajackson1]

Christina & I have had such a wonderful summer, but sadly, that's not what I'm here to talk about now -

My coworker just had his dad pass away back in the States (heart attack, sudden, unexpected). He will be gone at least 1 week, and I've told him if he chooses not to come back, no one here will fault him, and we will be sure everything here with immigration, etc. is taken care of. We are trying to get him home ASAFP.

So, here is what we need: does anyone know about the fastest/easiest way to arrange a bereavement ticket these days???

It used to be common courtesy of the airlines, then they stopped due to budget cuts, then were brought back due to consumer outcry, but were buried/not advertised.

Since travel agents don't make any kind of commission, I don't expect much help on that end.

Has anyone dealt with one of these recently, and can throw out some help/advice/suggestions???

Sincerely,

Glen

[kat2]

From what I have heard, these aren't always the cheapest tickets. But, if you want tocheck, you have to call the airlines directly. I would suggest checking travelocity.com, expedia.com, etc. That is the fasteest way to get tickets.

Condolences to your friend.

[crazylemongirl]

When I had to arrange a breavement fare, I found that they were actually more expensive than dealing with the travel agents!

However your friend needs to call the airlines direct and make sure that he/she says they need a breavement fare.

[Taegeuk]

I'm sorry to hear of your co-worker's loss.
I managed to get a bereavement ticket last month (Air Canada to Winnipeg) & flew 24 hours after making the initial booking. Full fare was 3.5 million Won, bereavement fare 850,000 Won (including all taxes & fuel surcharges).

In order to get this fare, your friend will need a copy of the death certificate or a letter from the attending physician stating your relationship to the deceased. The letter should be on the hospital letterhead. The following is a link to Air Canada's rules for getting a bereavement fare http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/before/bereavement.html (other airlines may be similar).

Basically, get your colleague to call the airline office in Seoul and speak with the manager directly, if necessary. (I had to as the call centre agent wasn't famililiar with the procedure)

The other route is to pay for a ticket now and then get reimbursed with the difference in fares later (a bit risky and time consuming)

Hope this info gets your friend back home asap.

[Taegeuk]

United Airlines

United offers emergency fares for different situations. You cannot obtain these fares on united.com and must call United Reservations at 1-800-United-1 (1-800-864-8331).

Delta Airlines http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/special_travel_needs/bereavement/index.jsp

Couldn't find anything on Northwest.

Phone number for you.

American Airlines (AA) (02)734-8820/5
Continental Airlines (CO) (02)720-4946/7
Northwest Airlines (NW) (02)666-8700
Asiana Airlines (OZ) (02)669-4000
United Airlines (UA) (02)757-1691
Korean Air (KE) (02)656-2001
Singapore Airlines (SQ) (02)755-1226/8

[gajackson1]

I found this with a little creative Google searching, which was a big help:

http://www.airtimetable.com/airfares_emergency.htm

Their recommendation was to check all 4 of the airlines, ask for their available bereavement rate, AND THEN ask if that is the best rate available.

Rates are generally NOT available through the website, and it is usually better to let them do it on the domestic side (home country).

As a final note, friends & family can usually pool together frequent fllyer miles to get a ticket or ticket discount.

He's out on a 12:30 flight tomorrow. Thanks for the support, all.

Regards,

Glen

[hogwonguy1979]

sorry to hear about your friend, glad you got him on a flight

this though is good info for people here to have just in case something bad happens at home