A death in the family rarely waits for a good flight deal. When you need to be somewhere fast, the last thing you want is to spend an hour comparing fares on a screen. Bereavement fares were created for exactly this. They are special fares or flexible policies that a small number of airlines still offer to grieving passengers traveling because of a death or imminent death in the family.
In this article
The honest reality in 2026 is that bereavement flights are less common than they used to be, and the discounts are often smaller than people expect. Many airlines have moved away from them entirely. The ones that still offer them focus on flexibility rather than a deeply reduced ticket.
Quick Answer: Do Airlines Still Offer Bereavement Fares?
Some do, but most don’t. As of 2026, Delta Air Lines, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and WestJet still have official bereavement-related policies. Savings range from a small bereavement discount to waived service fees and added flexibility.
During this difficult time, American Airlines does not appear to offer bereavement fares anymore. The airline lists bereavement and critical illness as exception scenarios for refund or change requests on existing bookings.
Find flights for this trip
Bereavement travel fares are not guaranteed to be cheaper than normal booking channels. Delta itself notes that lower promotional fares may be available elsewhere. Always compare flight deals before you commit.
What Are Bereavement Fares?
Bereavement fares are airline pricing or policy programs for passengers traveling on short notice because of the death or imminent death of an immediate family member. The phrase covers two things:
- A small discount off the regular fare price, often 5 to 10 percent.
- Flexible rules: waived change fees, refundable tickets, or generous cancellation terms.
In 2026, additional flexibility is usually more valuable than the discount itself. Funeral dates shift, and medical situations change. The ability to move or cancel a ticket without paying steep additional fees is often the real point.
Each airline sets its own definition of immediate family. Most include spouses, partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren, plus step, half, common law, and in law variations. An ex-spouse is included by some airlines and excluded by others.
Which Airlines Offer Bereavement Fares?
Here is an airline-by-airline summary based on current public policy pages as of 2026. Policies can change without notice, so confirm directly with the airline before you book.
Delta Air Lines Bereavement Fares
Delta offers a bereavement program for SkyMiles members traveling due to the death or imminent death of an immediate family member. Service fees are waived on the outbound and return portions, though fare differences may still apply. SkyMiles enrollment is free.
Delta is open about something passengers don’t realize: lower promotional fares may be available on delta.com or through Delta Reservations, and these can be a better deal than the bereavement fare itself. Flexibility is the main draw; a discounted rate is not guaranteed.
To request a fare, call Delta Reservations. For international travel, ask about the International Bereavement Fare Program. See Delta’s official bereavement fares page for full terms.
Air Canada Bereavement Fares
Air Canada offers bereavement flights for eligible immediate family travel:
- Travel must occur within 10 days of booking; the return must be completed within 60 days.
- Eligible fares: Economy Standard, Flex, Comfort, and Latitude.
- Economy Basic fares are not eligible for North American travel, though they qualify for international travel.
- The policy applies to flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, and Air Canada Express.
Air Canada’s definition of immediate family is one of the broadest. It includes spouses (including ex-spouses and common law partners), children, parents, siblings, legal guardians and their spouses, plus step, half, in-law, and grand variations. Same-sex relationships are explicitly included.
You will need supporting documentation:
- a death certificate
- the funeral director’s statement
- the coroner’s statement
- a registration issued by a provincial government
- or a letter from the treating physician on official letterhead or a prescription pad
Lower fares with fewer flexible rules may still be available on the website, so compare before booking.
Alaska Airlines Bereavement Fares
Alaska Airlines offers a 10 percent discount off the lowest available fare for eligible travelers who need to travel within seven days of the death of an immediate family member. The discount applies to flights operated by Alaska and flights operated on behalf of Alaska by Horizon or SkyWest.
- You must be a Mileage Plan member (free to join).
- The discount cannot be combined with miles or other offers.
- Booking is by phone only.
- Cousins and most in-law relationships beyond the immediate family list are not eligible.
Hawaiian Airlines Bereavement Fares
Hawaiian Airlines’ policy is narrower than most. The program, called Neighbor Island Emergency Travel, applies only to inter-island flights between the Hawaiian Islands. For urgent travel to or from cities outside Hawaii, including North America and international travel, Hawaiian Airlines does not offer bereavement flights.
For tickets departing within 48 hours, the airline waives ticketing fees on phone reservations. To request Neighbor Island emergency fares, you typically book at the standard rate first, then submit documentation. If approved, Hawaiian Airlines refunds the fare difference. Confirm route limits by phone before booking.
WestJet Bereavement Fares
WestJet offers bereavement fares to passengers experiencing an imminent death or a death in the family. The bereavement discount applies only to Econo and EconoFlex fares. UltraBasic, Member Exclusive, Premium, and Business fares are not eligible. Travel must be completed within 30 days of booking, including outbound and return flights.
- WestJet Rewards membership is required (free to join).
- Bereavement fares must be booked by phone, not online.
- The discount cannot be combined with other promotional codes or companion vouchers.
- WestJet also has civic funeral fares for guests traveling to the funeral of firefighters, police officers, military personnel, or emergency services personnel who have died in the line of duty.
WestJet is upfront that the bereavement fare may not always be the lowest-priced option. The trade-off is more flexibility for last-minute changes or cancellations.
American Airlines Bereavement Policy
American Airlines does not currently present a standard bereavement fare discount on its public policy pages. The carrier ended its formal program years ago.
What remains is a bereavement and critical illness exception path. American lists these scenarios as situations where the airline may consider refund or change exceptions on an existing booking, including in cases involving the death of the customer, immediate family, or a traveling companion. Documentation is generally required. If you’re flying on American, your best move is to book the cheapest available ticket and request a fee waiver if your plans change.
Are Bereavement Fares Always Cheaper?
No. This is the part most people don’t realize until they call.
Bereavement fares are often based on full-price economy tickets, which are already more expensive than the budget airfare you’d see on a typical online search. A small discount on a $700 full fare can easily come out higher than a $400 promotional ticket booked the same day. Several airlines, including Delta, Air Canada, and WestJet, openly say so on their own policy pages. The regular fare price difference matters more than the percentage off.
Before booking, compare a few things:
- Check the airline’s website for cheap flights on the same route.
- Look at budget carriers serving the same airports.
- Check nearby airports if your destination has more than one option.
- Compare one-way fares as well as round-trip fares. Sometimes two one-way flights from different airlines are cheaper.
If the bereavement fare comes out higher, ask whether the flexibility is worth the extra cost. If your travel plans might shift, waived change fees and refundable terms can justify paying more. If your plans are firm, the cheapest available fare is usually the better choice.
How to Book Bereavement Flights
None of the airlines that still offer discounts let you book bereavement fares online. You’ll need to call:
- Call the airline’s bereavement or reservations line. The customer service line is usually open 24 hours.
- Explain that it’s an immediate family bereavement or imminent death situation.
- Ask whether you qualify and what the fare would be for your route and dates.
- Compare the quoted fare against what you see online for the same flight.
- Ask about change and cancellation rules. Most of the real value sits here.
- Have your documentation ready, or know what you can submit later.
Travel experts often recommend calling more than one airline if you have routing flexibility. The bereavement fare from one carrier may be much higher than the regular fare on another.
Information You May Need Before Calling
Have the following ready before you pick up the phone:
- Full name and frequent-flyer number (most airlines require loyalty enrollment, free to join).
- Your relationship to the deceased or seriously ill person.
- Travel dates and destination airport.
- The name and contact information of the memorial or funeral home, hospital, or hospice.
- The name of the treating physician if traveling for an imminent death.
- Documentation: death certificate, funeral director’s statement, coroner’s statement, hospital details, a physician’s letter on official letterhead or prescription pad, or (Air Canada) a registration issued by a provincial government. Requirements vary.
If you don’t have paperwork in hand yet, ask the agent how soon you need to submit it.
How to Find Cheaper Last-Minute Flights During a Family Emergency
When the quote comes back too high, or when the airline you need doesn’t offer bereavement flights at all, comparing across multiple carriers is the next step. Kiwi.com can help here. The platform searches across hundreds of airlines and can combine carriers that don’t normally cooperate, which sometimes uncovers cheaper multi-segment routes for urgent travel.
A few things to check:
- Last-minute flights within your travel window.
- Routes that combine two different airlines on the outbound and return.
- Nearby airports at both your origin and destination.
Even during international travel, multi-carrier itineraries can save real money, especially when one leg is on a budget airline.
Other Ways to Lower the Cost of Emergency Travel
A few practical habits help even when you’re booking under pressure:
- Check nearby airports. A 45-minute drive at the other end is often worth the lower fare.
- Search one-way fares separately. If you don’t know your return date yet, two one-way tickets give you freedom.
- Stay flexible on dates if you can. Even a one-day shift can change the price. See the best days to book flights .
- Skip extras you don’t need. Pass on optional seat selection and additional fees. Pack light to avoid baggage charges.
- Compare direct flights with layovers. A single-stop itinerary is often cheaper than a nonstop. If timing matters most, the nonstop wins. If money is tight, the layover usually is.
Realistic expectations matter. Last-minute fares are rarely cheap. The goal is to avoid overpaying, not to find a bargain.
Compare Bereavement Fares Before You Book
Booking a flight in the middle of a family loss is hard. Comparing your options doesn’t have to add to it. A few minutes spent checking fares across the airlines that offer bereavement programs, against regular published prices, against a multi-carrier search on Kiwi.com , often clarifies the best choice faster than calling one airline and accepting whatever they quote.
The bereavement fare may be the right answer. So may a standard ticket on a different carrier. Either way, the goal is the same: get where you need to be, with as little additional stress as possible.
Bereavement Fares FAQs
What are bereavement fares?
Bereavement fares are special fares or flexible booking terms that a small number of airlines offer to passengers traveling because of a death or imminent death in the immediate family. In 2026, they more often provide flexibility, such as waived service fees and refundable tickets, than a deep discount.
What proof do you need for a bereavement fare?
Most airlines ask for documentation confirming the death or imminent death and your relationship to the family member. Accepted documents typically include a death certificate, a funeral director’s statement, a coroner’s statement, hospital or hospice details, or a letter from the treating physician on official letterhead or a prescription pad. Requirements vary.
Can you book bereavement fares online?
No. Every airline that still offers a bereavement program requires booking by phone. Call the airline’s reservations or bereavement line, explain the situation, and book through an agent.
What should I do if an airline does not offer bereavement fares?
Compare available fares across multiple airlines. American Airlines and most low-cost carriers no longer offer discounts for bereavement, but they may waive change fees or consider refund exceptions on a case-by-case basis. A multi-carrier search on Kiwi.com can also reveal cheaper combinations across airlines that don’t normally partner, often with better availability than a single-carrier search.
Can I get a refund if I miss a trip because of a death in the family?
Often, yes. Most major airlines, including those that no longer offer bereavement fares, have refund or change exception paths for documented family deaths. You may need to submit a death certificate or other proof. Reach out to the airline as soon as possible and ask about a bereavement waiver or refund exception.
