Here’s a rather macabre reason for being a Delta Air Lines frequent flier: access to bereavement fares.
I first wrote about this strange policy earlier this year. As it turns out, the “no-bereavement-fares-for-non-members” rule is not only easily bent; it’s obsolete.
Cindy Fletcher got on the wrong side of this policy it after she and her husband shelled out $2,200 to attend her father’s funeral. This was a walk-up fare that’s meant to be paid by free-spending business travelers — not grieving passengers. When she came home, she asked for a refund for the difference between the higher fare and Delta’s bereavement fare.
Her husband was granted the request (he’s a SkyMiles member) but she wasn’t, because she didn’t belong to Delta’s frequent flier program.
She explains:
Customer Care told me they couldn’t help me because I had already flown. This made no sense because my husband’s ticket received a refund and he had also already flown.
Repeated requests for a response to my actual concerns were met with apologies that I felt their previous responses to me were inadequate. So I have two different reasons for a denial of any refund and received no indication that anyone really reviewed my concerns.
Delta is correct in one respect: The time to negotiate any bereavement fare is before you pay for your ticket. Retroactive price adjustments are rare, because they’re a pain. Airlines have numerous systems in place to prevent the money from flowing in the other direction.
Here’s is Delta’s response to her final appeal. It is almost certainly a form response, and it suggests the airline didn’t review her email at all:
Thank you for your most recent communication expressing your continued dissatisfaction with my response. On behalf of Delta Air Lines, I apologize that I have been unable to offer a satisfactory resolution.
I am genuinely sorry it was necessary for you to write me again. I was concerned that I missed the purpose of your original communication so I reviewed your comments with my Supervisor. After a lengthy discussion, there is no further action we will take regarding your experience. Again, I am sorry to disappoint you, as I understand this is not the answer you were expecting.
Ms. Fletcher, again, I am sorry your travel was unsatisfactory. I hope in time you will provide us with another opportunity to restore your confidence.
This was such a non-response that I felt certain Fletcher would stand an excellent chance of getting a refund if she could actually get someone at Delta to read her grievance. So I recommended a few contacts.
Fletcher followed up with them. And sure enough …
I tried Beth Reed, one of the contacts you provided, and she initiated a review of my request. In a relatively short time, I received a refund off of my ticket. Thank you for your help.
I spoke with Delta about its bereavement fares policy after hearing back from Fletcher. A representative says it currently offers the fares to anyone, regardless of frequent flier membership.
“We offer bereavement fares based on availability no matter who the passenger is and it does not depend on whether they are a SkyMiles member,” the representative told me.
That’s the way it should be.
(Photo: Jordon/Flickr Creative Commons)
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I have received exactly that same email from Delta so I’m positive it’s a form letter, albeit a well written one for until I saw the response above from Delta Customer Care, I didn’t think it was a form letter. Obviously, no one actually is “concerned” and “reviewing with my supervisor.” Glad they did the right thing in this instance.
I’m pretty sure I got that same email! It looks awfully familiar. I had a big problem with a booked Delta flight to Paris a couple years ago, which ended up in a lengthy email back-and-forth…and this email popped up about half-way through the exchange. Fortunately I didn’t let this shining example of non-communication stop me — I continued pressing for a solution, until finally somebody apparently actually READ my complaint. They fixed my flight the week before we left.
Moral of the story: if you get a response that doesn’t include a single actual detail about your situation, it’s a form letter. Probably, nobody has even read your situation. Don’t give up…pursue until you get somebody to pay attention.
Contacting the people on top of the food chain is usually best. When I had a problem with NWA last year (just before they merged), I contacted Beth Reed and she immediately responded & handed my issue off to a customer service representative who worked to resolve the issue. It took awhile to actually get the entire refund processed, but I never got a “no” or a form letter.
Chris , Thank you for providing the contact information for Delta and other carriers. Also thank you for providing pertinent information for other travel related resources.
Having an airline frequent flyer number wouild allow the airline to track such use and identify fraudulent use or abuse of the berevement program.
That the traveler suffered having to correct the situation post-trip is inexcusable.
But, as we’ve seen countless other times, the airline will do the right thing when there’s no other option left.
I asked Delta for a bereavement fare in 2006 to attend my grandmother’s funeral. The representative told me that Delta no longer offered bereavement fares. I called several airlines and the ONLY ONE that offered a bereavement fare was United. I used them again a year later when my grandfather passed away–they gave me amazing service and offered full-fare flex options on their bereavement fairs (e.g. no change penalties).
Delta representatives must not know the policy changed. They told me today that I must be a Sky Miles member for bereavement fare. Plus a Saturday night must be involved. Odd. This is the info I received from 800-221-1212 and their site.