How to Find Bereavement and Family Emergency Airfares

When an unexpected death or medical emergency befalls a loved one far away, it is often very challenging to find and purchase an emergency airline ticket. It has always been the custom for airlines to charge the highest prices for tickets bought at the last minute, and even more if you don't know exactly when you will be returning.

For many years the airlines have offered bereavement airfares, but unfortunately most airlines have eliminated or dramatically reduced their family medical emergency and bereavement airfares in the past year. The airlines claim that competition has affected the marketplace so much that they just can no longer afford to reduce ticket prices any further. Really? We all know that last minute tickets with a flexible return date can often cost ,000 or more! Thankfully three major US airlines are still committed to assisting folks during family medical emergencies. They are American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and United Airlines.

Here are the steps you need to take to secure a bereavement or family medical emergency reduced rate airline ticket:

How to Find Bereavement and Family Emergency Airfares

1) You must phone the airline's reservation department. Contact American Airlines at 800-433-7300, Northwest Airlines at 800-225-2525, or United at 800-241-6522. Information for this type of ticket does not exist online. Airlines don't even admit they have such fares on their websites! Tell the reservation agent that you need a medical emergency or bereavement reduced rate airline ticket and what the circumstances are.

2) You must be an immediate family member - sister, brother, parent, child, grandchild etc. If you have extenuating circumstances, by all means explain them to the agent, they have been known to bend the rules from time to time.

3) The airline agent will verify the information you are telling them, so have the following information at hand for verification: Your relative's full name, Name and phone number of the funeral home
or Name and phone number of the hospital or medical facility, Name and phone number of the attending physician.

Flights should be able to be booked in the course of one phone call, so be prepared with your desired dates and times of travel before placing the phone call. If the first agent you speak with does not seem able or willing to deal with your request, end the call and dial in again. Finally, you may want to check on Priceline.com, Kayak.com and with low cost carriers that serve your area to see what a standard ticket would cost. You may find that there is a less expensive option available online than with a reduced rate bereavement ticket.

How to Find Bereavement and Family Emergency Airfares
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Susan, who has worked in the travel industry for many years, writes a daily blog http://www.WickedGoodTravelTips.com

Wicked Good Travel Tips is a community of avid travelers sharing insider tips about traveling the world. Come visit us for the best travel tips on the web.

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Emergency Preparedness, A Home and Family Safety Conversation

Talk and plan with your family for potential disasters. Explain why it's necessary to prepare for them. Involve each member of your household in the planning process. By talking about, reviewing and practicing simple steps that can increase everyone's readiness, it can help reduce anxiety about emergencies. Below, a list of important areas is provided to discuss and plan and use as a guide to keep your loved ones informed and ready if a disaster should strike.

Make sure all of the home members know where to find your disaster supplies and emergency kits, if you have them. (What is in a survival kit? This is another topic that should be closely looked at.)
A good idea is to have a flashlight and a pair of shoes under or by everyone's bed in case there is an earthquake during the night. Another idea is to use a plastic bag or other container attached to the bed to keep basic or personal emergency supplies from moving during an earthquake.

Discuss and determine the best escape routes from your home. Try to identify two escape routes from rooms as well as from the home.

Emergency Preparedness, A Home and Family Safety Conversation

A family should plan where to meet after a disaster or emergency if your home becomes unsafe or if you are scattered after an emergency. Choose two places, one just outside your home and one outside your neighborhood in case you are told to evacuate.

The drivers in the family should keep gas tanks at least half full at ALL times.

With today's technology it should be easy to make sure each member knows who your family or friend's near-your-home, out-of-city, & out-of-state contacts are and instruct them to call these people and tell someone where they are. It is a good idea to prioritize and agree upon a few contacts that everyone will use in case of an emergency.

In a family meeting discuss and identify the gas main and other vital utilities and make sure family members know when and how to turn them off.

Practice, practice, and practice more. Review, review and review some more. The family should schedule and set regular review and practice times to go over your evacuation routes, Stop, Drop & Roll drills, Duck & Cover procedures as wells as updating and rotating perishable emergency supplies.

Strategically place fire extinguishers at key locations in a home and garage. Teach each member of your family how to use a fire extinguisher and how to fight a fire with water.

In addition to the families' electronic devices and smart phones it would be a good idea to create emergency response cards for each of your family members. Keep these in school bags, purses or wallets as well as a copy in each vehicle.

Take into account the special needs of small children or older adults. Are there family members that don't speak English, pets, or family members that are disabled or who have specific special needs?

There may be other areas that your family needs to address. However the items above will get you started in the right direction. The fact that you are reading this means you are taking the right steps. Being prepared does NOT just happen, it is an intentional process. Nor is preparation a one time thing, but something that must be revisited periodically and hopefully at regular intervals.

Emergency Preparedness, A Home and Family Safety Conversation
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Check What Are The Top Cooking Books in Last 90 Days Best Cheap Deal!
Check For Cookbooks Best Sellers 2012 Discount OFFER!
Check for Top 100 Most Popular Books People Are Buying Daily Price Update!
Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

At survival4disasters.com we take the position that disaster preparedness begins before an emergency happens. Having the right supplies such as an emergency kit, first aid kit, or survival gear means being prepared for emergencies. However, putting into practice the actions that increase readiness is just as important as having the right supplies. Come visit us today for your disaster supply needs, but take the time to prepare in other ways. For your emergency supplies visit http://www.survival4disasters.com

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