Q: Our daughter died suddenly in her sleep last year while we were in Venice, Italy. My wife and I had a first-class ticket with award miles to come home in a few days, but we obviously needed to return as soon as possible.
A United Airlines representative told us there were no award seats available. To leave Venice with one dayβs notice, we had to pay $5,880 for economy-class tickets. It was the highest possible rate for an economy-class ticket.
Although United has discontinued its bereavement fares, a booking agent told us that we could contact the customer-care desk and provide proof of our daughterβs death to seek some consideration.
When I contacted United, the response I received was: βEvery day United receives thousands of requests for exceptions to corporate policy β we cannot assume the responsibility for deciding which requests might be worthier than others.β
I was shocked and appalled that the sudden death of my daughter would be lumped with all the βthousands of requestsβ received. The response was truly hurtful and insensitive. I then was referred to a manager, who contacted me after four weeks and said only that United would not do anything. β Richard Croce, El Granada, California
A: My condolences on your loss. United should have treated you with the compassion that any person would treat another who is grieving the sudden loss of a child. That clearly didnβt happen.
Itβs true that United, like most of the domestic airlines, doesnβt offer bereavement fares. The only tickets available were the most expensive βwalk-upβ fares, which are last-minute tickets priced super-high because theyβre usually purchased by business travelers on expense accounts.
While itβs true that award tickets are limited (technically, airlines allocate only a few seats per flight, and for internal accounting purposes, theyβre considered βnon-revenueβ seats), United should have treated you better. As a frequent flier, you were a best customer. Instead, you had to pay $5,880 for two small airline seats. So much for loyalty.
I might have appealed this to a United executive. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of Unitedβs customer-service managers on my consumer-advocacy site: elliott.org/company-contacts/united-airlines/
One of them might have been able to get you past the insensitive automatic responses.
I was a little surprised to get your complaint. United has been trying to improve its customer service, and should have been eager to help a grieving family that is loyal to the airline.
I contacted United on your behalf. It reviewed your case and agreed to refund the $5,880. It withdrew 250,000 miles from your account for the tickets.
