Funeral, need a quick flight

[SD601]

My step-grandfather died last night, quite unexpectedly. The funeral will most likely be this weekend, since most of the family is scattered around the country. We are flying from San Diego to Portland, Oregon, and whew, prices are very steep for a last minute flight (about $500 a ticket). Any ideas or websites for quick flights? We'll probably fly in Thursday or Friday. TIA!

[laura]

You might check bereavement fares, or if you have any FF miles, check a combo of miles/purchasing.

Sorry for your loss. We just went through this recently w/ an immediate cross country trip due to a death in the family and it was a PITA price-wise. I checked *everywhere* and we ended up just using FF miles.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Sorry for your lodd.

I would call the airline and ask what the bereavement rate is. It's usually a little less. Don't settle on 1 airline call several.

I called back when my grandmother was on her death bed, back in 2000 they wanted $900 regular fare and bereavement or family emergency was $600, not a huge savings but something. That was CA to Philly. Short notice in tht I was flying out in 2 days.

Southwest looks to be about $450 round trip. Call though as you may get a better rate

[MarriedaGoalie]

So sorry for your loss, Ericka!

I don't really have any sites for you to check, but I just want to let you know NOT to fly Delta. My father-in-law passed away last summer and we had to take a last minute flight to North Carolina. Delta tried to put us on stand-by on our initial flight. We ended up talking them into letting my husband get on the flight while I had to wait for the next flight. DH had another horrible experience in Atlanta (where our layover was). Anyways... without going into the whole situation, I just don't suggest flying with Delta. After paying nearly $600 per ticket (three tickets), we didn't expect to be placed on stand by! :(

[roberta]

I am so sorry for your loss.
Try travelocity's last minute fares. They are usually combo package (flight + rental car or flight + hotel). Even if you don't need the rental or hotel room, they can end being a significant savings. I used this twice in the past year for unexpected deaths of family members. It was nice to have the rental car, so other family members did not have to worry about transporting me to and from the airport.

[SD601]

Thank you, everyone. Since we will be flying with an almost two-year-old, I'm looking at nonstop flights, which are difficult to find from San Diego to Portland. The bereavement discount ranges from 15%-30% from what we've found, so that helps a bit. I really appreciate your help, and I will be looking into those package deals, too. I never thought about car rentals, etc.

[mar5195]

Have you considered driving into OC & flying out from there? It might be cheaper. I've seen that flying out of SD is alot more than LAX or OC.

[lawyerlee]

Thank you, everyone. Since we will be flying with an almost two-year-old, I'm looking at nonstop flights, which are difficult to find from San Diego to Portland. The bereavement discount ranges from 15%-30% from what we've found, so that helps a bit. I really appreciate your help, and I will be looking into those package deals, too. I never thought about car rentals, etc.

You might consider a travel agent. They should be able to help you out under these circumstances.

I'm sorry for your loss.

[SD601]

I found a flight+car rental for under $300 pp with the Travelocity last minute deals. It will be nice to have a car while there. We are leaving Thursday. Thanks everyone!