It's the type of airline reservation no one likes to make. A family member or loved one is seriously ill or has passed away and you need to travel immediately.
A couple of decades ago, airlines used to have generous policies when it came to booking emergency travel. Known as bereavement or compassion fares, airlines offered steep discounts off regular airfares to ease the burden of last-minute travel. More recently, airlines began phasing them out.
But some still offer either a flat discount off current published airfares or a different type of rate determined by the carrier. Policies vary widely by airline.


