Discounted Airfare for Funeral

Most of the Airlines gives discounted fare commonly known as 'Bereavement Airfares' for taking Airline Travel due sudden death in the family, funeral or emergency in the family. However there are certain restrictions and policies around these discounted fares. Let's discuss them one by one:

Who is eligible for the bereavement Airfare?

Immediate family is eligible for these discounted fares. Immediate family is defined as blood relation, parents, grand-parents, spouse, children, siblings, aunts and uncles.

What documents are required by the Airline?

• Death certificate from the regulatory authority
• The name of the deceased and the relationship of the passenger with the deceased
• The full contact details including the date of the funeral service

Please make sure that you provide all the above required information to the Airline in advance as this would ease the process.

Good to know:

• Airlines provide standby option to the passenger in-case he needs to return back to his base immediately due death in the family. Stand by is not confirmed space but would only be given if the flight load is relatively less and the passenger can be accommodated.
• Refund is another option that can be used in-case you are not able to get all the above mentioned required documents in advance. Always remember to submit the death certificate, boarding cards and copy of the ticket along with the refund application. Also retain the photocopy with you as well.
• Refund would only be made if the Airline already has policy of giving special Bereavement Fares prior to travel. No refund would be made in case the Airline does not have any such discounted fares.

Not all the Airlines have the policy of special discounted fares for the funeral or death of the family member. Hence don't get upset if Airline refuses to give you any such refund. Bereavement fares exist to ease your stress of traveling due imminent death of the near-one.

Do you have fear of flying? No more anxiety..

Airline travel can be fun for one and at the same time can be stressful for the other. Airline Travel certainly not free size that fits all. Its natural to have fear of flying as you would be 40,000 feet above the earth and there can be turbulence in the plane. However don't let this phobia frighten you.

There are many simple ways that can help you to fight against fear of Airline travel. Few golden tips are:

1. Let the crew in the flight and at the check-in desk know that you are afraid of flying. Most of the times the the crew as well as the co-passengers makes you comfortable during the flight and keep check on your well being
2. You can always seek medical advice for anxiety of flying. These medicines would help you to remain calm during the flight
3. There are several Fear of flying courses available on-line. You can opt for these courses to conquer your fear
4. Don't be afraid to seek help and to ask questions from the frequent flyer's or the Airline staff. Few airlines also provide assistance during the flight for the first time Flyer's.
5. Do you like music? Do you like to squeeze the soft ball to ease the tension? If yes, then its good. Try and get some items that give comfort to you. Listening to MP3 player or taking your favourite fleece blanket can help you to keep the fear at bay
6. Enjoy the in flight entertainment programes. Checking out the weather or watching movie can help you relax.

Always keep in mind that you are not the only one, who is afraid of flying. There are many more passengers like you who are first time flyer's. With 8 years of experience in Airline industry, I can certainly vouch that preparing in advance and reassurance can help you to fight against any kind of fear. Have confidence in you and see the difference.

So let me know how was your first Airline Travel?

How safe is it to take Airline Travel during Swine Flu?

All the news channels, news papers, media are full of reports about Swine Flu outbreak. Scientifically known as H1N1 where H stands for hemagglutinin and the N means neuraminidase and the 1s refer to their antibody type.

WHO has divided this flu into different stages. Each stage represents different level. Swine Flu has been declared as pandemic. It started in Mexico and now has spread across different countries and populations.

One question that keep coming to our mind is - HOW SAFE IS IT TO TAKE AIRLINE TRAVEL DURING SWINE FLU? Many of us are reluctant to travel during this outbreak and want to know the ways to protect ourselves from this seed of global pandemic.

Lets go through little steps that can protect us during Airline Travel against Swine flu outbreak:

1) Reshuffle Travel in-case you are feeling sick: It's always good and recommended to postpone your travel plans if you are not feeling well and has flu symptoms.It has been observed that lots of passengers don't follow this. However, as far as possible please avoid any non essential travel during international and national health emergency

2) Curtail exposure on board: Please keep the air vent over your seat and pointing on your face. This would reduce the contact of any infectious droplets that gain foothold in the body through nose, eyes or mouth.

3) Hand Hygiene should be top priority: Make sure that you wash your hands frequently and properly to reduce the risk of disease. All the alcohol based hand sanitisers are effective against any kind of viruses or infection.

4) Grab that face Mask: Simple face mask can prevent the large droplets that are sneezed or coughed. It's believed that the simple mask prevents 62% of the small infectious droplets. Always carry an extra mask and step forward to offer the mask to any passenger, who looks sick, and has been coughing and sneezing.

Above are the few precautions that can be taken during Airline Travel.

However, risk of on-board transmission of virus is mainly limited to the passengers sitting next to you or sitting in the next two rows. Obviously, we can't change or control the seating procedure but can certainly take these few steps to fight against this global outbreak- Swine Flu

So next time, don't forget to carry the face mask and Have a safe and Healthy Airline Travel.

No more name Change- 7 best ways to handle

Welcome back!! Hope you have made a note of all the key items that needs to be included in your family medical kit during Airline Travel.

Have you ever had an experience where in you have entered wrong name in the booking and the ticket got issued with incorrect name. Today, I would cover few scenarios of incorrect name entered in the Airline booking system and the procedures to rectify the same.

1. Ticket issued on the credit Card Holder: Its one of the common mistake where in while making the booking on-line the ticket gets issued under the name of the payee and not the traveller. Best is to call the Airline and get the changes at once. Few Airlines allow the name change free of charge in-case the call is made between the 72hours of the issuance of the ticket.
2. 2-3 Characters change in the name: Almost all the major Airlines allow 2-3 characters change in the last name. So in case your last name is Jackson and the ticket is issued under the name of Jokson then the Airline should allow the change up to 3 characters. Airline might charge you with some local service fee.
3. First name to last name: It does not matter if the ticket displays your last name as first and vice-a-verse on the ticket. There is no need to change the same.
4. Married name or Maiden name: Many of us still have our passport under maiden name however if the ticket is still issued with the married name then the simple way is just to call the Airline and ask them to change the name in the system. However if they are not willing to change it due policy then just carry your marriage certificate to the airport and show it to the duty manager or at the check-in desk. There should be no problem while travelling
5. No body swap Allowed: None of the airline allows the body swap i.e Jones/Nicolas can never be changed to Sam/Jack Mr.
6. Fare rules Restrictions: Few of the airlines have restricted fare rules that does not allow the name change at all not even 2-3 characters. In this case either put the ticket for refund or use the same value for future travel.
7. Title Change: At times the ticket gets issued under different title like Fox/Jane Ms incorrectly issued under the name of Fox/Jane Mr, There no need to panic, just let the Airline know.

Best way to handle the name change during Airline Travel is to create the booking carefully and re-check the spelling, last name, title before you press the "Enter" button on your keyboard.

Let me know in-case you have any further queries with regards to name change and Airline Travel.

Happy Journey!!