The distressed call came in early Thursday morning that my girlfriend’s mother, who had a stroke a few days prior, had passed away. I was already booked for a business trip to San Francisco starting on Sunday, and now the funeral was slated for that same Sunday in South Carolina. Immediately I sent an email to my boss requesting a change in my itinerary so that I could attend the funeral. A few friends were driving down and offered to take me with them. However, this would mean delaying my business trip further and driving back from South Carolina to catch a flight to the west coast. I really wanted to be there for my girlfriend and to support her family so I decided to look at all the options.
I phoned United Airlines and discussed my plight with a reservation agent. She told me I could change my ticket; she stated I was eligible for a bereavement fare if I supplied her the funeral home information, etc. She quoted me a price for a round trip ticket from South Carolina to San Francisco for about $415.00, with $100 fee change. I would then use my frequently flyer miles to fly from home to South Carolina and back, which would cost me an additional $75.00 to apply the miles. She told me to call her back with the funeral home information; she gave me her ID number and said to ask for her.