Booking a Flight on short notice (funeral)
March 8, 2017 9:14 AM   Subscribe

I just learned my godfather/uncle passed away, but no date for service has been set. I need to book a flight quickly once that is set, but I am not sure how to get the best deal.

As this isn't a direct relative -- and I don't want to deal with bureaucracy -- I am not talking about getting a bereavement price.

To make things more challenging I will be flying out of Burlington, VT which has limited carriers etc. And none of them are direct flights... did I mention I have a severe fear of flying?

So, shall I use Priceline, Kayak or some other hip site or should I just book through the airport's site?

Thanks for the help.
posted by terrapin to Travel & Transportation around South Burlington, VT (15 answers total)
 
You can use sites like Priceline and Kayak to check prices, but once you determine the best deal it's always best to book directly with the airline. It's a big pain in the ass to make changes to flights booked through a third party, and they don't always do a good job of keeping you informed about time changes or delays. The prices for a flight alone are not going to be any better on a third party site, either.
posted by something something at 9:18 AM on March 8, 2017 [5 favorites]


If you mention your destination city someone might be able to give you specific info about flight schedules.

Sorry about your loss.
posted by ReluctantViking at 9:19 AM on March 8, 2017


Response by poster: Hmmm, In the form to post this I put "Burlington, VT to Pittsburgh, PA" but I don't see that as having been passed through.
posted by terrapin at 9:21 AM on March 8, 2017


Yep, you can pick your favorite site, the era of cheap standby fares ended at least a decade ago and so there is no way to get a "deal". If you have a bunch of frequent-flier miles, this is the time to use them; most people are trying to get their "free" ticket for a vacation, for the minimum number of miles, and so relatively speaking, high-fare walkup travel is an efficient use of miles. You might even find yourself in first class for a relatively small number of miles over the coach price, if that matters to you.
posted by wnissen at 9:22 AM on March 8, 2017


skyscanner is worth trying too along with Kayak etc. Seconding that it's better to book directly once you've picked a flight.

With short notice, you may find that it's cheaper to get two 1 way flights, depending on how long you're staying. If you have a reasonable bus/train trip to NYC, you might do it that way.
posted by Candleman at 9:23 AM on March 8, 2017


Best answer: Get comfortable with ITA Matrix and use that to find a range of fares that might work for you.

United has solid service in and out of BTV, I'd start looking for fares that connect through Newark. American also has connections through Washington DC.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:25 AM on March 8, 2017 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Sorry for your loss. If it's helpful... Jet Blue won't stick you on a teeny commuter flight (all their planes are big) so even if they cost a bit more money they would be worth booking and they have some flights out of Rutland which is an easier airport to manage than BTV if you don't mind getting up early. They connect in BOS which you could also Dartmouth Coach to and fly direct (adds $60-ish to the cost but you have a direct flight). I'd add that on to your "to consider" list.
posted by jessamyn at 9:53 AM on March 8, 2017 [1 favorite]


Bereavement fares aren't really a thing . . . some airlines may offer a nominal discount (10%?) but given the hassle of claiming for it (and I presume the requirement you book directly through their site and not with a third party) don't get bent out of shape that youre missing out on a better deal.

sorry for your loss
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:56 AM on March 8, 2017


Depending on your time vs. money tradeoff, greyhound also offers service from Burlington to Pittsburgh.
posted by metahawk at 10:26 AM on March 8, 2017 [3 favorites]


If a direct flight would help, do you have the ability to get to Boston or NYC, whether by driving or bus? From Boston, JetBlue and American both fly to Pittsburgh; from the various NYC-area airports, you can get direct flights to Pittsburgh through Delta, American, or United. In all cases, I agree with everyone else that you should use a third-party website to decide who you're going to fly when, but then go straight to the respective airline's website, find that flight again there, and book immediately.

[Of all the airlines listed above, I recommend JetBlue because they don't use small planes, and also wider seats and more legroom and less crowding; I always feel somewhat claustrophobic on a plane, so if that contributes to your fear of flying, the way JetBlue has arranged things has been very helpful to me.]

I'm sorry for your loss.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 10:53 AM on March 8, 2017


It may be worth considering alternate airports with less limited service - a quick look at Google Flights suggests that Manchester, NH is worth a look. Given your profile location this isn't that much further than Burlington. You're still going to end up with two flights, though.

Bereavement fares are usually something like 10% off the "full fare" but the fares one actually books are a lot cheaper than that, so don't bother.
posted by madcaptenor at 11:28 AM on March 8, 2017


If you don't have airline miles that you can use, you might let your social network and friends know that you need to buy flights on short notice.

When I needed to travel for family emergencies, people offered to help me. In one case, and airline employee (friend of a friend of a friend) offered me two of her employee flight passes. Another time, my nephew's godmother gave me passes that were about to expire. She was happy they didn't go to waste.
posted by valannc at 1:45 PM on March 8, 2017


Since you mentioned your fear of flying I checked out Amtrak (they do not appear to have routes going from Essex Junction, VT station to Pittsburgh, which is bananas) and checked the drive time from Burlington to Pittsburgh, which is 10 hours. I don't know if that's too long of a drive for you, especially during such a difficult time, but I'm a big fan of driving when possible and that might be an option to consider. It certainly is flexible and economical, just time consuming. You also might want to drive to Boston Logan Airport (approx. a 4 hour drive), park there, and fly Jetblue which has direct flights (approx. 2 hours) to Pittsburgh. I hope this helps and I'm sorry for your loss.
posted by katemcd at 4:14 AM on March 9, 2017


katemcd, the reason Amtrak won't show anything is because the only route that makes sense is via Philadelphia - logically enough, to get from Vermont to Pennsylvania, you take the Vermonter and then the Pennsylvanian. But these trains only run once a day. The southbound train departs Burlington at 9:44 AM and arrives Philadelphia at 8:07 PM and the westbound train departs Philadelphia 12:15 PM and arrives Pittsburgh at 8:05 PM. So you leave in the morning and arrive the next day in the evening. America!

It's also possible to change between these trains in New York - the times are an hour and a half earlier but the problem is exactly the same. Via Washington it's a different second train, but the same problem. And the connections are equally bad in the reverse direction. Basically, trains are not a reasonable option.
posted by madcaptenor at 1:11 PM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thanks for all the help folks. I did end up taking the Dartmouth Coach to Logan and flying JetBlue to Pittsburgh.
posted by terrapin at 7:19 AM on April 14, 2017


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