Don’t we wish! I was thinking about that this morning as I drove my husband to the airport because his elderly mom had been rushed to the hospital and was very seriously ill. Luckily, I  was able to get him a free flight. If not, it would have cost nearly $1,000 for a round trip ticket from New York to Chicago (and never mind change fees since he doesn’t know when he returns.) That’s what you get for trying to buy a ticket instantly.

Last week, others in the family were faced with the same dilemma when another elderly relative died. They couldn’t even find decent fares for the grandson who is in the Army so he endured a grueling drive from Texas to Alabama and back again–over two days.

I know there are special emergency fares but the reality is they are so expensive. Why can’t the airlines offer some deeply discounted fare in case of true emergency–the same fares across the board ($99 for 1,000 miles…$199 for 2,000 miles) if there are empty seats on the plane. I know times are hard but why should airlines make a few bucks on someone’s misery?

Sure I know people will try to scam the system but it’s easy enough to provide proof in cases of true emergency. How about it, airlines!