Dear Air Canada,

I appreciate the kind wishes expressed in your letter about our recent loss.

Unfortunately, I am at a loss about your services with regard to bereavement fares for passengers.

According to your company you do offer bereavement services.

No, it’s true you don’t outline WHERE the service may not be offered, but offer the service you do.

I applied for a bereavement rate here in Japan before returning to Canada, only to be told it was not possible. In Canada I was told it was possible, but it would seem from the difficultly staff had in finding forms and then going through the application process that this is not something that is done very often in their daily routines. To the staff who did help, I am grateful for all they did. Some staff seemed to know more about this policy than others, and maybe this is something that needs more training in the future.

After many weeks, I received an answer from Air Canada informing me that my outrageously high fare was not eligible for the bereavement rate.

But according to the letter (this information is not on the web page), the bereavement rate is not possible within Canada, to or from the U.S., to or from Hong Kong, from Japan to Canada, or in Executive Class.

Canadian citizens beware: if family dies within Canada, you are not entitled to the bereavement rate. If you live in the U.S. but have family in Canada, you also will not qualify. Peculiar thing about the Japan-Canada link; if my parents and I switched places, and my parents died in Japan while I lived in Canada, I could then fly out to them and receive the bereavement rate.

For those who live in Europe, South America, and Africa, Air Canada’s policy may be of help to you.

But for average Canadians, using the national airline, sorry this service is not for you.