Pembroke_Corgi,

I feel your pain.

When my daughter was 16, she was on vacation in Fla. with her father and stepmother. Christmas Day evening she went into seizures and was rushed to the hospital. They found a malignant lemon-sized brain tumor on her brainstem.

Trying to get a flight the day after Christmas was a nightmare!! In 24 hours, the rates went from $895 to over $1200!! Having started a new job, I didn't have that kind of money. My father paid for my flight.

I was scheduled to fly out on the day after Christmas and arrive in Fla. at 12 noon, in time to see my daughter before they rushed her into major brain surgery. Well, I went to my best friend's house for the night (got no sleep, obviously) so she could drive me to the airport. I called Delta to confirm my reservations. The woman said there weren't any. I was stunned and began sobbing. I told her the situation and she said there was nothing she could do, that all flights were fully booked. My friend's neighbor who was a former travel agent came over and got on the phone. She said she knew for a fact that airlines keep at least 4-6 seats empty for airline employees. She asked for a bereavement rate and the lady said no, that my circumstances was not under the guidelines of "bereavement" emergency. Um, hellllooooo??? I do consider a malignant brain tumor an emergency!!! After 45 minutes on the phone, I was able to get a flight.

Fortunately, my daughter survived the surgery and has been in remission for 14 years!!

After this fiasco, I wrote a 2 page letter to the president of Delta Airlines. I received a $300 voucher to anywhere in the Continental US.

I am so sorry you had to go through this. Please accept my condolences on the loss of your beloved Grandfather. If I were you, write to the president of the airline. Airlines do NOT like negative publicity. If that doesn't work, get the media involved. As I've said in past posts, the media is a very powerful tool to right a wrong.

((((HUGS)))) to you.