Bereavement fares have disappeared on most US airlines

An episode of the 1990s television show "Seinfeld" featured a character who tried to cheat an airline for a 50 percent bereavement discount — he failed.

Airlines believed people were scamming the system, and the special fares complicated the jobs of reservations agents.

Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air don't offer them.

Bereavement fares might not be the cheapest, but they usually offer more flexibility to alter plans without a change fee — changing a cheaper, restricted ticket to visit family longer can mean an extra fee of up to $200.

Delta does offer more schedule flexibility for the return flight by waiving service fees, but the customer must pay the difference if they change to a higher-priced flight.

Alaska Airlines offers flexible travel dates for people flying due to the death of an immediate family member.

Passengers get a 10 percent discount off the lowest available refundable fare, which adds flexibility, said airline spokeswoman Ann Zaninovich.