A: My condolences on your loss. United should have treated you with the compassion that any person would treat another who is grieving the sudden loss of a child. That clearly didn't happen.

It's true that United, like most of the domestic airlines, doesn't offer bereavement fares. The only tickets available were the most expensive “walk-up” fares, which are last-minute tickets priced super high because they're usually purchased by business travelers on expense accounts.

While it's true that award tickets are limited (technically, airlines allocate only a few seats per flight, and for internal accounting purposes, they're considered “nonrevenue” seats), United should have treated you better. As a frequent flier, you were a best customer. Instead, you had to pay $5,880 for two small airline seats. So much for loyalty.

I might have appealed this to a United executive. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of United's customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site: elliott.org/company-contacts/united-airlines/. One of them might have been able to get you past the insensitive automatic responses.

I was a little surprised to get your complaint. United has been trying to improve its customer service and should have been eager to help a grieving family that is loyal to the airline.

I contacted United on your behalf. It reviewed your case and agreed to refund the $5,880. It withdrew 250,000 miles from your account for the tickets.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and a co-founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for travelers. Because of a backlog of cases, your story may not be published for several months. Read more tips at elliott.org or email chris@elliott.org.