Best Practices for Carrying Urns
and Ashes on a Plane
When a loved one is cremated, there’s often a
need to transport their ashes to another location. Flying with cremains is a
perfectly valid option, and nearly all airlines will allow travelers to fly
with filled urns. However, it’s important to be aware of the TSA rules that
govern transporting cremains before you fly in order to avoid complications.
These are provided below.
Keep the Ashes in Your Carry-on
Luggage
The TSA says nothing about where cremains should
be carried. This is left up to individual airlines. All will allow human and
pet cremains in carry-on luggage, but some restrict passengers from checking it
under the plane. Unless you check with your chosen airline, it’s best to keep
the urn in your carry-on luggage.
This also reduces the risk of damage to the urn,
since it would be in your possession throughout the flight.
Make Sure the Urn You Travel with
Is X-Ray Ready
X-ray ready means that the x-rays can pass
through the container to reveal the contents inside. Because an airline will
not open a funeral urn under any circumstances, their x-ray machines are the
only way they can peer inside. If x-rays can’t penetrate, they won’t let you
bring the urn on the plane.
Generally wood, paper, cardboard, other organic
materials, and plastic will pass x-rays. But if you want to make absolutely
certain the urn you choose is okay for use in x-ray machines you can buy urns
specifically labeled “Flight Ready”.
In most cases, the urn you’ll travel with will be
a temporary one. Once you arrive at your destination you can transfer the ashes
to their final, decorative urn.
Make Sure Your Urn is Properly
Sealed
The last thing you want is to suffer a spillage
accident while traveling. Because the TSA won’t ever require you to open your
urn, there’s no good reason not to have it tightly sealed.
Bring Official Documentation From
Your Funeral Home
In general, a successful x-ray scan is all that’s
needed to deliver your ashes through security. However, it can’t hurt to have
an official death certificate and certificate of cremation with you just in
case you encounter issues. This isn’t a requirement, but it can prove helpful.
International Travel Requires
Extra Preparations
If you’re transporting cremains out of the
country it’s always a good idea to contact the embassy for the country you’re
traveling to for information about any special steps they require. Every
country has its own rules, and you want to make sure you’ve taken the proper
precautions.
Your funeral director may also have some
experience in this matter, so it’s worth talking to them as well.
Flying with Ashes Can Be
Stressful. Ship Them Instead.
Taking your loved one’s ashes on a flight is
expensive, particularly if you don’t actually need to go where the ashes are
going. Shipping the ashes is often a better option. It’s perfectly legal to
ship ashes nationally and internationally as long as you ship Priority Mail
Express with USPS and follow their guidelines.
Your ashes will arrive safely at their
destination within one to two days and you’ll spend significantly less money to
get them there.
If you don’t need to fly, save yourself the
hassle and the money. Send the ashes through the mail.