TSA rules allow you to transport ashes on a plane, but each airline’s policy differs, so you’ll need to check with your airline. According to the TSA’s blog, transporting ashes is allowed either in checked or carry-on luggage. The cremains will be screened by TSA Officers as part of their standard operating procedure, which includes the cremated remains being passed through the x-ray machine. If the container cannot be cleared using the x-ray, the TSA is authorized to apply other, non-intrusive methods of clearing the urn.
- Carry remains in a proper container. These may include urns so long as they are made of a material that provides a TSA screener a clear view of the contents.
- Containers that are wooden, plastic, cardboard, or fiberboard should be okay. Wood and plastic are specifically recommended by the TSA.
- Avoid metal, stone, or granite containers.
- TSA agents cannot open an urn or container that is unscannable, therefore you and your package will be denied access past the security checkpoint.
- Some airlines do not permit passengers to travel with cremated remains. A brief summary of some of the major airlines’ cremains transportation policies follows. Be sure to visit the individual airline websites for full details.
Transportation policies of major airlines
- American Airlines – “Certain crematory containers such as urns are unable to be screened at security checkpoints by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). An American Airlines airport agent may consult TSA personnel to determine if your container may be transported as carry-on or checked baggage. Please seek guidance from a funeral home to help determine if a particular crematory container will pose any difficulty at a TSA screening point.”
- Delta Airlines – “Cremated remains must be shipped in a crematory urn or funeral urn that is sufficiently protected against breakage.”
- United Airlines – From a customer support email, “Cremated human remains (cremains) accepted as carrying on or checked baggage provided: 1. Urn/ashes can pass through an x-ray machine and clear explosive trace detection (ETD), 2. A customer has a letter from the funeral home verifying cremation. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recommends that customers ship cremated human remains with a private shipper.”
- Continental Airlines – “You may carry on cremated human remains provided you have the appropriate documentation and the remains are packed in a suitable non-metallic container which meets TSA requirements.
