Traveling with Crematory Remains**
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) understands how painful losing a loved one is, and they respect
anyone traveling with crematory remains, in a cremation urn. Passengers are allowed to carry a cremation urn container as part of their carry-on luggage, but the cremation urn container must pass through the X-ray machine. If the cremation
urn container is made of a material that generates an opaque image and prevents the security screener from clearly being
able to see what is inside, then the cremation urn container cannot be allowed through the security checkpoint.
Out of respect to the deceased and their family and friends, under no circumstances
will a screener open the cremation urn container even if the passenger requests this to be done. Documentation from
the funeral home is not sufficient to carry a cremation urn container through security and onto a plane without screening.
You may transport the cremation urn as checked baggage provided that it is successfully
screened. The TSA will screen the cremation urn for explosive material/devices using a variety of techniques;
if cleared, it will be permitted as checked baggage only.
Some airlines
do not allow cremated remains as checked baggage so please check with your air carrier before attempting to transport a cremation
urn container in checked baggage.
Cremation urn containers
are made from many different types of materials, all with varying thickness. At present, the TSA cannot
state for certain whether your particular cremation urn container can successfully pass through an X-ray machine.
However, the TSA suggests that you purchase a temporary or permanent cremation urn container made of
a lighter weight material such as wood** or plastic that can be successfully X-rayed. The
TSA states that it will continue to work with funeral home associations to provide additional guidance in the future.
Traveling with Coffins
Please check with air carrier to determine their policies and procedures.
The
above information was taken from the Transportation Security Administration website and you can verify this information
at http://www.tsa.gov or http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1296.shtm.
Transportation Security Administration / U.S.
Department of Homeland Security
**All cremation
urn containers, at Heritage Urns, are made of 100% solid, American-grown, Red Oak hardwood and then they are hand-stained,
by us. All of our cremation urns are 100% made in the United States of America and 100% handcrafted by someone
in our family. Our solid wood cremation urns will scan through an X-ray machine, because all of our cremation urns are made of solid
wood, which is a cremation urn container material that is suggested by the TSA, as a material that can be successfully X-rayed,
our solid granite cremation urns would not be able to be X-rayed. We cannot guarantee that your air
carrier will allow your cremation urn to be check as a carry-on or as checked baggage, but neither can the TSA guarantee it.
The information provided above by the TSA has been approved by them, but what is allowed is still at the discretion
of the air carrier to follow their own policies. It is highly recommended by the TSA and us that you check
with your air carrier before attempting to transport a cremation urn container.
