Here’s What You Need to Know About Traveling with a Cremation Urn

One of the benefits of cremation services in Mesa, AZ is that you and other family members will be able to take home some of the ashes in urns available from the funeral home. While it’s one thing to travel with an urn if you live near to where the cremation takes place, it’s quite another thing to travel with an urn if you have to go to an airport and board a plane to get home. The good news is that you can indeed travel by plane with an urn – but there are things you must know. Read on to learn about the ins and outs of traveling with an urn after a cremation.

Urn Must Pass Through X-Ray Machine – So Get an Appropriate One

One of the first things to know is that you need to get an urn that can be x-rayed. You won’t be able to take the urn aboard the plane until it has passed through the airport’s x-ray. So be sure to let the funeral director know you plan to travel home by plane and that you’d like an urn made from a material that can be successfully x-rayed. The professionals conducting the screening are not permitted to open a cremation urn – and they won’t inspect what’s inside should you take the liberty of opening it. It must be x-rayed. If this is not possible, you won’t be able to board the plane with the urn. So avoid disappointment by getting an appropriate urn.

Find Out How to Pack an Urn

While you can travel with a scannable urn, you need to ask the airline you’re flying with whether you can put it in your carry-on luggage or in your checked luggage. It’s best not to assume the policy of your airline. Call and ask or do some online research to get the answer. One thing to consider is that keeping the urn in your carry-on bag means you’ll be able to keep an eye on it. There will be less risk of it getting lost or of it getting damaged. So if you have a choice in terms of whether to put it into your carry-on or in your checked luggage, the former option is best.

Carry Official Documents from Funeral Home

You also need to get official documentation from the funeral home. This documentation will be useful should any of the airport officials have any questions pertaining to your carrying an urn. The funeral director will know exactly what type of documentation would be useful.

Are you interested in finding a provider of affordable cremation services in Mesa, AZ? We’re a full-service funeral home dedicated to helping people to plan and to preplan. Ask us about our direct cremation and cremation with a service packages. Our direct cremation offering is the most cost-effective option in and around the area, and we also own our own crematory. For the help you need, give us a call to speak with our funeral director or to other members of our staff. We’ll answer your questions, help you plan final services for a loved one, and even help you preplan a body disposition for yourself. Let us know how we can help.