It is becoming quite common that clients request to be cremated upon their deaths, and for their cremains or ashes to be scattered in a specific place. Such places can be as simple as at a family lake house or as extravagant as on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Other times, clients might have requested for a memorial service in their home state, and the trustee/executor will have to take the cremains to the service. If you are going to be flying to reach the destination to scatter ashes or cremains, here are a few Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rules to consider.
While it is always recommended to check with your airline what procedures they have in place in order to fly with cremains or ashes, usually you will be able to take the cremains with you on your carry-on or simply check them in with your baggage. Additionally, some airlines (Delta, JetBlue and United) require extra documentation as such as a death certificate or letter from a cremation provider. Southwest’s regulations include that cremains can only be transported in your carry-on luggage.
After checking with your airline provider on any restrictions when traveling with cremains, getting through security might be a whole different ordeal. TSA requires that the container in which the cremains/ashes are in, must be made of material that allows screeners to see clearly what is inside using an X-ray machine. A temporary container made of lightweight plastic or wood or a cardboard box with a heavy plastic bag liner is considered “security friendly.” Again, check with TSA regulations prior to flying to see any updated policies.
While we make sure we include all of our clients’ wishes in their estate plans we help create, we also pride ourselves in educating our clients on how their wishes will be carried out. If you have any questions on how to incorporate these types of wishes in your estate plan, or you wish to update your current plan to include these wishes, feel free to call our office at (818) 956-9200.
Glendale Location
616 E. Glenoaks Boulevard, Suite 203
Glendale, CA 91207
Sherman Oaks Location
15303 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 900
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403