Funeral urns fall under airline safety regulations

People carrying funeral urns or remains of loved ones through Spokane’s airport are required to use only containers that can be X-rayed, federal aviation officials say.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) set guidelines earlier this year requiring remains to be carried only in temporary containers, or inside urns made of wood or light brass that can be easily inspected by X-ray machines at checkpoints.

Lead-lined urns, solid brass urns or urns that are composites of ceramic and lead can’t be inspected by X-ray. A TSA announcement this week noted that airport screeners are not allowed to open urns or containers at checkpoints even if passengers ask them to.

Those rules are part of ongoing TSA efforts to ensure airport safety.

Spokane airport screeners, for the most part, seldom see urns with remains at checkpoints, TSA spokesperson Jennifer Marty said. And people coming through with carry-on urns have mostly used containers that are easily X-rayed, she said.

Some area funeral home directors say most passengers carrying remains know not to use containers made of dense or heavy materials.

“The vast majority of those traveling will take the time and take plastic or temporary containers (rather than heavy urns),” said Bill Rossey, owner of Spokane Cremation and Burial Service.

Since the TSA is responsible for inspecting checked bags, the same prohibitions apply to urns placed in suitcases, Marty said.

Heavier urns are still offered because some families prefer them, said Dean Egger, co-owner of Riplinger’s Funeral Home in Spokane.

The number of cremations continues to rise, both in Washington and nationally, according to funeral industry statistics.

Heritage Funeral Home and Crematory in Spokane sees about 45 percent cremations, said its president, Dennis R. Murphy. He said the state average has been estimated as high as 60 percent.