Carrying ashes on a Qantas flight

Carrying ashes on a Qantas flight

Travelling with ashes can be tricky it is best to get thing right from the start, so that you experience the minimum disruption.  If you intending to take cremation ashes on a Qantas flight, this is what they say:

Travelling with ashes (cremated remains)

Question

What options do I have when travelling with ashes (cremated remains)?

Answer

Ashes (cremated remains) may be carried as checked or carry-on baggage.

Ensure that the container used to hold the ashes is free from contaminants such as soil. The container and packaging for the ashes may be inspected or examined. Passengers travelling with human ashes require an official document from the crematorium confirming contents, weight cannot exceed 7kg and the container must be sealed properly to stop any leakage. Please note the container will need to be screened.

Ashes can also be carried as Freight. For more information call our Contact Centre on 13 13 13 within Australia, or contact your local Qantas office.

And this was the page they directed us to: https://qantas.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/7739

Thank you Qantas for letting us know. I have to say it is one of the more bizarre policy notes I have seen from an airline company, free from soils and less the 7kg what do they imagine, fresh from an exhumation with spade in hand and covered in soil? I understand that the 7KG related to the max amount of weight in hand luggage but it would be worth pointing that out. Oh well.

We would also advise that you speak to the embassy for the country of where you are travelling to, to see if there is likely to be any complications at that end.

Also make such you use a non-metallic urn that can be scanned by customs.

Here is our general advice on travelling with ashes, if you cannot physical travel with the ashes you may wish to consider using our courier / repatriation service.

Advice correct as of January 2016