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
Hi I want to take some of my brothers ashes on a flight from Brisbane to cairns how do I go about this please
Guess you have checked out our main page on this Travelling with ashes
Good day, I want to bring my mothers ashes from South Africa to New Zealand flying wirh Qantas today. I do not have the certificate from the cremation place. Will this be a problem? It is in a sealed wooden box in my hand luggage. Thank you
Hi Jeana
I’m afraid I cannot answer for certain, it would be best to speak with Qantas directly: https://www.qantas.com/travel/airlines/contacts/global/en