Flying with Ashes on Contour Airlines (2026): TSA Screening, Carry-On Advice & Airline Contacts

Most trips begin with a suitcase and a plan. Traveling with cremated remains begins with something much heavier: the responsibility of caring for someone you love while moving through a busy airport that was not designed for grief. If you’re reading this, you may be trying to bring a parent home, carry a spouse to a final resting place, or fly to a scattering ceremony that feels meaningful. The goal is simple: protect the ashes, avoid surprises at security or the gate, and arrive with your loved one treated with dignity.

This guide focuses on what families most often need when they’re flying with ashes on Contour Airlines: what TSA requires at screening, how to prevent an urn from ending up in a gate-checked bag, and how to contact Contour to confirm the latest policy before you fly. Along the way, we’ll connect the travel logistics to the bigger decisions that usually follow—choosing cremation urns, deciding between cremation urns for ashes and keepsake urns, considering cremation jewelry, and making a steady plan for keeping ashes at home, water burial, or another next step.

Why flying with ashes is more common now

Cremation has become a majority choice in the United States, which means more families are navigating the “what now?” decisions around ashes—including travel. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate was projected to reach 61.9% in 2024. The Cremation Association of North America reports a similar figure, listing a 61.8% U.S. cremation rate for 2024. When cremation is common, questions about travel become common too—especially for families spread across states, for memorials planned in a hometown, or for ceremonies at water, mountains, or a family cemetery.

It also explains why families increasingly look for flexible memorial options: a primary urn at home, small cremation urns for sharing, keepsake urns for siblings, and cremation necklaces or other pieces that keep a small amount close without requiring you to carry a full urn through an airport.

The TSA rule that matters most at screening

When families worry about TSA, the fear is usually: “Will they open the urn?” The important reality is the opposite. TSA’s guidance says officers will not open a cremation container, even if requested, and that the container must be able to be screened. If the X-ray operator cannot clear the container, TSA may use other non-intrusive methods; if the officer cannot determine the container does not contain a prohibited item, it may not be permitted. You can read the official TSA “Traveling With Crematory Remains” guidance here: Transportation Security Administration.

That single detail—“can it be screened?”—often determines whether your day goes smoothly. Many classic urn materials are beautiful and permanent, but not all are ideal for airport screening. If you already have a heavy stone or thick metal urn, you can still travel, but you’ll want to think carefully about your container choice for the flight itself. Some families travel with a temporary container or travel-friendly urn, then transfer the remains into a permanent urn at home. Funeral.com’s guide to TSA-approved urns and flying with cremated remains walks through what that looks like in real life, without turning it into a cold checklist.

Contour Airlines carry-on reality: plan for the possibility of gate-checking

Contour does publish clear baggage basics, and one line matters a lot when you’re carrying ashes: if a bag can’t fit under the seat or in the overhead compartment, it may be collected prior to boarding and returned plane-side at arrival. Contour’s baggage page also notes that if you need to check carry-on bags, you should remove fragile or valuable items and keep them with you onboard. That is exactly how you should think about ashes: fragile, valuable, and never something you want separated from you. You can review Contour’s baggage guidance directly on their Baggage page.

Contour notes that, in general for travel within the U.S., passengers are allowed one carry-on bag and one personal item, and the carry-on dimension limit is 22 x 14 x 9 inches. Your personal item must fit under the seat in front of you. That detail shapes the safest approach: place the urn (or travel container) inside the personal item you will keep under the seat, not in a carry-on that might be pulled at the gate if overhead space runs tight.

If you’re trying to reduce anxiety on travel day, treat the urn as “not negotiable.” Build the rest of your packing around it. A soft-sided backpack or tote under the seat often gives you more control than a rigid roller bag that might be tagged at boarding.

A simple way to pack so you stay in control

You don’t need complicated gear, but a thoughtful setup helps. In practice, most families do best with three layers of protection: a screening-friendly container, padding, and a bag that stays with you.

• Place the ashes in a container that can be X-rayed, then put that container inside a sealed plastic bag to protect against spills.
• Wrap the container with soft clothing or bubble wrap so it won’t shift if the bag is set down quickly.
• Pack it in your personal item (the bag that stays under the seat), not in a carry-on that might be collected at boarding.

If you want to browse options that families commonly use for travel or compact carrying, start with Funeral.com’s Small Cremation Urns for Ashes collection, then compare it with the Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes collection to see what “small” really means in capacity and footprint.

Choosing the right urn or container for the flight

It’s easy to assume the choice is between “a full urn” and “no urn.” Most families land somewhere in the middle, especially when travel is involved. If your plan is to keep ashes at home, you may eventually choose a full-size memorial urn from Funeral.com’s Cremation Urns for Ashes collection. But the flight itself can be handled with a travel-friendly approach, then finalized later when you have more emotional space.

If you’re transporting all of the ashes to a burial, cemetery placement, or a single ceremony, you may still decide to travel with the full amount. In that case, choose a container that passes screening and fits securely under the seat. If you’re worried about the material of your permanent urn, consider traveling with a temporary container and transferring later.

If you’re dividing ashes among family members, keepsake urns can be a gentle solution. A keepsake is designed to hold a portion rather than all of the remains, which can make air travel feel less risky and emotionally less intense. Funeral.com’s guide Keepsake Urns Explained helps families understand capacities and when keepsakes make sense.

If you want closeness without carrying an urn at all, cremation jewelry can be surprisingly calming. Many pieces hold a tiny amount of ashes and are designed for everyday wear, including cremation necklaces. You can explore Funeral.com’s Cremation Jewelry collection or go straight to Cremation Necklaces, then read the practical overview in Cremation Jewelry Options if you’re deciding what type feels right.

If you’re flying with pet ashes

Families often assume the rules are different for pets, but the travel reality is similar: TSA still needs to screen the container, and you still want to keep the ashes with you rather than in a checked or gate-checked bag. The emotional layer can feel different, though. Pet loss carries a particular kind of quiet grief, and it can be hard to explain to someone who hasn’t lived it.

If you’re transporting a companion animal’s ashes, Funeral.com’s Pet Cremation Urns for Ashes collection is a broad place to start. Families who want something that reflects personality often gravitate toward pet figurine cremation urns, which you can browse in the Pet Figurine Cremation Urns for Ashes collection. And if you’re sharing a small amount or keeping a token portion close, Funeral.com’s Pet Keepsake Cremation Urns for Ashes collection is designed for that exact need.

For a calm, detailed explanation of sizes and styles, see Pet Urns 101 or the deeper guide Pet Urns for Ashes.

Documents to bring so you feel prepared

TSA’s guidance focuses on screening the container, not on paperwork, but many families still find it reassuring to carry documentation in case an airline agent or security officer asks what the container is. If your funeral home or crematory provided a cremation certificate, keep a copy with you. Some families also travel with a photocopy of the death certificate, or a simple letter from the funeral home stating the contents of the container. The paperwork doesn’t replace screening rules, but it can reduce awkward moments at check-in or if you’re asked questions at the gate.

If your trip involves international travel, requirements can be stricter and country-specific. In that scenario, it’s wise to contact the airline and the destination’s consulate well ahead of time, because document requirements can vary.

A short script to confirm Contour’s latest policy before you fly

Not every airline publishes detailed public rules for cremated remains. If you want to avoid uncertainty, a quick call or email can help you feel steadier—especially if you’re connecting, traveling on a small aircraft, or worried about gate-checking. Contour’s official contact page is Contact Us, and their customer service phone number is listed there as 1 (888) 332-6686. Their customer care email is listed as customercare@contourairlines.com on Contour’s contact information. You can confirm details and keep a copy of the response with your travel documents.

Here’s a simple script you can adapt. Keep it short, factual, and calm:

• “I’m traveling with cremated remains in a carry-on. Does Contour have any special packaging requirements beyond TSA screening?”
• “If my carry-on must be collected at the gate due to space, can I keep my personal item with the cremated remains under the seat?”
• “Is there any route-specific restriction I should know about for my flight number and aircraft type?”

If you’d like an additional layer of confidence, review Contour’s carry-on language on their Baggage page before you contact them, so you can reference their own policy about carry-on and personal items and the fact that items not fitting may be collected before boarding.

After you land: connect the travel day to the bigger plan

For many families, the flight is only one step in a longer story. Once you arrive, you may be planning a memorial, deciding what to do with ashes, or figuring out how to create something meaningful without spending money in a panic. This is where it helps to slow down and let the plan unfold in stages.

If your next step is a home memorial, Funeral.com’s guide Keeping Ashes at Home: What’s Normal, What’s Not helps families feel less alone in choices that are more common than people realize. If you’re deciding among options—home, burial, scattering, or a split plan—What to Do With Cremation Ashes offers practical ideas without telling you there’s one “correct” answer.

If your ceremony involves the ocean, lake, or river, it’s worth learning how water burial works in practice. Funeral.com’s article Water Burial vs. Scattering at Sea explains the difference between the two and what families tend to consider when wind and logistics matter. For eco-minded options, Biodegradable Water Urns for Ashes is a steady guide to how these urns are designed to float, sink, and dissolve.

And if cost is part of what you’re holding right now, you’re not being “too practical”—you’re being responsible. The question how much does cremation cost comes up because families need a plan they can afford. Funeral.com’s guide How Much Does Cremation Cost in the U.S.? breaks down typical pricing and common fees in a way that helps you compare quotes without feeling pressured. If you’re planning a service alongside cremation, you may also find clarity in How to Plan a Funeral in 7 Steps or How to Preplan a Funeral, especially if you’re trying to protect your family from last-minute decisions later.

The thread tying all of this together is simple: travel is a moment in time, but memorial choices live with you. If you build a plan that includes the right container for the flight, the right memorial for home, and the right sharing or jewelry option for family members, you can turn a stressful travel day into one step of a thoughtful funeral planning process.

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