halifax man nearly blocked from flying with his dog's ashes reveals little-known airport security rule
8 minute read
vincent masse displays the tattoo of his late dog, balthazar, in his halifax home on tuesday. a specialized tattoo artist in winnipeg used ink that included some of balthazar's ashes, but only after masse faced several hurdles trying to get the cremated remains and the box that contained them through airport security.
tim krochak
/
the chronicle herald
when vincent masse’s beloved dachshund died, he wanted to find a meaningful way to honour him.
the halifax man explored all sorts of options like having the ashes turned into a memorial stone but eventually settled on something even more unique. he found a tattoo artist in winnipeg whose specialty is mixing some of a departed loved one’s ashes into the ink before creating a personalized piece of body art.
after deciding this was the perfect way to pay tribute to balthazar, masse booked his flight and prepared himself for the emotional trip. the only problem is he then faced monumental obstacles trying to get on the plane with the cremated remains in his carry-on luggage.
“i assumed that the process was that (airport security) would see the ashes and then examine them manually, and then when they see what it is they would confirm that it’s not explosive and then they would let me go through,” he said.
“but to my surprise, i was told, ‘no, there’s a specific protocol, and it has to go on its own through the (ct x-ray scanner) machine.’ i thought this was a bit weird because they had already spotted it and could examine it.
“i offered to open it and do the usual detection (process) but they said, ‘no, it has to go through the machine on its own.’ so they put it on a tray and put the box through, but then the machine blocked it. i asked, ‘what does that mean?’ they said . . . that means you cannot fly with it.”
once again assuming there must be a sensible path to a solution, masse then met with security supervisors for a more detailed explanation and to explore his options. their first suggestion was to put balthazar’s ashes in his checked bag, but masse wasn’t comfortable with that idea.
vincent masse holds the box containing the ashes of his late dog, balthazar, at his halifax home on tuesday.
tim krochak
/
the chronicle herald
“i’ve travelled quite a lot, and the basic rule that i learned 25 years ago is that you never check in anything that is precious,” he said.
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“i mean, i’ve never actually had an airline that lost my luggage entirely, but i have had delays of, like, two weeks. or once my bag came back completely drenched in water. things happen, and i wasn’t comfortable putting it through check-in, so i refused.
“then i tried to find some sort of arrangement in which one of the stewardesses would bring it on board in the cabin, so it would be in the cabin but just not in my possession, but they couldn’t do that.”
no one could overrule the security scanner
with those options off the table, masse then looped in the westjet customer service staff for even more brainstorming. his original boarding pass had already been automatically invalidated because it was linked to the failed clearance, so that created an irreversible ruling that he could not fly with that ticket.
another difficult wrinkle was that masse was told there’s no way for a human in security services to override the scanner’s decision.
“at that point it was very emotional for me and i broke down and i cried because my plans were down the (drain),” masse said.
“anyway, the woman with westjet was very nice and she offered me a ticket on the next flight. i don’t remember if it was going to cost me money to change but i said, ‘we haven’t solved the issue of the ashes. i’ll just be blocked later, so what’s the point?’
“so she offered a credit instead . . . minus the fees so i got (about $200) back.”
vincent masse’s favourite photograph of his late dog, balthazar, is seen next to a box containing his ashes on the fireplace mantle of his halifax home on tuesday.
tim krochak
/
the chronicle herald
masse lost $114 through the refund process, and the price for a ticket on the next suitable flight was $1018, significantly more than the $325 he paid in the first place. plus, he was still no farther ahead with his situation.
an expensive gamble with the ‘smallest ziploc’ bag
he then reached out to the tattoo artist, kerri parnell of cremation tattoos, with the hope the nova scotia college of art and design graduate might know of other workarounds because of her extensive experience with these types of situations.
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she suggested reducing the amount of ashes he wanted to transport because she only needed a small sample to mix with the ink. she also mentioned bringing them in a sealed plastic bag because that often works better in the scanning process.
parnell and masse understood those measures wouldn’t guarantee anything, but at least it would improve his chances of succeeding in the scanning phase.
“so i went ahead and paid the extra ($804) for the same flight the next afternoon and then i went to the superstore and tried to find the smallest ziploc they had, which was the snack-sized ziploc, and i put some of the ashes in it,” said masse, who lost a total of $918 through the ordeal.
“i showed up to the airport with my ziploc, and when i got to security i called the supervisor over to tell them i was flagged yesterday because of ashes and that i couldn’t fly but i’m trying again today.”
masse then described how supportive the security employees at the halifax stanfield international airport were as he took another shot at getting clearance.
catsa agents use cutting-edge catsa plus computed tomography x-ray equipment at the passenger screening area in the domestic terminal in the vancouver international airport in january 2025.
rich lam
/
postmedia
“the woman in charge that day had been briefed by the assistant so she knew the story . . . and she confirmed that basically if the ashes are flagged by the system, there’s nothing a human can do. you can’t fly with that,” said masse.
“while the ziploc was passing through the machine, she was on the other side and she was crossing her fingers. i sort of like this image . . . because they knew i wasn’t smuggling drugs or explosives or anything. they just knew the issue was whether the machine would let me go through or not, and they were trying to help me with the system.
“the end of the story is that, yes, it passed and i was very happy that i was able to fly.”
strict protocols in place for screening cremated remains
anna maddison, a spokesperson for the canadian air transport security authority, offered the following input on the situation.
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“we understand how difficult it is to lose a loved one, and how important it may be to keep them close during travel,” she wrote in an email. “although passengers may wish to bring cremated remains on the plane with them, cremated remains are a dense material that can be difficult to screen.
“to be permitted on board the plane, all items brought through screening must meet security requirements, in strict accordance with regulations set by transport canada, catsa’s regulator.
“cremation container alarms may not be resolvable during screening, which could result in cremated remains not being permitted past the checkpoint. to help avoid distress at pre-board screening, catsa recommends that passengers consider alternative transportation methods, such as cargo air services. additional information for passengers about travelling with cremated remains can be found online: cremated remains – catsa.
“for security reasons, catsa does not disclose specific screening procedures, operational details, or data specific to alarms.”
vincent masse holds the box containing the ashes of his late dog, balthazar, in his halifax home on tuesday.
tim krochak
/
the chronicle herald
masse appreciates the need for rules and safety measures with air travel but wonders if the moral of the story is that sometimes there is no substitute for humanity in some real-world situations.
“i worry that now, because of those new machines, it’s no longer feasible to fly with ashes,” he said.
“that’s why i thought that the story was important. it’s not that some weird guy wanted a tattoo of his dog and was flagged at security, it’s that a lot of people travel with ashes. my case was exceptional because the amount of ashes i was travelling with was so little. if the ashes of my little seven-kilo dog cannot pass the security, that means (ashes from) a human probably can’t.
“i’m lucky. i wanted it for a tattoo, so i only needed a small amount, but the loophole that i found with the ziploc would not work for someone who would want to bring grandpa’s ashes from b.c., or something like that.”
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tattoo of balthazar above masse’s heart
masse reports that other parts of his story had a happy ending. he is thrilled with the tattoo of balthazar, which is on the left side of his chest directly above his heart. he also built in a stop in montreal on his return from winnipeg to pick up a new puppy.
vincent masse displays the tattoo of his late dog, balthazar, in his halifax home on tuesday.
tim krochak
/
chronicle herald
“i named him melchior,” said masse, an associate professor of french and history at dalhousie university.
“balthazar was a name that i liked, but it also happened to be the name of one of the three wise men. melchior is the name of one of the others. gaspar is the third wise man from the bible, so i liked that.”
what catsa recommends
the posted regulations from the catsa website expanded on maddison’s response with regard to what travellers can expect when flying with the ashes of loved ones.
“smaller amounts of cremated remains (less than 350 ml) are more likely to be successfully screened, depending on the type of container used,” read the regulations.
“use a container made of materials less likely to trigger alarms, such as plastic, cardboard, cloth, or wood. it must pass security screening. documentation from a funeral home does not currently replace this requirement. screening officers are not permitted to open a cremation container. some airlines do not allow cremated remains in checked baggage, so please check with your airline first to learn about possible restrictions. if the death took place outside of canada, consult the global affairs canada death abroad page for more information.
“before heading to the airport, ask your funeral director about temporary containers for air transportation purposes. these containers are more likely to pass through security. you can also bring your empty permanent container with you and arrange for a funeral home at your destination to transfer the container contents.
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“most likely to be permitted: plastic, cardboard, cloth, wood. least likely to be permitted: metal, stone, ceramic. due to differences in thickness, shape and material, some cremation containers are more likely to pass through security screening.
“if your container does not pass pre-board screening for carry-on baggage, you may: leave the container with a friend or family member who is not travelling and still at the airport; ask your airline representative if the container can be placed in your checked baggage, if applicable; or ship the container via mail or cargo. please keep in mind that shipping options vary at airports.
“cremation container and documentation requirements when travelling can vary, depending on your destination. if you are travelling internationally, we suggest you contact the embassy for the country of your destination before you fly to determine their specific requirements concerning the transport of cremated remains.”
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