BILLINGS — Montana is one of the few states that does not have the capacity to transport human remains out of the state by commercial plane.
According to the Montana Funeral Association, it is one of the biggest problems they face. It's something one of the association's members and the funeral director of Stevenson & Sons of Miles City, Tj Stevenson, has been dealing with for several years.
“Billings does not accept human remains to be shipped out of Billings right now, so we're driving to Denver, which is about 510 miles, versus being able to go to Billings, which is 140-ish," said Stevenson.
This problem came to light after the recent death of a Swiss national, 70-year-old Martin Hans Peter, in Montana. He was killed while riding his motorcycle south of Belfry when another driver allegedly ran him off the road.
Due to the added travel time and employees needed to make that journey, the burden of cost falls on the family of the deceased.
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“Round-trip four hours versus two days and with mileage and gas, it's easily $1,000 difference by having to go all the way to Denver," said Stevenson.
Several years ago, remains could be brought to the airport during certain times of the year and depending on aircraft size. But in the last few years, they have not been shipped out.
Stevenson is not alone in this problem. Funeral homes in eastern Montana usually have to transport remains to Fargo, N.D., or Denver, and those on the western side have to drive as far as Salt Lake City or Seattle. Private planes can be used to transport, but the cost becomes significantly higher.
For Billings Logan International Airport, Delta is the only airline carrier with the capacity to transport human remains. According to the airport's director, Jeff Roach, the airport cannot transport human remains due to a lack of trained personnel and infrastructure. While remains cannot be flown out, they can be brought in by plane.
“When human remains come inbound, it's much easier for them to have somebody arranged to pick those up. Whereas outbound, they need to have a place where they can safely hold the human remains until the flight departs," said Roach.
Airplane size is also a problem as smaller aircraft are not adequate for human remains.
“It really needs to be on a mainline aircraft like a 737 or an A320 that has the cargo space in order to actually facilitate that. That's a part of that whole equation that the air carriers also have to take into consideration," said Roach.
Currently, the airport regularly accepts remains that are brought into the state and has made arrangements for escorting them off the plane.
“We've facilitated a number of times where military honors groups or veterans groups or funeral directors, we've provided escort to the aircraft so that they can transport the human remains that have come inbound," said Roach.
Roach is hoping the airport can come to a resolution with both the carriers and funeral directors. The airport would need to build a place to store the human remains, but have not gotten feedback from the carriers what that should look like.
“We're willing to work with the Funeral Directors Association with the air carriers to provide space or to assist them in any way that we can, but we just need to know what their needs are and then we would be able to find a way to help them," said Roach.
The association has brought concerns to both the state and the federal government. They still feel like there is a long way to go for a solution.
"Funerals are expensive and everything adds up. It's like, here we have an airport that's 140 miles away. It's just a shame we can't utilize it when we need it for those families,” said Stevenson.
