Well, I remember that they wanted a case that had no identifying marks that it was a weapon. Other than that, a cheap plastic foam lined case with holes for padlocks did the job. Those are inspected, locked by TSA, then loaded on the plane. When you pick 'em up, it will be from a security office and not that carousel. I also seem to remember that the case had to be a certain size. I bring this up because you mention a handgun. If you put it in a small case, you may want to put that in a bigger cheaper case. You also should call your airline in advance because they have a say in this too, and some just don't do it. They can also tell you more too.