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Luggage at airports can travel over five miles on conveyor belts even if the passenger only has to walk one quarter mile from the ticketing area to the gate. With tags that are barcoded, most of the sorting of checked baggage is done by machines until the point where a luggage handler loads the bags onto the airplane.

When you check your luggage at the ticket counter, a security screening is conducted. Between 150 and 400 checked bags weighing about 40 pounds each are traveling with each airline flight. Whereas fewer checked bags appear to be the trend on short flights, international flights indicate a longer trip that often requires passengers to travel with more clothing or specialized gear.

Airline counter staff places the bags on a belt near the ticketing area, then the luggage travels on a highway-like system of conveyor belts. There are many intersections– like freeway exit ramps –where a barcode reader makes a decision as to which flight number the baggage belongs. At the end of the conveyor system, a giant bin catches the luggage as it is deposited with other bags for the designated flight and gate number. Inside the baggage sorting area of the terminal, sometimes groups of baggage must be rerouted when a plane is rerouted. A tilted conveyor belt typically pulls luggage directly into the cargo bay of the airplane. Human labor is used to pull bags from a luggage truck onto this final conveyor belt. As the bags arrive on the airplane, a flight crew member may help to push the bags into the cargo area. If the barcoded tag gets removed from a bag then the passenger lists must be checked in order to reunite the bag with its owner. Last minute flight changes and weather delays can confuse even the most efficient computer system. However, the vast majority of checked baggage travels an automated route from ticketing to tarmac with minimal complications.

Luggage at airports can travel over five miles on conveyor belts even if the passenger only has to walk one quarter mile from the ticketing area to the gate. With tags that are barcoded, most of the sorting of checked baggage is done by machines until the point where a luggage handler loads the bags onto the airplane.

When you check your luggage at the ticket counter, a security screening is conducted. Between 150 and 400 checked bags weighing about 40 pounds each are traveling with each airline flight. Whereas fewer checked bags appear to be the trend on short flights, international flights indicate a longer trip that often requires passengers to travel with more clothing or specialized gear.

Airline counter staff places the bags on a belt near the ticketing area, then the luggage travels on a highway-like system of conveyor belts. There are many intersections– like freeway exit ramps –where a barcode reader makes a decision as to which flight number the baggage belongs. At the end of the conveyor system, a giant bin catches the luggage as it is deposited with other bags for the designated flight and gate number. Inside the baggage sorting area of the terminal, sometimes groups of baggage must be rerouted when a plane is rerouted. A tilted conveyor belt typically pulls luggage directly into the cargo bay of the airplane. Human labor is used to pull bags from a luggage truck onto this final conveyor belt. As the bags arrive on the airplane, a flight crew member may help to push the bags into the cargo area. If the barcoded tag gets removed from a bag then the passenger lists must be checked in order to reunite the bag with its owner. Last minute flight changes and weather delays can confuse even the most efficient computer system. However, the vast majority of checked baggage travels an automated route from ticketing to tarmac with minimal complications.