After you check in your bag at an airport, it goes through a series of steps in the baggage handling process:
- Bag Drop: You hand over your checked bag to the airline at the check-in counter or self-service kiosk.
- Bag Tagging: The airline staff attaches a unique barcode or RFID tag to your bag, which is scanned to associate it with your flight.
- Conveyor Belt: Your bag is placed on a conveyor belt and transported to the sorting area.
- Security Screening: Bags may go through security screening, where they are scanned for prohibited items.
- Sorting and Routing: Bags are sorted based on their destination and flight, and they’re sent to the appropriate conveyor belts or carts.
- Loading: Your bag is loaded onto the aircraft before takeoff. It’s stored in the cargo hold or, on smaller aircraft, in a dedicated compartment.
- Unloading: Upon arrival at your destination, your bag is unloaded from the plane.
- Conveyor Belts: The bag travels through the airport’s baggage handling system to reach the baggage claim area.
- Baggage Claim: You collect your bag from the baggage carousel at the airport’s baggage claim area.
It’s important to keep the baggage claim ticket given to you during check-in, as it contains a unique identifier for your bag. This helps you and the airline staff track and locate your bag in case it gets lost or misplaced during the journey.
Gareth Edwards
Gareth is one of the founders and owners of final approach. Gareth covers many of the airports across the North west including Manchester, Liverpool & Hawarden. Gareth is the main designer of the website.
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