After check-in, you will see your suitcase go off on a conveyor belt. Depending on the airport, they will often go off to the sorting office, where either robots or staff will sort them to go off to the right plane, or alternatively be sorted and stored ready for your flight at a later time.

Once you drop your bag at the counter or a self-service kiosk, it begins a high-speed journey through the Baggage Handling System (BHS). First, the barcode on your tag is scanned by a 360-degree laser array to determine its destination. The bag then passes through a sophisticated security screening zone, usually involving multi-view X-ray or CT scanners that can detect explosives without the bag being opened. If the machine flags a "suspicious" item (like a dense block of chocolate or an oversized battery), it is diverted to a human TSA or security officer for a manual inspection. After clearing security, the bag is automatically sorted onto a "tilt-tray" or "destination-coded vehicle" (DCV) that carries it to the specific "pier" or "make-up area" for your flight. There, ground handlers manually load the bags into large metal containers called ULDs (Unit Load Devices) or directly into the "bulk" hold of the aircraft. In 2026, many airports use RFID-enabled tags, allowing you to track your bag's progress in real-time through the airline's app as it moves from the belt to the plane.