Baggage sorting happens in specialized areas of the airport, usually on the airside (secure side) just after screening. After your bag passes the X-ray or CT, it is routed to a sortation system. Many airports have automated sorters: imagine a big network of conveyor belts and diverters. When the bag’s barcode is read (by a scanner in the line), the system activates the correct conveyor path.
In small airports, sorting might be manual: agents read tags and place bags onto carts for each flight. In big hubs, sorting is highly automated. Modern sorters can use license plate numbers (the encoded number on the tag) to handle thousands of bags an hour. There may be different levels of sorting:
- Primary sort: sending bags to basic zones by airline or large flight blocks.
- Secondary sort: at the baggage make-up area near each gate, where bags are loaded onto containers or ULDs (air cargo pallets) for specific flights.
For example, baggage might first be grouped by airline (if the airport handles multiple carriers on one system), then further sorted by flight number at the gate build-up area.
Some innovative airports even use robots or lifts to move bags between levels. Advanced systems can reverse-sort if a flight schedule changes. The key is the security-restricted area: sorting is done behind security screens so that bags never mingle with public areas.
Occasionally, if a bag’s tag isn’t read properly at first, it goes into a manual resolution area. There, staff looks up the tag number in a computer and puts the bag on the right chute. This prevents lost or incorrectly routed bags.
In summary, sorting takes place in the airport’s baggage handling system, in secure zones. It may be fully automatic with high-speed conveyors, or a mix of machines and hand-sorting, depending on the airport’s size and technology.
