Flying From Boston or Manchester Soon? Here’s Where Your Luggage Goes

Going on a flight soon?  That's exciting.  Make sure your checked bag is all set, because you won't believe what happens after you drop off your bag.

Don't worry. It's nothing bad, but it sure is an interesting journey for your bag.  If you carry one of the expensive suitcases, your bag gets treated exactly the same as a Walmart special.

However, if you are flying business or first class, your bags will be tagged as "priority" and should be first off the plane.  Not all airlines comply with this, but most do.  This does not guarantee your bag will be first off, because mistakes can be made. But it often is, and that's part of the higher fee for the ticket.

The trek your bag takes is an interesting one, as it's sorted behind the scenes and brought out to the plane to be put in the baggage hold compartment.  Do you wonder what that looks like?

It's fascinating.  There's a ramp agent inside the cargo hold of the plane.  A sliding roller is spread inside the compartment so the luggage can move quickly all the way to the back.

As the bags are put into the plane, they slide towards the back as the agent stacks them in rows two or three bags high.

As you can imagine, the agent has to be physically fit and use knee pads.  On larger aircraft, the airline may have bins they use to load the bags into the hold area.

It also depends on the weight of the bag in how they stack them. It's one great big game of 'Tetris' to get all the bags to fit, then they add nets so the bags don't fly around on a quick pilot brake on landing.

Both Logan International Airport and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport have many different carriers with their own way of handling bags, but check out this example video to see for yourself.  Buon Voyage.