Originally Posted by
cheltzel
Do the handwritten tags have the same support as the automated tags with the bard code and machine readable location sorts?
The bar code on the tag whether automated or handwritten is basically just the tag number itself. There is no "fancy" information encoded into the bar code. If a manual tag is issued, it relies on the agent to enter the tag number into the system. As for baggage sorting at various airports it depends how well integrated their baggage handling system is with each of the departure control systems used by the airlines.
When a bar code is scanned, a lookup of the tag number is done in the database to retrieve the routing information.