Go Behind the Scenes of Your Luggage’s Journey to the Airplane

Travelers may be more inclined to bring their bags on board the plane with them due to seemingly exorbitant bag-checking fees, and there’s always the fear that the airline might lose your stuff. But a recent Smithsonian Channel video might convince travelers to trust the system.

The video shows how passengers’ bags (usually, mostly) land on the right plane and finally, back to their owners at the end of the trip.

The magic begins with an airline employee strapping the unique tag to your luggage, and then viewers can follow it on a Rube Goldberg-worthy system of wheels and conveyor belts that travel within the entrails of the airport, before eventually ending with a luggage handler who will chuck your suitcase onto (hopefully) the correct plane. It’s a fascinating system that makes checking a bag almost seem foolproof. Except, of course, when it isn’t.

Watch below.