What to do with the small barcode stickers?

Luggage tags, printed at self-service check-ins, typically come with a set of three small barcode stickers at one end. What am I supposed to do with them?

Peel them off and place them around the bag?
Leave them where they are?

Does it matter whether I am dropping the bag off at a manned counter, or at an unmanned self-service drop-off point (for example at Stockholm ARN, terminal 5)?

I have always done (1), trying to put them so as to optimize barcode visibility from all angles, but I recently handed in a bag at a manned counter where the person taking it told me that because the stickers were "missing" (i.e, no longer on the piece of paper looped around the bag handle), he had to print a new tag to replace the one I had.

(If this is location dependent, I have observed these tags at least in Stockholm (ARN), London (LHR), Manchester (MAN) and Edinburgh (EDI).)

air-travel luggage

Best Answer

Long ago, when a check-in desk agent used to weigh and put the large tag on your suitcase, those little barcodes were separated and stuck on your case in various places. I presume this was to serve the baggage handling system in the event the main tag came off.

Only a few weeks ago, I flew BA from Heathrow (short haul to France) and used the automated bag drop. I asked the attendant what to do with the little barcodes. She said "Do nothing. We don't use them any more". Of course things may vary at other airports.

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What do barcode stickers do?

A barcode sticker is a label you can print that includes a unique, machine-readable code. The code can be linked to your website, product, or service. It's used to identify your business and products.

How do I print small barcode labels?

Print by reading barcodes you wish to copy

Connect a barcode scanner to a USB host connector of the printer.

Select a template number.

Scan the barcode to copy.

Scan the print start command (^FF) barcode to start printing. (It is recommended to print the print start command (^FF) label in advance.)

How do I scan a barcode and print labels?

What is a shipping barcode? A shipping barcode is the unique machine-readable pattern of parallel lines of varying widths, printed on a shipping label to identify a shipment. The shipping barcode is scanned at each phase of the delivery until it reaches the customer's shipping destination.

How to Print Barcode Labels and Price Tags | Monika Rose, Online Boutique Boss

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Images: Ketut Subiyanto, Helena Lopes, Nurlan Tortbayev, Charles Parker