Baggage handling system for an airport, comprising - a sorting conveyor system for transporting baggage pieces to sorting targets on conveyor routes with switch points able to be set in different conveying directions, which has a superordinate control system and control units assigned to the switch points, - a departure processing system for checking in a baggage piece for a flight, which is embodied to accept baggage piece attributes assigned to the baggage piece, comprising an airline code, a flight number, a travel class and an itinerary and to issue an item of identification data assigned to the baggage piece and transfer it to a tag element to be linked to the baggage piece, - a baggage notification system, which is embodied, for a baggage piece to be transported, to form a baggage piece notification from the assigned item of identification data and the assigned baggage piece attributes and transmit it to the control system, - wherein the control system is embodied to provide a notification list of transmitted baggage piece notifications and a sorting plan with identification data-sorting target assignments and to predetermine route tables with sorting target-conveying direction assignments for the switch points, - and wherein each of the control units is embodied, on the basis of an item of identification data of a baggage piece detected upstream of the switch, to request its sorting target from the control system and, on the basis of the predetermined routing table, to set the conveyor direction assigned to the sorting target, characterised - by an auxiliary handling system which is embodied to accept the baggage piece attributes entered and the item of identification data issued by the departure processing system during notification of a baggage piece and to form the baggage piece message from them and transfer it to the control system and to emulate the sorting plan provided by the control system, - and in that each of the control units is embodied, on the basis of the item of identification data of a baggage piece recorded upstream of the switch point, to request its sorting target as an alternative from the auxiliary handling system. - a sorting conveyor system for transporting baggage pieces to sorting targets on conveyor routes with switch points able to be set in different conveying directions, which has a superordinate control system and control units assigned to the switch points, - a departure processing system for checking in a baggage piece for a flight, which is embodied to accept baggage piece attributes assigned to the baggage piece, comprising an airline code, a flight number, a travel class and an itinerary and to issue an item of identification data assigned to the baggage piece and transfer it to a tag element to be linked to the baggage piece, - a baggage notification system, which is embodied, for a baggage piece to be transported, to form a baggage piece notification from the assigned item of identification data and the assigned baggage piece attributes and transmit it to the control system, - wherein the control system is embodied to provide a notification list of transmitted baggage piece notifications and a sorting plan with identification data-sorting target assignments and to predetermine route tables with sorting target-conveying direction assignments for the switch points, - and wherein each of the control units is embodied, on the basis of an item of identification data of a baggage piece detected upstream of the switch, to request its sorting target from the control system and, on the basis of the predetermined routing table, to set the conveyor direction assigned to the sorting target, - by an auxiliary handling system which is embodied to accept the baggage piece attributes entered and the item of identification data issued by the departure processing system during notification of a baggage piece and to form the baggage piece message from them and transfer it to the control system and to emulate the sorting plan provided by the control system, - and in that each of the control units is embodied, on the basis of the item of identification data of a baggage piece recorded upstream of the switch point, to request its sorting target as an alternative from the auxiliary handling system.