This invention presents a method for streamlining both the luggage handling and check-in processes for passengers traveling with a first-mode travel carrier (FMTC). The process involves obtaining the identifier of a paper bag tag (BT) from the FMTC on a passenger's luggage, converting it into digital data, and linking it to the FMTC. The passenger's bag number is extracted from the digital data, and additional passenger data such as the passenger name record (PNR) is accessed from the FMTC using this number. The method then autonomously generates a passenger manifest record, combining the digital bag tag data with the PNR, to facilitate check-in for the return leg of the journey with a return travel carrier (RTC). This process is repeated for multiple passengers associated with a lodging entity, creating passenger manifest files that serve as a conduit for checking in passengers with the RTC.