The actual reason for the label handoff denotes transfer of control.
This is what I find particularly interesting about this discussion. In the US, unless there is an agreement between the facilities that allows for the receiving controller to control the aircraft upon which he or she has just accepted the handoff, or the transferring controller says “your control,” accepting a handoff does not give the receiving controller the right to alter heading, route, speed, altitude, or beacon code until that aircraft is in the receiving controller’s airspace. In fact, I can’t turn the aircraft until it’s 1.5 miles inside my airspace because I have to protect the boundary between my airspace that of the adjacent controller (1.5 miles if the target is less than 40 miles from my antenna, or 2.5 miles when it’s 40 or more miles from my antenna. Your mileage may vary depending upon automation, radar/nonradar, and inter-facility agreements/coordination.).
However, in short, here’s how it works (and note that this is plain-vanilla—this can generally be altered by agreement or coordination):
1. The transferring controller initiates an automated handoff to me.
2. I see the data block of that aircraft flashing as the target approaches the airspace boundary. If there is an inter-facility agreement to do so, the aircraft will be on a particular routing, altitude, speed, etc.
3. I have to accept the target prior to it reaching a point 1.5 miles from my airspace boundary. If it starts to get close and I haven’t accepted the handoff, the transferring controller will give me a shout on the coordination line. If I don’t answer or I don’t take the handoff or at least verbally approve the aircraft entering my airspace, then the transferring controller has to vector the aircraft away from my airspace, respecting the prescribed distance from the airspace boundary.
4. I accept the handoff using automation (varies, but generally I would mouse over to the target and click on the target symbol. The data block stops flashing and the target symbol changes to my symbol. The data block then flashes on the transferring controller’s display, letting him know that I’ve accepted the handoff and that he can now transfer coms.
5. Only after I accept the handoff does the transferring controller advise the aircraft to change to my frequency.
6. As I accept the handoff, I may call the transferring controller and “request control” of the aircraft. If approved, I may fully control the aircraft before it reaches my airspace.
7. If I have not requested control, I may turn/descend/etc the aircraft after it is 1.5 miles inside of my airspace.
Note that it’s never “just the label.” When I accept the handoff I expect to be talking to that aircraft very soon thereafter. I would never accept a handoff on an aircraft 80 miles from my airspace boundary because I can’t control him out there anyway (hell, I can't even see him out there, so the point is moot), and I know of no facilities in the US that would try to hand off an aircraft at that distance because the aircraft would still be in their airspace and be their responsibility , but would be talking to me. Very uncool.
I would guess that better than 99% of the handoffs that I initiate or receive are done through automation and do not include any voice contact between the sectors.
Hope that makes sense.
Dave