We all know about abbreviations for airports we are familiar with, but as my research points out, “Airport Codes” can be a different reference altogether. If you are an employee of this industry, you will understand.
There is so much information available on “Airport Codes“, but not so much on how this all got started, and what the codes mean, etc. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Airport Code on Ask.com Encyclopedia is where I began to find what I was looking for. It referred me to another site, www.skygod.com, and the article, “Airport Codes: The ABC’s A History and Explanation”, published and maintained by the, Journal of the Air Line Pilots Association. These pilots decided in 1994 that this “Airline Code Identifier” system was so confusing they wanted to write and update a journal so that employees and travelers alike would be able to make sense of these codes.
The (IATA) is responsible for assigning the airport code to all airports. They take into consideration a number of factors such as history, famous people, locations, as well as ruling on special requests. One such famous property is located in Nags head, N.C., Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers first flight in 1903. That property has been purchased by the U.S. National Park Service and has maintained a tiny airport on this very spot known as First Flight Airport (FFA), is the code simple but very appropriate. This also stands for the abbreviation of the FFA Airport.
Airports around the world are known by their “Location Identifier”. These codes are known in the industry as, “aviation speak”. Pilots, controllers, travel agents, frequent flyers, computers, and baggage handlers all agree that it is much easier. Take for example the code, ORD = O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Ill. I understand why some sort of code had to be created. The air travel industry has exploded. But, some of the codes are self-explanatory and easy to remember, and many make no sense at all.
The National Weather Station used a two letter code system which was adopted by early airlines, and in order to ease the transition to the three letter code, existing airports simply added an X to that code to identify weather stations. For example, Los Angeles became LAX; Portland became PDX, and so on. Many airport codes are identified by the first three letters in the name, as in ATL = Atlanta, SIN = Singapore. The first letters in the code for multiple cities, as in DFW = Dallas and Fort Worth. If you know what a code represents, it becomes obvious such as MSY is the former Moissan Stock Yards in New Orleans, CMH is Columbus Municipal Hangar, and BWI is Baltimore Washington International. Some special interests groups have lobbied the government to obtain special letters. The Navy saved all the new “N” codes.
Location Identifiers have grown in complexity. Identifiers come in the form of a combination of letters and numbers. Computer reservation systems and flight management systems coding are the latest. Bar code systems are the used for automated luggage. Some codes are just for fun as in, BORED, BUILT, and BUTCH.
I’ve left you wondering about O’Hare International. The story behind this coding is a tribute to, Pilot Lt. Cmdr. Edward “Butch” O’Hare, USN, and a quiet airstrip NW of Chicago with a quaint, peaceful name – Orchard Field, thus ORD.
