Airport Codes Make Sense?

dublinderm


Joined: 26/09/2009
Posts: 538

Message Posted:
12/02/2010 12:02

Maybe it’s time the international aviation authorities introduced these for airport codes. At present, the three-letter alphabetical codes, featured on everything from boarding passes to luggage tags, are a mishmash. They range from the obvious (DUB for Dublin), to the less obvious (LGW for London Gatwick), to the downright obscure (ORD for O’Hare, Chicago).



Some are plain unfortunate. For every public relations winner in the code lottery (the small English airport at Farnborough is FAB, for example), there are losers. Spare a thought for Pittsburgh (PIT), Fresno (FAT), the Russian city of Perm (PEE), and Pusan, South Korea (PUS). Or even for Ile Ouen, New Caledonia: imagine having to collect landing fees for an airport code-named IOU.



contd...

dublinderm


Joined: 26/09/2009
Posts: 538

Message Posted:
12/02/2010 12:04

However obvious, the common practice of using of the first three letters of a city’s name for its airport code can look all wrong when printed large on luggage labels. Japan’s Fukuoka, India’s Cochin, and Cumana in Venezuela could all benefit from numerical substitutes. And so, at least for nervous flyers, could Bodo in Norway (BOO), or Sweden’s Angelhoch/ Helsingborg airport (AGH).



Airport codes can be a genuine source of municipal embarrassment. Witness Sioux City, Iowa, whose airport code is SUX. Locals tried to change it some years ago. But SAX, SIX, SOX, and even SEX (Sembach in Germany) were all taken. So the US Federal Aviation Authority offere several alternatives, including one formed by a contraction of the middle word in the title “Sioux Gateway Airport”.



contd...

dublinderm


Joined: 26/09/2009
Posts: 538

Message Posted:
12/02/2010 12:05

Inexplicably, the city opted against recoding its airport GAY. It stuck instead with the original, attempting to turn a public relations embarrassment into a triumph by such stunts as the city mayor wearing a T-shirt with the slogan: “Fly SUX”.



But we have an example much nearer to home too. By the normal logic, Cork Airport should be code-named COR. Unfortunately, COR was already taken (by Cordoba, Argentina). So the airport of Ireland’s “real capital” is ORK, instead. Which is not the worst thing, unless you remember the 1980s sitcom Mork and Mindy, in which Ork was the home planet of an alien played by Robin Williams.



A weirdly amusing species, Orkans were descended from chickens, drank through their fingers, and (if male) laid eggs. They also greeted each other with the catchphrase “Nanoo-nanoo”. And yes, some people might say that Cork’s eccentric airport code is entirely suited to its colourful natives.

ianwfs


Joined: 08/01/2008
Posts: 563

Message Posted:
12/02/2010 12:12

Ther is a certain amount of logic in allocating IATA codes, though I can't quite remember what it was. Perhaps the most logical to the industry, but not to customers, is Canada. ICAO has a country code of CY for Canada. Airports have a two letter code. Toronto YZ and Vancouver VR. So the full codes for those cities when ising ICAO coding is CYYZ and CYVR.

When IATA were designating the three letter codes, they simply knocked of the C, so the three letter codes became YYZ and YVR.

Using the same system, Gatwick would have become GKK and Heathrow GLL

Geoff


Joined: 25/06/2008
Posts: 1370

Message Posted:
12/02/2010 12:12

So why isn't Ercan NIC??

Geoff

magalan


Joined: 17/01/2009
Posts: 227

Message Posted:
12/02/2010 12:42

Los Angeles - code LAX - so if you're flying out from there, you're a passenger ex-LAX...............................

dublinderm


Joined: 26/09/2009
Posts: 538

Message Posted:
12/02/2010 12:46

NIC is Nicosia International Airport. That is the one 'temporarily' out of service since July 1974.



The GCs call Ercan airport Tymbou. What will happen to the three letter code if there is a solution to the Cyprus Problem??



And another thing... I was brought up calling certain cities PEKING and BOMBAY. Now we are told they are BEIJING and MUMBAI, but their airport codes are PEK and BOM! Confusing or what?



DD