Prompt Cast
The History and Meaning Behind Airport Codes
TLDR Airport codes have a long history, dating back to the telegraph era, and were initially used by the United States National Weather Service. The IATA now assigns three-letter codes to airports worldwide, with different categories including codes based on city names, weather service codes, and area or multiple city codes.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Airport codes, like LAX and IAD, have a history that dates back to the telegraph era and were initially used by the United States National Weather Service to transmit weather reports.
01:43
When commercial aviation developed, pilots began using National Weather Service codes to identify cities, but there were limitations, so a three-letter system was developed and codified by the IATA, who now assigns three-letter codes to airports worldwide.
03:08
The IATA airport codes, which are the ones most people are familiar with, fall into different categories, including codes that are derived from the first three letters of the city name, codes that are adapted from the old National Weather Service codes by adding an "X" at the end, and codes that are based on the area or multiple cities.
04:33
Some airport codes are named after the closest town or a nearby city, while others are named after the airport itself or its previous name.
06:04
Some airport codes are named after aviation pioneers or historical figures, while others are used for entire cities or regions, and there are also codes that seem to make no sense at first glance but have a reason behind their naming conventions.
07:39
Canadian airport codes start with the letter Y because it indicates that the airport has a weather station, while the letter W is used if there is no weather station, and the YZ in Toronto's code YYZ is derived from the two-letter code of a telegraph station used by the Canadian National Railway.
09:10
Canadian airport codes start with the letter Y because it indicates that the airport has a weather station, while the letters K, N, and W are avoided to prevent confusion with North American radio stations and U.S. naval bases.
