Prompt Cast
The Logic Behind Airport Codes: A Brief History
TLDR Airport codes have a long history, starting with two-letter codes created by the United States National Weather Service for weather reports. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) assigns three-letter codes for commercial flights, while the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assigns four-letter codes for official purposes. Airport codes are often based on historical names, significant figures, or location, and some codes have unique origins like Canadian codes starting with Y to indicate weather stations.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Airport codes are three-letter identifiers for commercial airports around the world, and this episode explores the logic behind them.
01:55
The history of airport codes dates back to before airplanes were even invented, with the United States National Weather Service creating two-letter codes for American cities to facilitate weather reports via telegraph.
03:28
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) assigns three-letter codes to airports with regular commercial flights, while the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assigns four-letter codes for official purposes.
05:07
Airport codes are often adapted from original two-letter codes, with the letter X added to the end, and while some codes are based on the location or multiple cities, others are named after the airport itself.
06:49
Airport codes are often based on historical names or significant figures associated with the airport, such as O'Hare Airport being coded as ORD after its old name Orchard Field, Orlando's airport being coded as MCO after McCoy Air Force Base, and Kahului Airport in Maui being coded as OGG after Bertrand Jimmy Hogg.
08:40
Canadian airport codes often start with the letter Y because it indicated that the airport had a weather station, while the letter W indicated no weather station, and the other two letters in the code, such as YYZ for Toronto, were derived from telegraph station codes that were unrelated to the city's name.
10:22
The letters K, N, and W are avoided in North American airport codes to avoid confusion with radio stations and U.S. naval bases.
