Have you ever glanced at the three-letter code on your boarding pass and wondered, "What does this mean?"
Navigating the vast world of aviation, those random combinations of letters hold the key to understanding your travel destinations, layovers, and connecting flights. In this A-Z guide, we unravel the mysteries behind the airport codes of major international destinations across the United States.
What are Airport Codes?
These three letter codes were determined by the IATA (International Air Transport Association) to help people differentiate between the different airports when traveling. Originally airports had 2 letter codes, but once more airports started being built there were not enough combinations, and the system was updated to the 3 letter codes we know and use today. These codes help pilots describe their locations during international travel, are printed on boarding passes and flight plans, and save people from having to say they are flying to the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport when going to Maryland.
How Do Airports Pick Their Codes?
The process of assigning airport codes involves unique sequences of three letters that cannot be duplicated for another airport. While some codes are derived from the destination's name (e.g., ALB for Albany, BOI for Boise, DEN for Denver), others take inspiration from the airport's title or historical significance. For instance, Chicago's ORD reflects its original name, Orchard Field, New Orleans’ MSY is for the Moisant Stock Yards, and Hawaii’s Kahului is for Captain Jimmy Hogg, the first pilot in history to make the transatlantic flight.
These codes are the same no matter which airline you fly and are there to help make your travel experience easier.
Navigating International Travel:
When traveling internationally, you may encounter four-letter codes, following the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standard. The United States uses the letter 'K' as a prefix, so KJFK represents the same airport as JFK, for example.
Guide To US International Airports:
Code | Airport | City, State |
ABQ | Albuquerque International Sunport | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
ALB | Albany International Airport | Albany, New York |
ANC | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport | Anchorage, Alaska |
ATL | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport | Atlanta, Georgia |
AUS | Austin-Bergstrom International Airport | Austin, Texas |
BNA | Nashville International Airport | Nashville, Tennessee |
BOI | Boise Airport | Boise, Idaho |
BOS | Boston Logan International Airport | Boston, Massachusetts |
BUF | Buffalo Niagara International Airport | Buffalo, New York |
BWI | Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport | Baltimore, Maryland |
CHA | Chattanooga Airport | Chattanooga, Tennessee |
CHS | Charleston International Airport | Charleston, South Carolina |
CLE | Cleveland Hopkins International Airport | Cleveland, Ohio |
CLT | Charlotte Douglas International Airport | Charlotte, North Carolina |
CMH | John Glenn Columbus International Airport | Columbus, Ohio |
COS | Colorado Springs Airport | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
CVG | Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky International Airport | Cincinnati, Ohio |
CYS | Cheyenne Regional Airport | Cheyenne, Wyoming |
DCA | Ronald Regan Washington National Airport | Washington DC, DOC |
DEN | Denver International Airport | Denver, Colorado |
DFW | Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport | Dallas, Texas |
DTW | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport | Detroit, Michigan |
EWR | Newark Liberty International Airport | Newark, New Jersey |
EYW | Key West International Airport | Key West, Florida |
FLL | Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
GCN | Grand Canyon National Park Airport | Grand Canyon, Arizona |
HNL | Daniel K. Inouye International Airport | Honolulu, Hawaii |
IAD | Dulles International Airport | Dulles, Virginia |
IAH | George Bush Intercontinental Airport | Houston, Texas |
ILM | Wilmington International Airport | Wilmington, North Carolina |
IND | Indianapolis International Airport | Indianapolis, Indiana |
JAC | Jackson Hole Airport | Jackson Hole, Wyoming |
JAX | Jacksonville International Airport | Jacksonville, Florida |
JFK | John F. Kennedy International Airport | New York City, New York |
LAS | Harry Reid International Airport | Las Vegas, Nevada |
LAX | Los Angeles International Airport | Los Angeles, California |
LGA | LaGuardia Airport | New York City, New York |
MCI | Kansas City International Airport | Kansas City, Missouri |
MCO | Orlando International Airport | Orlando, Florida |
MEM | Memphis International Airport | Memphis, Tennessee |
MGM | Montgomery Regional Airport | Montgomery, Alabama |
MIA | Miami International Airport | Miami, Florida |
MKE | Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
MSP | Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
MSY | Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport | New Orleans, Louisiana |
MYR | Myrtle Beach International Airport | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina |
OGG | Kahului Airport | Maui, Hawaii |
ORD | Chicago O’Hare International Airport | Chicago, Illinois |
PDX | Portland International Airport | Portland, Oregon |
PHL | Philadelphia International Airport | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
PHX | Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport | Phoenix, Arizona |
PIT | Pittsburgh International Airport | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
PVD | Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport | Providence, Rhode Island |
RNO | Reno-Tahoe International Airport | Reno, Nevada |
SAF | Santa Fe Regional Airport | Santa Fe, New Mexico |
SAN | San Diego International Airport | San Diego, California |
SAV | Savannah / Hilton Head International Airport | Savannah Georgia |
SDF | Louisville International Airport | Louisville, Kentucky |
SEA | Seattle-Tacoma International Airport | Seattle Washington |
SFO | San Francisco International Airport | San Francisco, California |
SLC | Salt Lake City International Airport | Salt Lake City, Utah |
STL | St. Louis Lambert International Airport | St. Louis, Missouri |
TOL | Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport | Toledo, Ohio |
TPA | Tampa International Airport | Tampa, Florida |
TUL | Tulsa International Airport | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
TYS | McGhee Tyson Airport | Knoxville, Tennessee |
Overview:
Airport codes need not be a source of stress when booking flights. With this comprehensive guide, you can decipher the meaning behind those three letters on your boarding ticket, making your travel experience smoother. For a comprehensive list of airport codes worldwide, visit http://www.airportcodes.org/.
Sources:
Leigh, Gabriel. “Ord, Fru, MSY: How Odd Airport Codes Came to Be.” Flightradar24 Blog, 3 Nov. 2022, www.flightradar24.com/blog/ord-fru-msy-how-odd-airport-codes-came-to-be/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CORD%E2%80%9D%20is%20a%20nod%20to,Cmdr. Accessed 17 Feb. 2024.
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