Airport wonderings

[Lorenzoid]

I noted this in the Wikipedia article: "Some airports have started using their IATA codes as marketing brands." Indeed, Atlantans often refer to the city as "the ATL," and "ATL" is used in advertisements for all kinds of things connected with Atlanta. The airport is very much a part of Atlanta's identity, as the city has no natural landmarks to speak of, no body of water, no architectural wonders, little of historical significance--just nothing remarkable. But for the foresight of the city to build that massive airport in what was then still a very small city, Atlanta could have been just another BMH.

 

[JohnN]

All airports are assigned a three-letter identifying code. Most Canadian airports begin with the letter Y (there's a couple Zs). For example YYZ is Toronto, YOW is Ottawa. Some make more sense than others. So, for YVR, the Y is an indicator that it is Canadian, and the VR is a sort-of abbreviation of Vancouver

Thanks but as far as I know, Canada is the only place that has a fixed first letter of the IATA code

 

[flyboy08]

I noted this in the Wikipedia article: "Some airports have started using their IATA codes as marketing brands." Indeed, Atlantans often refer to the city as "the ATL," and "ATL" is used in advertisements for all kinds of things connected with Atlanta. The airport is very much a part of Atlanta's identity, as the city has no natural landmarks to speak of, no body of water, no architectural wonders, little of historical significance--just nothing remarkable. But for the foresight of the city to build that massive airport in what was then still a very small city, Atlanta could have been just another BMH.

Stone Mountain?

 

[KeithG]

All airports are assigned a three-letter identifying code. Most Canadian airports begin with the letter Y (there's a couple Zs). For example YYZ is Toronto, YOW is Ottawa. Some make more sense than others. So, for YVR, the Y is an indicator that it is Canadian, and the VR is a sort-of abbreviation of Vancouver

Read the article I linked above. It fully explains the Canadian system. Y does not mean Canadian as YAI is in Chile.

 

[KeithG]

Thanks but as far as I know, Canada is the only place that has a fixed first letter of the IATA code

Canada does not have a fixed first letter.

 

[JohnN]

F

Canada does not have a fixed first letter.

For example ?

 

[Lorenzoid]

Stone Mountain?

Stone Mountain--a hill of protruding granite with an embarrassing Confederate monument carved into one face. Not exactly the Rockies that DEN gets to identify with. And quite on the fringe of the ATL metro area. The Chattahoochee River?--pretty, but non-navigable, and so the city ignored it and built up elsewhere. Nope. It's the airport that made Atlanta--ATL.

 

[Dan]

Canada does not have a fixed first letter.

Right. I just check XBB for Bubbler Bay, British Columbia, Canada.

 

[Dan]

For example ?

XBE = Bearskin Lake, Ontario

 

[Shasta_man]

Just had a brouhaha with the local Vietnamese ethnicity community about Ho Chi Minh City over a billboard advertising air service. Apparently few people refer to it as Ho Chi Minh City, but still call it Saigon and the airport code is still SGN