Airline Code
Feb 22, 2021 | 7:27 am
#2
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Because that code was already taken by Helijet in Canada at the time JetBlue applied for their code. As such, IATA decided to pick a code starting with J or B and since B1-B5 were already allocated at the time, they assigned JetBlue B6.
Feb 23, 2021 | 11:08 pm
#6
Join Date: Jun 2012
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Programs: DL, UA, AA, B6, 2V, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt
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I heard this somewhere, but I'm not sure if this is true or not. The IATA in this day and age will assign 2-character codes at random due to the airline abbreviation codes all being taken, but if an airline wants a "vanity" code, they'd have to request it, and that may have costs involved. If you're starting an airline in this day and age, a matching IATA code is probably not very high on your list of things to spend money on.
Feb 24, 2021 | 10:32 pm
#8
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New England
Programs: DL, UA, AA, B6, 2V, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt
Posts: 6,114
That would be an ICAO code (which are 3 letters), which is not the same as an IATA code (2 characters) which is used primarily for ticketing. Both codes are used for flight identification, although I think the IATA one is still slightly more prevalent. For the record, JetBlue's ICAO code is JBU.
