Randy, this was a thread on the suggestions board that should not be overlooked.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum73/HTML/000264.html
It would be extremely helpful to place the airline code next to the name of the airline.

IMHO, that is a great idea! It would (hopefully) make the shorthand used a bit clearer to everyone, and newbies in particular.

Nice, simple idea that would seemingly be easy to implement and not be too intrusive to the existing format.

Agreed!

I truly like the idea as well. It is similar to "Sea-Tac Airport (SEA)" in the Airport Forum.

But if you need to figure out an airline code, here is a decent aid:
http://www.wajb.freeserve.co.uk/codes.htm

The idea suggested by Rssrsvp and seconded by wigstheone, blairvanhorn and chexfan is not unheeded.

But folks _please_ keep in mind that UBB software is not as nimble as we'd like it to be. It just can't insert IATA codes into subject lines ... much as we'd like it do.


Also, Flyertalk's staff is not that sizable, and their ability to manipulate the BB software is extremely time consuming.

ESSXJAY,

Thanks for the post on the UBB software. I was unaware that it was not so nimble. I'll keep that in mind. And thanks to the FT staff for the great job they do.

essxjay, you should look at the main page of FT Airports.
http://www.flyertalk.com/airportsfr_bc.shtml
All that we are talking about is adding the airline code right next to the airline name on the main FT Miles page the same way they did it on the Airport page. It is not a big deal involving the UBB software.

I have a better idea: update the FlyerTalk Glossary.

In those few forums where this is even an issue, a per-forum announcement can tell people where the "secret decoder ring" is.

Or, you could use a rotating ad banner with "flash cards" ... AA = American Airlines ... NW = NorthWest ... UA = United Airlines ... until they learn them. It's not like we're asking people to memorize the abbreviations for all fifty U.S. states.

Rssrsvp, I understand exactly what you're asking of FT's staff and of the moderators.

Keep in mind that the IATA codes currently shown in the sublines of the topic names had to be manually entered.

As a matter of fact the sub-headlines were proofread by the other two moderators and me, and several corrections were made. It is terribly time-consuming.

Please know that _if_ UBB could be programmed to convert airport names into IATA codes, it would have been done. Trust me on this one - I hack UBB for a living.

Unfortuately, while UBB is a very good threading software it isn't so good as a surrogate human interpolator: in other words, it _can't_ make decisions.



[This message has been edited by essxjay (edited 08-13-2001).]

We have an "Airport Code Lookup" link on the help page. Just click on the "Help" tab at the top of the page and the Airport Code Lookup is the second-to-last link. It opens in a pop-up window so you can keep it open all the time to look up any airport codes. Hope this helps... I use it all the time!

--Lisa @ WebFlyer

Lisa, some of us take the low road and some the high road, eventually we land up at the same destination. I always look for a non-stop or a 1 stop flight without having to change planes when I travel. Your routing would turn into a mileage run on the FT board. Please ask Randy to redesign the FT MIles cover page with this improvement when you have a chance and it will make everyone's life easier.