airport code elitism
May 29, 2015 | 8:44 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Location: HKG
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Posts: 25
airport code elitism
I enjoy Flyertalk and as a very frequent traveller also enjoy some of the threads but one thing really pisses me off and that is the use of IATA airport codes instead of the actual destination. Of course this makes the contributor sound really cool and well travelled but I'm guessing many of them actually have to check their itineraries or boarding passes to be sure.
Come on guys no need to show off, think of the lesser travelled reader who reads this stuff some of which is pretty poor let's be honest, and tell them where you really went or will some of you go MIA now you've been called out?
Come on guys no need to show off, think of the lesser travelled reader who reads this stuff some of which is pretty poor let's be honest, and tell them where you really went or will some of you go MIA now you've been called out?
May 29, 2015 | 8:58 am
#3
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: MKE
Programs: DL 2 MM
Posts: 974
Yeah, when I first started, I had to look a lot of them up.
But that's how I learned them.
It's not elitism -- it's just quicker.
If I am going to LaGuardia I'm just going to type LGA.
Can I type out LaGuardia? Sure. But then, for new people, they may not know where that is either, so do I have to type 'New York LaGuardia'?
That's a pain. In fact I keep spelling LaGuardia wrong as I type this.
But that's how I learned them.
It's not elitism -- it's just quicker.
If I am going to LaGuardia I'm just going to type LGA.
Can I type out LaGuardia? Sure. But then, for new people, they may not know where that is either, so do I have to type 'New York LaGuardia'?
That's a pain. In fact I keep spelling LaGuardia wrong as I type this.
May 29, 2015 | 9:16 am
#4
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: DTW/FNT
Programs: Delta (nee NW), Hilton Diamond. IHG (PT)
Posts: 4,823
I enjoy Flyertalk and as a very frequent traveller also enjoy some of the threads but one thing really pisses me off and that is the use of IATA airport codes instead of the actual destination. Of course this makes the contributor sound really cool and well travelled but I'm guessing many of them actually have to check their itineraries or boarding passes to be sure.
Come on guys no need to show off, think of the lesser travelled reader who reads this stuff some of which is pretty poor let's be honest, and tell them where you really went or will some of you go MIA now you've been called out?
Come on guys no need to show off, think of the lesser travelled reader who reads this stuff some of which is pretty poor let's be honest, and tell them where you really went or will some of you go MIA now you've been called out?
You claim to be a frequent flyer have been on FT for 7 years, but have posted a grand total of seven messages and can't figure this out...
and sometimes airport names can be confusing -- for example there are two tri cities airport.
Bob H
May 29, 2015 | 9:27 am
#5
Flyertalk Evangelist and Moderator: Coupon Connection and Travel Products
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Milton, GA USA
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I wish there was a way for one to hover over an airline code and have the airport name and city pop up. Would be a great feature!
May 29, 2015 | 9:34 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: MKE
Programs: DL 2 MM
Posts: 974
WAS
FOR
THE
AND
POP
Are all valid airport codes
May 29, 2015 | 10:10 am
#10
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: BNA and TPA
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Posts: 591
May 29, 2015 | 10:12 am
#12
Senior Moderator
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May 29, 2015 | 10:15 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 1999
Programs: FB PLT again afater a decade as plebian
Posts: 22,936
To be more cryptic, one could just drop the city name and use the name of the person the airport was named for.
So John Wayne, Silvio Pettirossi or Cannon (airport for this last one has been renamed to something geographic, and the titular name given to the terminal building). Kingsford-Smith is probably too easy.
May 29, 2015 | 10:17 am
#14
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: AUS
Programs: UA: Gold
Posts: 52
airport elitism
Sorry, OP, but I'm in the "not elitism" camp. At least in the U.S., there are only a few major airports that have obscure identifiers. These come to mind: MSY, MCO, ORD, CVG, ITO, OGG, and there may be others. Perhaps the most obscure of those listed here is CVG, but easy to remember if you know the airport is actually on Covington, KY, not Cincinnati! Likewise, the key to remembering that MSY is New Orleans is that the airport was originally named Moisant Intl. Airport. At least one airline (DAL) used to teach its flight attendants to remember OGG is Kahului, Maui by thinking of it as "oh gorgeous gorgeous".