FlyerTalk Forums - Airplane/Airline Code Lingo.. Why??

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- - Airplane/Airline Code Lingo.. Why?? (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/1783092-airplane-airline-code-lingo-why.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Efrem (Post 27027449)

It can be absurd with city codes, though. Some people ask, for example, "What is there to do in LAX?" People reply, some of them suggesting the poster watch airplanes and others saying "Not much." The poster really wanted to know what there is to do in Los Angeles, but had to show off that he**** knows the code for its main airport.

Hmm. At least on FT, if I see an airport code, I assume people are actually asking about how to spend time at an airport during a layover. Of course, context is everything - and politely asking for clarification is a better way to go than snark :)

Yeah... terrible... like all those cool kids who write "Los Angeles" instead of "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles del Rio de Porciuncula":D:D:D

OP - welcome to FT!

If you end up spending hours reading this forum, the abbreviations become second nature and you don't notice them until you start talking to non-FTers who don't know what you're talking about. :) It's short-hand and makes things more readable.

I can say

Quote:

I was ticketed to fly in the cheapest economy from San Francisco to Washington, continuing on to London, on United, and the plane had a mechanical problem and after talking to a gate agent they agreed to put me on the non-stop flight to London and was given an upgrade to business class because they were oversold in economy.

Or I can say

Quote:

I was supposed to fly UA (K class) SFO-IAD-LHR, but the flight went mx, and I was re-routed on UA SFO-LHR and op-up'ed to C.

Code:

cheapest economy = K class

San Francisco to Washington, continuing on to London, on United = SFO-IAD-LHR

the plane had a mechanical problem and after talking to a gate agent they agreed to put me on the non-stop flight to London = the flight went mx and I was re-routed on UA SFO-LHR

was given an upgrade to business class because they were oversold in economy = op-up'ed to C

The second version is much more readable, and saves a lot of time when reading :). Hope you stick around and find this forum as useful as I have over the years.

Enjoy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by trooper (Post 27037115)

Yeah... terrible... like all those cool kids who write "Los Angeles" instead of "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles del Rio de Porciuncula":D:D:D

Yeah, except that is no longer the correct name. 250 years ago yes but not now. Just as NYC is no longer correctly called New Amsterdam. Using those archaic names would be very confusing for everyone involved.

I know you were being funny but the discussion here about "visiting LAX for a week" is actually germane. Even if the "shorter and easier to type" argument is applied, LA is shorter than LAX, SF is shorter than SFO. And both are certainly more accurate. ;)

The point is that while everyone would know at a glance that LAX is code for LA International, not everyone would know without looking it up that FUK is Fukuoka, FAT is Fresno-Yosemite International and so on. Or that A and Z might refer to first class along with the more common F. Or that C and J both mean business class, depending on airline, when you might expect it to be B, which actually means something else.

Everyone gets used to lingo and codes over time. I used to be in law enforcement and we had a mind boggling number of codes. For newer users it can be pretty confusing. On FT, simply saying "biz" or "first" instead of J or F might not sound as well informed but would be easier for newcomers to decipher. Around here we use the clan argot and get very comfortable with it but I understand the confusion among less experienced users.

Oh and we have a glossary

Quote:

Originally Posted by trooper (Post 27037115)

Yeah... terrible... like all those cool kids who write "Los Angeles" instead of "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles del Rio de Porciuncula":D:D:D

I am not cool. I am forever looking up IAH and AUH..

Quote:

Originally Posted by abmj-jr (Post 27037196)

The point is that while everyone would know at a glance that LAX is code for LA International . . . .

No, "most" people think see LAS or LOS as Los Angeles. Apart from FT and similar nerdy sites, no-one would think Los Angeles would have an "X" in it.

We just become used to it and fall into the trap of thinking it's normal.

Something to keep in mind here:

We have a whole bunch of airlines using the old compact codes. You can't unilaterally shift to the new codes if you are going to communicate with other airlines--everyone with interline agreements would have to change at the same time. That's a big, big undertaking--it's not likely to happen for a long time to come.

EVERY field has its own jargon.....

Think of not just your professional field...but your SPORTS too....

If you can stop using all those "dialects"..then I'll stop using the shorthand of Airport codes...lol