Airport Codes Decoded!

• published: 01 Feb 2015
• views: 10

Ever wondered where do airport codes come from? Who assigns them? Whats the logic behind them? An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier,is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The characters prominently displayed on baggage tags attached at airport check-in desks are an example of a way these codes are used. When the Wright brothers first took to the air in 1903, there was no need for coding airports since an airport was literally any convenient field with a strong wind. So to locate the airports, the airlines simply copied the two letter codes used by the Nation Weather Service.However as the airlines service exploded in the 1930’s they needed to accompany more letters to a two letter system used by the NWS. So a third letter was added since that would give the airports about 17,576 different combinations. Much has evolved since then. So lets have a look. Subscribe for new videos every week: http://www.youtube.com/user/everydayquestions0?sub_confirmation=1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/everydayquest0 List of Airports by IATA Code: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airports_by_IATA_code:_A