Miscellaneous Codes

Question 1

Phoenix, Arizona

Answer 1

PHX

Question 2

Tucson, Arizona

Answer 2

TUS

Question 3

Denver, Colorado

Answer 3

DEN

Question 4

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Answer 4

HDN

Question 5

Liberia, Costa Rica

Answer 5

LIR

Question 6

San Jose, Cost Rica

Answer 6

SJO

Question 7

Dulles, Washington D.C.

Answer 7

IAD
Dulles International Airport’s three-letter code was once DIA. When hand-written, it was often misread as DCA, another Washington airport. It was reversed to IAD to avoid confusion.

Question 8

Reagan, Washington D.C.

Answer 8

DCA

Its airport code honors its home in District of ColumbiA.

Question 9

Atlanta, Georgia

Answer 9

ATL

Question 10

Boise, Idaho

Answer 10

BOI

Question 11

Sun Valley, Idaho

Answer 11

SUN

Question 12

Chicago, Illinois

Answer 12

ORD
Before the airport was renamed after Medal of Honor recipient Edward O’Hare in 1949, it was known as ORcharD Field Airport.

Question 13

Indianapolis, Indiana

Answer 13

IND

Question 14

Wichita, Kansas

Answer 14

ICT
The FCC restricted U.S. airport codes from beginning with the letters ‘W’ and ‘K’, reserving them for radio station designations. Formerly named Mid-Continent Airport, WIChiTa opted for ICT

Question 15

New Orleans, Louisiana

Answer 15

MSY
In 2001, the airport was named after jazz legend Louis Armstrong, but was previously called Moisant Field, after aviator John Moisant. Its airport code came from the nearby Moisant Stock Yards.

Question 16

Baltimore, Maryland

Answer 16

BWI
Originally Friendship International (perhaps the best airport name ever), Baltimore/Washington International was renamed in 1973 and again in 2005 to honor Thurgood Marshall, former U.S. Supreme Court justice.

Question 17

Boston, Massachusetts

Answer 17

BOS

Question 18

Detroit, Michigan

Answer 18

DTW
During World War II Detroit’s airport was known as Romulus Field, but in 1947 it was renamed to DetroiT-Wayne Major Airport.

Question 19

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Answer 19

MSP

Named after Minnesota’s twin cities, Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Question 20

Kansas City, Missouri

Answer 20

MCI

Kansas City International was originally known as Mid-Continent International Airport.

Question 21

St. Louis, Missouri

Answer 21

STL

Question 22

Omaha, Nebraska

Answer 22

OMA

Question 23

Las Vegas, Nevada

Answer 23

LAS

Question 24

Reno, Nevada

Answer 24

RNO

Question 25

Newark, New Jersey

Answer 25

EWR
When airport codes switched from two letters to three, the U.S. Navy reserved all codes starting with ‘N’. NEWaRk, then, used the other letters in its name to make EWR.

Question 26

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Answer 26

ABQ

Question 27

New York, New York

Answer 27

JFK

Question 28

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

Answer 28

RDU

Raleigh-Durham International is located in Wake County in between the cities of Raleigh and DUrham.

Question 29

Cincinnati, Ohio

Answer 29

CVG

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky’s airport code comes from the nearby city of CoVinGton.

Question 30

Columbus, Ohio

Answer 30

CMH

Its three-letter airport code comes from its original name Columbus Municipal Hangar.

Question 31

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Answer 31

OKC

Question 32

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Answer 32

PHL

Question 33

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Answer 33

PIT

Question 34

Charleston South Carolina

Answer 34

CHS

Question 35

Nashville, Tennessee

Answer 35

BNA
Nashville International was originally named after Colonel Harry S. Berry. Codes with first letter ‘N’ were reserved for the U.S. Navy, so it used Berry Field NAshville to get BNA.

Question 36

Salt Lake City, Utah

Answer 36

SLC

Question 37

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Answer 37

MKE
General Mitchell International honors U.S. Army Air Service General Billy Mitchell, but its airport code honors its home in MilwauKEe

Question 38

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Answer 38

JAC

Question 39

Belize City, Belize

Answer 39

BZE

Its airport code comes from its home in BeliZE City.