Not just China (Beijing vs Peking, Nanjing vs Nanking, Guangzhou / Canton)
Also India (Mumbai / Bombay, Kolkata / Calcutta)
And even Italy (Turin / Torino)
Lots of cities are going by what I assume is a more authentic version of their original earlier names?
Interestingly the airport codes havenât changed.
Beijing = PEK
Guangzhou = CAN
Mumbai = BOM
I would expect it to take something significant to change the airport code. Seems even when they build a new airport they keep the same code.
https://www.farecompare.com/news/weird-wacky-airport-code-names/
They changed the airport code for JFK!
and that was before computers ruled the world
Ones not mentioned in the article that throw me for a loop when hubby flies there:
MCI = Kansas City International Airport
SDF = Louisville Muhammad Ali Airport
MCO = Orlando International Airport
GEG = Spokane International Airport
Honorable mention to
SPS = Wichita Falls Regional Airport
(Nephew was stationed at the AFB there and SIL mentioned the weird airport code.)
Sorry, I posted the wrong article. The one I actually read said they didnât use K or W to avoid mixing up with 3 letter radio stations. So instead of KCI, they used MCI. not exactly sure where the CO comes from for MCO.
There was also something about getting one from another country when they wanted permission for direct flights to the US. The FAA traded a route for the airport code.
On the most recent episode of the always-excellent âAirlines Confidentialâ podcast journalist Seth Kaplan and former Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza were talking about airport codes and they shared several things I wasnât aware of, though perhaps have heard in passing before.
- Airport codes beginning with N are reserved for naval air stations (so âNewark is EWRâ) Seth Kaplan says Akron, Ohio â home to the football hall of fan â therefore cannot be âNFLâ.
- Codes beginning with W and K are reserved to avoid confusion with radio stations which is why MCI â Kansas City International â isnât KCI (but local media refers to it frequently as KCI)
- Some airports kept National Weather Service codes when moving to 3 letter codes, and added an X (PDX, LAX, PHX)
- Two airports within the same region cannot have the same first and second, or second and third letters . The idea is to avoid confusion between DCA and IAD, IAH and HOU, DFW and DAL, etc.
- The FAA has 3 letter codes that are usually the same as IATA codes , but in the case of Phpenix Mesa Gateway the IATA code is AZA but thatâs not what the FAA uses . The FAA code, used for general aviation, is IWA.
While itâs difficult to change an airport code, not only complying with the rules above but also making sure the code isnât taken, itâs something thatâs certainly been done. For instance Idlewild (IDL) became JFK.
However when Fresno Air Terminal (FAT) changed its name to Fresno Yosemite International, to market the airport as a gateway to Yosemite National Park, they were unsuccessful in getting their code changed to FYI. They can call themselves FYI if they wish, of course, even if itâs not used officially.
Denver (DEN) isnât DIA, but local media refers to it as DIA. Ben Baldanza suggests though that at one point the new airport was going to use DIA rather than transferring DEN from Stapleton, which was decommissioned as a commercial airport. Why on earth I sometimes see Orlando news media referring to âMCOâ as OIA though I do not know.
Talking about Baltimore airport changing its code from BAL to BWI in 1980, former Spirit Airlines CEO asks âI wonder what Bewani is now and I wonder if they had to bribe âem in any way, if Baltimore had to pay âem something, how they get them to take another code.â
Credit: BWI AirportAs it turns out Iâve answered that question.
- When Baltimore remained itself Baltimore Washington International they wanted the code BWI, but it was already taken by the airport in Bewani, Papua New Guinea.
- However when Air Niugini wanted to fly to Hawaii the US government demanded the airport code in exchange for the route authority.
- Air Niugini no longer offers Honolulu service, while Bewani Airport â 608 miles Northwest of Port Moresby â remains BWP.
Orlando International Airport used to be McCoy Air Force Base.
Yeah, I think itâs similar for Louisville and Spokane⊠old airports were named after people and got codes that corresponded to the old name not the new.
Last night I learned that Spokane hasnât been immune to the housing crunch, prices up ~60% in two years. I guess itâs all just trickling down, everyone floods Seattle and it gets expensive, so people head out to Spokane.
If youâd ask me 3-4 years ago, I would not have seen this coming in Spokane, or Butte, or Asheville.
I remember learning about all the historical airport names when I was helping Stu memorize the codes for his American Airlines job
The Spokane CSA (includes Coeur dâAlene, ID) has more than doubled in population in the last 50 years (now at 757K). They have good weather - dry summers and winters that are not crazy cold (rarely below 20). Lots of lakes, forests and ski areas near by. The wine region of Walla Walla is not too far away. Not many opportunity for actuaries though but now that there are lot more remote opportunitiesâŠ
Basically the same weather as Denver, more or less, I think?
I havenât spent a lot of time in Denver but have visited a few times. Looking at Wikipedia, it has similar average temperatures but there is more day-night fluctuation than Spokane - I imagine due to altitude. Spokane has more of a mediterranean rainfall pattern where most of the rain happens in winter. This makes for good vineyard conditions in the nearby wine regions. Denver is pretty dry all year round with more rain in summer.
If I knew this before prices went up 60% I might consider it! LOL
Gary Numan is 13 days older than Gary Oldman
Gary Numan bday: 8 March 1958
Gary Oldman bday: 21 March 1958
Today I learned of two people named Gary, Messrs. Numan & OldmanâŠand theyâre old.
well, theyâre younger than my mother
Canada has a higher GDP than Russia, despite Russia having aboot 3.5x as many people. 
