Hello, the enthusiastic quiz taker! We’ve got a fact for ya. There are over forty thousand airports in the world. At least, that’s what the CIA website claims; here is your pub quiz answer if you ever need it! Many airports have unique codes as their identifiers, and it is your job to learn them all. No, we’re just kidding – but we will test you on a few tricky ones today.
Some of the airport codes seem like a no-brainer. ATL for Atlanta Airport? Duh! Others might require deliberation or prior knowledge to decode, like the LED code for Saint Petersburg Airport, created from the city’s former name – Leningrad. And then there are some you just gotta memorize if you want to excel in this quiz!
Do you have a plane ticker laying around? Why don’t you look for a three-letter acronym on it? Most commercial airports have IATA codes assigned by the airline trade organization.
A code is usually the first three letters of the airport’s city or reference to the airport itself. What if those two possibilities have been exhausted? Fun fact: no two airports can have the same identifier. That’s why sometimes a code can refer to a historical location or honor a famous figure. Want an example? Here it is. The airport in New Orleans carries the code MSY after John Moisant, a successful pilot who was the first to fly lucky passengers over the English Channel.
Hey, Maverick! What’s your call sign?
Now, the ICAO codes are a little different. They have four letters, with the first describing a country and the rest referring to a specific airport. If you don’t work for air control, don’t worry about them. The ICAO is the United Nations agency (if you care). It works to ensure that aviation regulations are consistent across countries and continents. Phew, it is good they’re here, or we would have a lot of confusion on our hands!
Do you have to know all the codes to become a professional plane whisperer? The wannabe sky nannies (I have a few more synonyms up my sleeve ;)) need to learn a lot before their first take-off. Every aspiring flight attendant completes a training program, and one of their first tests is about airport codes. Don’t worry – you will receive a study packet with all vital information (including the codes) beforehand.
You must memorize the codes for all of your airline’s destinations and learn how to use them too. This knowledge is crucial for understanding your schedules, assisting passengers, and making connection announcements. However, this is only a sliver of the information you will need to absorb during your training. Get ready to push yourself!
To hit the road, you ought to know these signs, Jack!
Is it time for your Dallas Debut? Are you 20 years old with a high school diploma (at least)? Do you have a passport? Can you legally work in the United States? Feel free to apply at American Airlines.
Have you gone through the recruitment procedure yet? Congratulations, but don’t get too relaxed yet. You can still fall through during training. It’s a really intense program. It lasts around six and a half weeks and usually takes place in Dallas.
Here is a helpful tip: focus on learning all the basic aviation terms, airport codes, general plane info, and everything else included in the study materials BEFORE attending the course. What is a Deadhead? Can you decipher the APU acronym? You will be tested on it!
Houston, we’ve got a new candidate! Just like with American Airlines, you will need to pass a rigorous interview process to get accepted as United Airlines flight attendant. Apparently, only 6% of the hopeful applicants make the cut.
You’ll have to travel to Houston to participate in the training course. It lasts around six weeks and will prepare you for any situation that might emerge while you are up in the sky. What happens when you finish your training and get hired (fingers crossed!)? Well, you’ll still have to go back to the training center every 18 months. You will undergo additional training to make sure you’re not getting rusty in your aviation skills.
So many airports around the world and so many airport codes. How many of them can you identify? We’re about to fly you to the Moon, jet-setter. Is there a LOL airport code? What about BAD? Test your airport code knowledge and soar high!
