The Weird and Wonderful World of Airport Codes ✈️

Ever wonder why Los Angeles International is called LAX or why Chicago O’Hare goes by ORD? Or maybe you’ve stumbled across some truly strange ones, like FUN in Tuvalu or OMG in Namibia, and thought, “There’s no way that’s real.” Airport codes are one of those things most of us view as a passing thought, but behind those three little letters is a world of history, quirks, and plenty of funny coincidences.

Airport codes started out simply enough. In aviation’s early days, airports often borrowed their identifiers from nearby weather stations, using just two letters. But as more airports popped up around the world, the two-letter system wasn’t going to cut it anymore. Enter the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which expanded things to three letters. And just like that, the alphabet soup of airport codes was born.

Take Los Angeles International for example. Originally just “LA,” it needed a third letter when the three-character standard came along. So, someone shrugged and slapped an “X” on the end, giving us the iconic LAX. That extra letter doesn’t stand for anything—it’s just filling space. Funny how something so arbitrary ended up becoming one of the most recognizable airport codes in the world.

Chicago O’Hare’s code, ORD, also tells a story—but this time, it’s about history. Before it became O’Hare, the airport was called Orchard Field, and the code stuck even after the name changed. Many airports around the world still carry pieces of their past in their identifiers, serving as little time capsules of aviation history.

Of course, not every airport code is rooted in history. Some are just plain fun. Bora Bora, for instance, goes by BOB. Tuvalu’s main airport is FUN, which is fitting if you’re planning a tropical vacation. Washington state has EAT (Wenatchee), and Namibia proudly hosts OMG (Omega Airport). 

If you’ve ever looked closely at flight planning documents, you might notice that pilots often use four-letter codes instead of three. That’s because they rely on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) system. In this setup, LAX becomes KLAX, with the “K” designating the U.S. Similarly, Canada uses “C” (like CYYZ for Toronto Pearson), and the U.K. uses “EG” (like EGLL for London Heathrow). For pilots, dispatchers, and air traffic controllers, those extra letters are critical for precision.

But here’s where things can get tricky: some codes are almost identical, and a slip of the keyboard could be costly. For example, ORD (Chicago O’Hare) and ORQ (North Kingstown, Rhode Island) look close enough to make you double-check. Airlines and flight planners live in a world where one wrong letter could send luggage—or worse, passengers—to the wrong side of the country.

At the end of the day, airport codes are far more than letters printed on your boarding pass. They’re tiny symbols that carry stories of history, geography, and sometimes pure randomness. From the practical (ORD), to the accidental (LAX), to the just plain funny (FUN and OMG), these codes remind us that aviation is a blend of precision and personality.

So the next time you’re standing at the gate, take a second look at those three little letters above your head. You might just be looking at a hidden piece of aviation’s story.