airport identifiers? "K" prefix?

[Vik]

Why are some airports, KSNA for example, while others have no "K" prefix?

E.g. KAJO is Corona Airport, which has no tower, but has a "K" but 3o8 is Harris Ranch, and has no "K"

So what is the difference and how can you tell whether the airport ID should have the "K" or not?

Thanks in adv.

 

[JAFI]

First read this:

http://www.skygod.com/asstd/abc.html

The "K" is the ICAO code (a four letter code)for a US airport. On the west coast a "P" may be the first letter ex. PANC.

Airlines use a three letter code LAX, ORD, JFK. Sometimes you just need to put the "K" or "P" in front of the three letter code to get the four letter code. Sometimes this does not work because the four letter code is completely different.

Do a search on the net and you will find may sites that will discribe what you are looking for.

JAFI

P.S. It has nothing to do with a tower airport. Smaller state or county airports use numbers and letters that are not in the international or airline code.

 

[sweptback]

It used to be if an airport had weather reporting it was all letters, although I'm not sure if that is the case anymore.

 

[A Squared]

The "K" is the ICAO code (a four letter code)for a US airport. On the west coast a "P" may be the first letter ex. PANC.

K is the prefix for airpors in the contiguous 48 states, even the west coast. You won't fing a P prefix in Washington, or Oregon. The P is for areas outside the conterminous 48 states. The P refers to the Pacific region, thus PA is the first 2 letters in airports in the Pacific region, Alaska. by similar means you have PH for airports in Hawaii. PHNL for Honolulu, PHOG for Kahului, there are other "P" codes for other US territories in the Pacific.

 

[tomgoodman]

French Polynesia

Take a left at PHNL, and a few hours later you can land at Faaa, serving Papeete, Tahiti. No, that's not the identifier, that's the airport name,(pronounced Fah-ah-ah). The ICAO identifier is NTTT.

 

[SiuDude]

Why are some airports, KSNA for example, while others have no "K" prefix?

E.g. KAJO is Corona Airport, which has no tower, but has a "K" but 3o8 is Harris Ranch, and has no "K"

So what is the difference and how can you tell whether the airport ID should have the "K" or not?

Thanks in adv.

The bigger airports are given ICAO identifiers (must start with K in the lower 48). The smaller ones just use whatever they can get the FAA to approve.

 

[JAFI]

K is the prefix for airpors in the contiguous 48 states, even the west coast. You won't fing a P prefix in Washington, or Oregon. The P is for areas outside the conterminous 48 states. The P refers to the Pacific region, thus PA is the first 2 letters in airports in the Pacific region, Alaska. by similar means you have PH for airports in Hawaii. PHNL for Honolulu, PHOG for Kahului, there are other "P" codes for other US territories in the Pacific.

Absolutly Correct. May be I over simplified my reply. However, there are many who still think of Alaska as part of the "West Coast" of the USA.

JAFI

 

[A Squared]

Absolutly Correct. May be I over simplified my reply. However, there are many who still think of Alaska as part of the "West Coast" of the USA.

JAFI

Yes, Alaska is very much part of the west coast of the US, I was just trying to clarify the distinction in the identifiers between west coast in the "lower 48" and west coast in the "other 2"

 

[A Squared]

Take a left at PHNL, and a few hours later you can land at Faaa, serving Papeete, Tahiti. No, that's not the identifier, that's the airport name,(pronounced Fah-ah-ah). The ICAO identifier is NTTT.

Sorry, I didn't mean to inply that "all" the airports in the Pacific has "P" identifiers, just the ones in US territories, posessions, etc.

 

[DGdaPilot]

We here in San Juan, PR are TJSJ. St. Croix is TISX. St. Thomas is TIST.

 

[GravityHater]

you have to learn which is required (K or not) for each gps/fms/airport info site/weather site/handheld device.........until they standardize the darned things!!!

 

[Vik]

Hrm, some of what you guys doesn't make sense especially with the example I gave. Corona Airport is a TINY airport .. yet its KAJO (and a few years ago it had a non-K ID). It is non-towered.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[gsrcrsx68]

Vik,
Any chance KAJO used to be private or municiple and is now owned by the Feds or something. I thought 3 letters meant municipal, larger airports got 4 letter and then international got 3 letter also. I remember reading it, but I can't remember where.

 

[JAFI]

Hrm, some of what you guys doesn't make sense especially with the example I gave. Corona Airport is a TINY airport .. yet its KAJO (and a few years ago it had a non-K ID). It is non-towered.

Thanks for the replies!

Vic, a control tower has nothing to do with the three or four letter code system. I know of several TINY non towered airports that have and use a four letter code.


Some links for your reading pleasure:

http://www.answers.com/topic/iata-airport-code

IATA 3 letter codes
http://www.airport-technology.com/codes/

ICAO 4 letter codes
http://www.airport-technology.com/icao-codes/


Airport code look up site:

http://www.postmodern.com/~mcb/misc/code.html