Every airline in the world has a two-character designator code that represents the airline’s name identity across reservation systems, flight information displays, ticketing details, luggage tags, and all of the other places where showing an airline’s full name can be simplified by substituting that recognized designator code.

The development of those codes evolves as the early airline industry expands, and airline name codes that, in some cases, have been in use for eighty years, continue to be used in digital applications today.

Join me for the story of how airline name codes came about, their sometimes hidden meanings, and how they’ve developed, and been perceived, over generations.

Send us a text