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· Subject: Air Travel FAQ 3/5 Worldwide Airport Codes
Archive-name: air-travel/world-airport-codes
Last-Modified: Tue Jun 30 17:37:38 CDT 1992
This is one in a series of FAQ lists that are posted monthly. Postings
1/5 through 5/5 include this introduction.
The charter of REC.TRAVEL.AIR is to serve as a discussion group for issues
related to air travel (surprise!). This monthly posting of frequently asked
questions (FAQ) is intended to prevent the recurrence of specific questions or
types of questions that are either unanswerable, or are asked seemingly weekly.
Some topics are mostly U.S./North American based, while others are global in
interest. The information contained here is based on the best postings from
the net on these subjects, and thanks are due to the netters who provided them.
Information from international sources would be a welcome addition.
(Please post or send to Laurie at bechtler@asdg.enet.dec.com.)
As with any newsgroup, it is best to read it for a few weeks before posting
anything, in order to see what topics are currently being discussed.
Please keep in mind that air travel is subject to a complex set of rules,
regulations, and agreements (official or unofficial) between governments,
airlines, and ticket agencies. Information transmitted over the net is not
definitive. Netters offer what they know with good intentions; however, no
guarantee is made the that information contained in this list is 100% correct.
Having said that, know then, that all information herein is offered AS IS
with no implied warranty of accuracy whatsoever.
Currently, the number of lists totals six. Five are posted by Larry Autry
and maintained by Laurie Bechtler <bechtler@asdg.enet.dec.com> and Larry
Autry <autry@sgi.com>. One FAQ list that is posted separately, is the
article on "How to Get Cheap Airtickets" by Mark Kantrowitz
<mkant@cs.cmu.edu>.
The subjects of these five lists are as follows:
I. Intro and Answers to General Questions
II. Airport Codes For North America
III. Airport Codes For The World
IV. Ticket Consolidator Article (Bucket Shops)
V. Article About How To Prevent Jetlag
********************************************************************************
These codes are from: pal@regent.e-technik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de
(Peter Loibl). I have replaced all of his tabs with colons so that
the unix sort program can handle the file. I have also deleted all
North American cities.
From Peter's original posting:
There might be some spelling errors - I had to translate some nations
and cities from German into English. I have also split the former
USSR into its new nations. There is only one airport from the USSR
around I could not put into one nation, so I have named the nation it
belongs to as CIS. The list does also not give the new nations from
former Yugoslavia.
I am always thankful for new codes.
AAE:Annaba, Algeria
AAL:Alborg, Denmark
AAR:Aarhus, Denmark
AAX:Araxa, MG, Brazil
ABD:Abadan, Iran
ABJ:Abidjan, Ivory Coast
ABM:Bamaga, Australia
ABS:Abu Simbel, Egypt
ABX:Albury, Australia
ABZ:Aberdeen, Great Britain
ACC:Accra, Ghana
ACE:Arrecife/Lanzarote, Spain
ACH:Altenrhein, Switzerland
ADA:Adana, Turkey
ADB:Izmir, Turkey
ADD:Addis Abeba, Ethiopia
ADE:Aden, Yemen
ADL:Adelaide, Australia
ADX:Aktyubinsk, Kasachstan
ADY:Alldays, South Africa
ADZ:San Andres, Colombia
AEH:Abeche, Chad
AEP:Buenos Aires - Jorge Newbery, Argentinia
AER:Sotschi/Adler, Russia
AES:Alesund, Norway
AGA:Agadir, Morocco
AGB:Augsburg, Germany
AGP:Malaga, Spain
AGZ:Aggeneys, South Africa
AHB:Khamis Mushayat, Saudi Arabia
AHO:Alhegro Sassari, Italy
AHU:Al Hoceima, Morocco
AJA:Ajaccio, France
AJN:Anjouan, Comores
AJU:Aracaju, SE, Brazil
AJY:Agades, Niger
AKL:Auckland, New Zealand
ALA:Alma Ata, Kasachstan
ALC:Alicante, Spain
ALF:Alta, Norway
ALG:Algier, Algeria
ALH:Albany, Australia
ALJ:Alexander Bay, South Africa
ALP:Alpeppo, Syria
ALQ:Alegrete, RS, Brazil
ALR:Alexandra, New Zealand
ALY:Alexandria, Egypt
AMD:Ahmedaba, India
AMM:Amman, Jordan
AMS:Amsterdam, The Netherlands
ANK:Ankara, Turkey
ANR:Antwerpen, Belgium
ANU:Antigua, West Indian Isles
AOI:Ancona, Italy
AOK:Karpathos, Greece
APS:Anapoils, Brazil
APU:Apucarana, PR, Brazil
APW:Apia, West Samoa
AQJ:Akaba (Aqaba), Jordan
ARN:Stockholm - Arlanda, Sweden
ART:Oslo - Gardermoen, Norway
ASJ:Amami, Japan
ASK:Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
ASP:Alice Springs, Australia
ASU:Asuncion, Paraguay
ASW:Assuan, Egypt
ATH:Athen, Greece
ATQ:Amritsar, India
AUA:Aruba, West Indian Isles
AUH:Abu Dhabi, UAE
AUR:Aurillac, France
AUX:Araguaina, TO, Brazil
AXA:Anguilla, West Indian Isles
AXS:Armenia, Colombia
AYQ:Ayers Rock, Australia
AYR:Ayr, Australia
AYT:Antalya, Turkey
BAH:Bahrain, Bahrain
BAQ:Barranquilla, Colombia
BAU:Bauru, SP, Brazil
BBI:Bhubaneshwar, India
BBT:Berberati, Central Africa
BBY:Bambari, Central Africa
BCN:Barcelona, Spain
BDA:Bermuda, Bermuda
BDB:Bundaberg, Australia
BDQ:Baronda, India
BDS:Brindisi, Italy
BDU:Bardufoss, Norway
BEB:Benbecula, Great Britain
BEG:Belgrad (Beograd), Yugoslavia (Serbia)
BEL:Belem, PA, Brazil
BEN:Bengasi, Libya
BEO:Newcastle, Australia
BER:Berlin, Germany
BES:Brest, France
BEW:Beira, Mozambique
BEY:Beirut, Lebanon
BFN:Bloemfontein, South Africa
BFO:Buffalo Range, Zimbabwe
BFS:Belfast - International, Great Britain
BGA:Bucaramanga, Colombia
BGF:Bangui, Central Africa
BGI:Bridgetown, Barbados
BGO:Bergen, Norway
BGU:Bangassou, Central Africa
BGV:Bento Goncalves, RS, Brazil
BGW:Bagdad, Irak
BGX:Bage, RS, Brazil
BGY:Bergamo, Italy
BHD:Belfast - Harbour Airport, Great Britain
BHE:Blenheim, New Zealand
BHO:Bhopal, India
BHQ:Broken Hill, Australia
BHV:Bahawalpur, Pakistan
BHX:Birmingham, Great Britain
BHZ:Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
BIA:Bastia, France
BIO:Bilbao, Spain
BIQ:Biarritz, France
BIV:Bria, Central Africa
BJL:Banjul, Gambia
BJM:Bujumbura, Burundi
BJS:Beijing, China
BJZ:Badajoz, Spain
BKI:Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
BKK:Bangkok, Thailand
BKO:Bamako, Mali
BLA:Barcelona, Venezuela
BLL:Billund, Denmark
BLQ:Bologna, Italy
BLR:Bangalore, India
BLT:Blackwater, Australia
BLZ:Blantyre, Malawi
BMA:Stockholm - Bromma, Sweden
BME:Broome, Australia
BMP:Brampton Island, Australia
BNE:Brisbane, Australia
BNK:Ballina, Australia
BNN:Broennoeysund, Norway
BNP:Bannu, Pakistan
BNU:Blumenau, SC, Brazil
BOB:Bora Bora, French Society Islands (Pacific)
BOD:Bordeaux, France
BOG:Bogota, Colombia
BOJ:Burgas, Romania
BOM:Bombay, India
BON:Bonaire, West Indian Isles
BOO:Bodo, Norway
BOY:Bobo/Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
BPN:Balikpapan, Indonesia
BPS:Porto Seguro, BA, Brazil
BQN:Agudilla, Puerto Rico
BRC:San Claros de Bariloche, Argentinia
BRE:Bremen, Germany
BRI:Bari, Italy
BRN:Bern, Switzerland
BRS:Bristol, Great Britain
BRU:Brussels, Belgium
BSB:Brasilia, DF, Brazil
BSL:Basel, Switzerland
BTS:Bratislava, CSFR
BTU:Bintulu, Malaysia
BUD:Budapest - Ferihegy, Hungary
BUE:Buenos Aires, Argentinia
BUG:Bengueka, Angola
BUH:Bukarest, Romania
BUQ:Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
BVB:Boa Vista, RR, Brazil
BWN:Banar Seri Begwan, Brunei
BWT:Burnie (Wynyard), Australia
BXO:Bissau, Guinea Bissau
BYK:Bouake, Ivory Coast
BYU:Bayreuth, Germany
BZE:Belize City, Belize
BZV:Brazzaville, Congo
CAB:Cabinda, Angola
CAC:Cascavel, PR, Brazil
CAG:Cagliari, Italy
CAI:Cairo, Egypt
CAN:Guangzhou (Canton), China
CAS:Casablanca, Morocco
CAW:Campos, RJ, Brazil
CAY:Cayenne, French Guayana
CBB:Cochabamba, Bolivia
CBG:Cambrigde, Great Britain
CBR:Canberra, Australia
CCJ:Calicut, India
CCM:Circiuma, SC, Brazil
CCS:Caracas, Venezuela
CCU:Calcutta, India
CDG:Paris - Charles de Gaulle, France
CED:Ceduna, Australia
CES:Cessnock, Australia
CFE:Clermont Ferrand, France
CFS:Coffs Harbour, Australia
CFU:Corfu, Greece
CGB:Cuiaba, MT, Brazil
CGH:Sao Paulo - Congonhas, Brazil
CGK:Jakarta - Sukarno Hatta, Indonesia
CGN:Cologne (Koeln)/Bonn, Germany
CGP:Chittagong, Bangla Desh
CGR:Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
CHC:Christchurch, New Zealand
CHQ:Chania, Greece
CHT:Chita (Tschita), Russia
CIA:Rome - Ciampino, Italy
CIP:Chipata, Zambia
CJB:Coimbatore, India
CJL:Chitral, Pakistan
CKS:Carajas, PA, Brazil
CKY:Conakry, Guinea
CLO:Cali, Colombia
CLY:Calvi, France
CMB:Colombo, Sri Lanka
CMF:Chambery, France
CMN:Casablanca - Mohamed, Morocco
CMQ:Clermont, Australia
CND:Constanza, Romania
CNS:Cairns, Australia
CNX:Chiang Mai, Thailand
COK:Cochin, India
COO:Cotonou, Benin
COR:Cordoba, Argentinia
CPD:Coober Pedy, Australia
CPH:Copenhagen, Denmark
CPQ:Campinas, SP, Brazil
CPT:Cape Town, South Africa
CPV:Campina Grande, PB, Brazil
CRF:Carnot, Central Africa
CSI:Casino, Australia
CTA:Catania, Italy
CTG:Catagena, Colombia
CTN:Cooktown, Australia
CTS:Chitose, Japan
CUR:Curacao, West Indian Isles
CVQ:Carnarvon, Australia
CWB:Curitiba, PR, Brazil
CWL:Cardiff, Great Britain
CXI:Christmas, Line Island
CXJ:Caixas do Sul, Brazil
CXT:Charters Towers, Australia
CZB:Cruz Alta, RS, Brazil
CZL:Constantine, Algeria
CZS:Cruzeiro do Sul, AC, Brazil
DAC:Dhaka, Bangla Desh
DAM:Damaskus, Syria
DAR:Dar es Salam (Daressalam), Tanzania
DBO:Dubbo, Australia
DBV:Dubrovnik, Croatia (Yugoslavia)
DBY:Dalby, Australia
DDI:Daydream Island, Australia
DEL:Delhi, India
DHA:Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
DJE:Djerba, Tunisia
DJO:Daloa, Ivory Coast
DKI:Dunk Iceland, Australia
DKR:Dakar, Senegal
DLA:Douala, Cameroon
DLM:Dalaman, Turkey
DNR:Dinard, France
DOH:Doha, Qatar
DPO:Devonport, Australia
DPS:Denpasar/Bali, Indonesia
DRB:Derby, Australia
DRS:Dresden, Germany
DRW:Darwin, Australia
DSK:Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan
DTM:Dortmund, Germany
DUB:Dublin, Ireland
DUD:Dunedin, New Zealand
DUR:Durban, South Africa
DUS:Duesseldorf, Germany
DXB:Dubai, UAE
DYA:Dysart, Australia
DYU:Dushanbe (Duschanbe), Tadschikistan
DZA:Dzaoudzi, Mayotte
EAP:Basel/Mulhouse, Switzerland/France
EAS:San Sebastian, Spain
EBB:Entebbe, Uganda
EBJ:Esbjerg, Denmark
EBU:St. Etienne, France
EDI:Edinburgh, Great Britain
EDR:Emerald, Australia
EGS:Egilsstadir, Iceland
EIN:Eindhoven, The Netherlands
EIS:Beef Island, Beef Island
EIS:Tortola, Virgin Islands
ELH:North Eleuthera, Bahamas
ELL:Ellisras, South Africa
ELS:East London, South Africa
EMA:Derby (East Midlands), Great Britain
EMD:Emerald, Australia
ENC:Nancy, France
ENF:Enontekioe, Finland
EPR:Esperance, Australia
ERF:Erfurt, Germany
ERM:Erechim, RS, Brazil
ERS:Windhoek - Eros, Namibia
ESB:Ankara - Esenboga, Turkey
ETH:Elat - Elat, Israel
EVE:Evenes, Norway
EVN:Eriwan (Erevan, Jerevan), Armenia
EZE:Buenos Aires - Ezeiza/Ministro Pistarini, Argentinia
FAE:Faroer, Denmark
FAO:Faro, Portugal
FBE:Francisco Beltrao, PR, Brazil
FBM:Lumbumbashi, Zaire
FBU:Oslo - Fornebu, Norway
FCO:Rome - Leonardo da Vinci/Fuimicino, Italy
FDF:Fort de France, Martinique
FDH:Friedrichshafen, Germany
FEZ:Fes, Morocco
FIH:Kinshasa, Zaire
FJR:Alfujairah (Fujairah), UAE
FKI:Kisangani, Zaire
FLN:Florianopolis, SC, Brazil
FLR:Florence, Italy
FMO:Muenster/Osnabrueck, Germany
FNA:Freetown, Sierra Leone
FNC:Funchal, Portugal
FNI:Nimes, France
FNJ:Pyongyang, North Korea
FOR:Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
FPO:Freeport, Bahamas
FRA:Frankfurt/Main, Germany
FRC:Franca, SP, Brazil
FRJ:Frejus, France
FRO:Floro, Norway
FRW:Francistown, Zimbabwe
FSC:Figari, France
FUE:Fuerteventura, Spain
FUK:Fukuoka, Japan
FUT:Futuna, France, Pacific
GAU:Guwahati, India
GBE:Gaborone, Botswana
GCI:Guernsey, Great Britain
GCM:Grand Cayman, West Indian Isles
GDN:Gdansk, Poland
GEL:Santo Angelo, RS, Brazil
GEN:Oslo - Gardermoen, Norway
GEO:Georgetown, Guyana
GET:Geraldton, Australia
GEX:Geelong, Australia
GFF:Griffith, Australia
GHB:Govenors Harbour, Bahamas
GIB:Gibraltar, Gibraltar
GIG:Rio de Janeiro - Galeao, RJ, Brazil
GIS:Gisborne, New Zealand
GIL:Gilgit, Pakistan
GJM:Guajaru Mirim, RO, Brazil
GJN:Jounieh, Lebanon
GKL:Great Keppel Island, Australia
GLA:Glasgow, Great Britain
GLT:Gladstone, Australia
GNB:Grenoble, France
GND:Grenada, Grenada
GOA:Genua, Italy
GOI:Goa, India
GOO:Goondiwindi, Australia
GOT:Goteborg, Sweden
GOU:Garoua, Cameroon
GOV:Gove (Nhulunbuy), Australia
GOZ:Gorna, Bulgaria
GPA:Araxos, Greece
GPB:Guarapuava, PR, Brazil
GRJ:George, South Africa
GRO:Gerona, Spain
GRP:Gurupi, GO, Brazil
GRU:Sao Paulo - Guarulhos, Brazil
GRX:Granada, Spain
GRZ:Graz, Austria
GTE:Groote Eyeland, Australia
GTI:Groote Eylandt, Australia
GUA:Guatemala City, Guatemala
GUM:Guam, Pacific
GVA:Geneva, Switzerland
GWD:Gwadar, Pakistan
GWE:Gweru, Zimbabwe
GWT:Westerland, Germany
GWY:Galway, Ireland
GYE:Guayaquil, Ecuador
GYN:Goiania, GO, Brazil
GYP:Gympie, Australia
HAC:Hachijo Jima, Japan
HAH:Moroni, Comores
HAJ:Hannover, Germany
HAM:Hamburg, Germany
HAN:Hanoi, Vietnam
HAP:Whitsunday Resort (Long Island), Australia
HAU:Haugesund, Norway
HAV:Havanna, Cuba
HBA:Hobart, Australia
HDD:Hyderabad, Pakistan
HDY:Hatyai (Hat Yai), Thailand
HEL:Helsinki, Finland
HER:Heraklion, Greece
HFA:Haifa, Isreal
HFT:Hammerfest, Norway
HGH:Hangchow, China
HGO:Korhogo, Ivory Coast
HIR:Honiara, Australia
HIS:Hayman Island, Australia
HKD:Hakodate, Japan
HKG:Hong Kong, Hong Kong
HKK:Hamilton, New Zealand
HKT:Phuket, Thailand
HLA:Lanseria, South Africa
HLP:Jakarta - Halim Perdanakusma, Indonesia
HLT:Hamilton, Australia
HMA:Malmo - Hovercraft Terminal, Sweden
HMH:Home Hill, Australia
HND:Tokyo - Haneda, Japan
HNK:Hinchinbrook Isalnd, Australia
HOG:Holguin, Cuba
HOQ:Hof, Germany
HOR:Horta, Portugal
HRB:Harbin, China
HRE:Harare, Zimbabwe
HRG:Hurghada, Egypt
HTI:Hamilton Island, Australia
HUH:Huahine, French Society Islands (Pacific)
HUY:Humberside, Great Britain
HVB:Hervey Bay, Australia
HWN:Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
HYD:Hyderabad, India
IBZ:Ibiza, Spain
IEV:Kiev - Zhulyany, Ucrainia
IFL:Innisfail, Australia
IGH:Ingham, Australia
IGL:Izmir, Turkey
IGU:Foz de Iguacu, PR, Brazil
IJU:Ijui, RS, Brazil
IKT:Irkutsk, Russia
ILP:Ile des Pins, France, New Caledonia
IMP:Imperatriz, MA, Brazil
INI:Nis, Yugoslavia
INN:Innsbruck, Austria
INV:Inverness, Great Britain
IOM:Isle of Man, Great Britain
IOS:Ilheus, BA, Brazil
IOU:Ile Ouen, France, New Caledonia
IPC:Easter Island, Chile
IQT:Iquitos, Peru
IRG:Lockhart River, Australia
IRO:Biraro, Central Africa
ISA:Mt. Isa, Australia
ISB:Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Pakistan
IST:Istanbul, Turkey
ITJ:Itajai, SC, Brazil
ITN:Itabuna, BA, Brazil
IVC:Invercargill, New Zealand
IVL:Ivalo, Finland
IXG:Belgaum, India
IXR:Ranchi, India
IXU:Chandigarh, India
IXW:Jamshedpur, India
IZM:Izmir, Turkey
JAG:Jacobabad, Pakistan
JAI:Jaipur, India
JCB:Joao Pesso, PB, Brazil
JDF:Juiz do Fora, MG, Brazil
JDO:Juazeiro do Norte, CE, Brazil
JED:Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
JER:Jersey, Great Britain
JHB:Johore Bahru, Malaysia
JHE:Helsingborg, Sweden
JHQ:Shute Harbour, Australia
JIB:Djibouti, Djibouti
JIW:Jiwani, Pakistan
JKG:Joenkoeping, Sweden
JKH:Chios, Greece
JKT:Jakarta - Kemayoran, Indonesia
JLR:Jalandhar, India
JMK:Mykonos, Greece
JNB:Johannesburg, South Africa
JOE:Joensuu, Finland
JOI:Joinville, SC, Brazil
JPA:Joao Pessoa, Brazil
JPR:Ji Parana, RO, Brazil
JRO:Kilimadjaro, Tanzania
JSI:Skiathos, Greece
JTR:Thira, Greece
JYV:Jyvaeskylae, Finland
KAJ:Kajaani, Finland
KAN:Kano, Nigeria
KAT:Kaitaia, New Zealand
KBL:Kabul, Afghanistan
KBP:Kiev - Borispol, Ucrainia
KBY:Streaky Bay, Australia
KCE:Collinsville, Australia
KCH:Kuching, Malaysia
KCZ:Kochi, Japan
KDD:Khuzdar, Pakistan
KDU:Skardu, Pakistan
KEF:Keflavik, Iceland
KEL:Kiel, Germany
KEM:Kemi/Tornio, Finland
KGC:Kingscote, Australia
KGI:Kalgoorlie, Australia
KGL:Kigali, Rwanda
KGS:Kos, Greece
KHH:Kaohsiung, Taiwan
KHI:Karachi, Pakistan
KHJ:Kauhajoki, Finland
KHV:Chabarovsk, Russia
KID:Kristianstad, Sweden
KIJ:Niigata, Japan
KIM:Kimberley, South Africa
KIN:Kingston, Jamaica
KIR:Kerry County, Ireland
KIW:Kitwe, Zambia
KKE:Bay of Islands, New Zealand
KKN:Kirkenes, Norway
KLR:Kalmar, Sweden
KLU:Klagenfurt, Austria
KLX:Kalamata, Greece
KLZ:Kleinsee, South Africa
KMJ:Kumamoto, Japan
KMP:Keetmanshoop, Namibia
KNS:King Island, King Island
KNX:Kununurra, Australia
KOI:Orkney, Great Britain
KOJ:Kagoshima, Japan
KOK:Kokkola/Pietarsaari, Finland
KRB:Karumba, Australia
KRK:Krakau, Poland
KRN:Kiruna, Sweden
KRP:Karup, Denmark
KRS:Kristiansand, Norway
KRT:Khartoum, Sudan
KSD:Karlstad, Sweden
KSU:Kristiansund, Norway
KTA:Karratha, Australia
KTF:Takaka, New Zealand
KTM:Kathmandu, Nepal
KTR:Katherine, Australia
KTT:Kittilae, Sweden
KUA:Kuantan, Malaysia
KUB:Kuala Belait, Brunei
KUH:Kushiro, Japan
KUL:Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
KUO:Kuopio, Finland
KVA:Kavalla, Greece
KWI:Kuwait, Kuwait
KWM:Kowanyama, Australia
KZN:Kasan, Russia
LAD:Luanda, Angola
LAE:Lae, Papua New Guinea
LAI:Lannion, France
LAJ:Lages, SC, Brazil
LAY:Ldaysmith, South Africa
LBA:Leeds/Bradford, Great Britain
LBG:Paris - Le Bourget, France
LBI:Albi, France
LBQ:Lambarene, Gabon
LBU:Labuan, Malaysia
LBV:Libreville, Gabon
LCA:Larnaca, Cyprus
LCG:La Coruna, Spain
LCY:London - City Airport, Great Britain
LDB:Londrina, PR, Brazil
LDC:Lindeman Island, Australia
LDE:Loudres/Tarbes, France
LDK:Lidkoeping, Sweden
LDY:Derry (Londonderry), Great Britain
LEA:Learmouth (Exmouth), Australia
LED:St. Petersburg (Leningrad), Russia
LEI:Almeria, Spain
LEJ:Leipzig, Germany
LEK:Labe, Guinea
LER:Leinster, Australia
LFW:Lome, Togo
LGG:Liege, Belgium
LGK:Langkawi, Malaysia
LGW:London - Gatwick, Great Britain
LHE:Lahore, Pakistan
LHR:London - Heathrow, Great Britain
LIF:Lifou, Loyaute, Pazifik
LIG:Limoges, France
LIL:Lille, France
LIM:Lima, Peru
LIN:Milan - Linate, Italy
LIS:Lissabon, Portugal
LJU:Ljubljana, Slovenia
LKL:Lakselv, Norway
LKO:Lucknow, India
LLA:Lulea, Sweden
LLW:Lilongwe, Malawi
LNO:Leonora, Australia
LNZ:Linz, Austria
LON:London, Great Britain
LOS:Lagos, Nigeria
LPA:Las Palmas, Spain
LPB:La Paz, Bolivia
LPL:Liverpool, Great Britain
LPP:Lappeenranta, Finland
LRE:Longreach, Australia
LRH:La Rochelle, France
LRM:Casa de Campo/La Romana, Dominican Republic
LRT:Lorient, France
LSG:Ishigaki, Japan
LSI:Sumburgh (Shetland), Great Britain
LST:Launceston, Australia
LSY:Lismore, Australia
LSZ:Losinj, Yugoslavia
LTN:Luton, Great Britain
LUD:Luederitz, Namibia
LUG:Lugano, Switzerland
LUJ:Lusisiki, South Africa
LUX:Luxemburg, Luxemburg
LVB:Santana do Livramento, RS, Brazil
LVO:Laverton, Australia
LWO:Lvov (Lwow, Lemberg), Ucrainia
LXR:Luxor, Egypt
LYP:Faisalabad, Pakistan
LYR:Longyearbyen (Svalbard), Spitzbergen, Norway
LYS:Lyon, France
LZR:Lizard Island, Australia
MAA:Madras, India
MAB:Maraba, PA, Brazil
MAD:Madrid, Spain
MAH:Mahon, Spain
MAN:Manchester, Great Britain
MAO:Manaus, AM, Brazil
MAR:Maracaibo, Venezuela
MAU:Maupiti, Society Islands
MAZ:Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
MBA:Mombassa, Kenya
MBH:Maryborough, Australia
MBJ:Montenego Bay, Jamaica
MBM:Mkambati, South Africa
MBX:Maribor, Yugoslavia
MCP:Macapa, RJ, Brazil
MCT:Muscat, Oman
MCY:Sunshine Coast, Australia
MCZ:Maceio, AL, Brazil
MDE:Medellin, Colombia
MDQ:Mar del Plata, Argentinia
MDZ:Mendoza, Argentinia
MEA:Macae, RJ, Brazil
MED:Medina, Saudi Arabia
MEE:Mare, France, New Caledonia
MEL:Melbourne, Australia
MES:Medan, Indonesia
MEZ:Messina, South Africa
MFF:Moanda, Gabon
MFG:Muzaffarabad, Pakistan
MFN:Milford Sound, New Zealand
MFQ:Maradi, Niger
MFU:Mfuwe, Zambia
MGA:Managua, Nicaragua
MGB:Mount Gambier, Australia
MGF:Maringa, PR, Brazil
MGH:Margate, South Africa
MGQ:Mogadischu, Somalia
MHH:Marsh Harbour, Bahamas
MHQ:Mariehamn (Maarianhamina), Finland
MIK:Mikkeli, Finland
MIL:Milan, Italy
MIM:Merimbula, Australia
MIR:Monastir, Tunisia
MJC:Man, Ivory Coast
MJD:Moenjodaro, Pakistan
MJL:Mouila, Gabon
MJN:Majunga, Madagascar
MJT:Mytilene (Lesbos), Greece
MJV:Murcia, Spain
MKR:Meekatharra, Australia
MKY:Mackay, Australia
MLA:Valetta, Malta
MLE:Male, Maledives
MLH:Mulhouse, France
MLW:Monrovia, Liberia
MMA:Malmoe, Sweden
MME:Tees Side, Great Britain
MMG:Mount Magnet, Australia
MMK:Murmansk, Russia
MMM:Middlemount, Australia
MMX:Malmoe - Sturup, Sweden
MMY:Miyako (Ryuku Islands), Japan
MNL:Manila, Philippines
MOC:Montes Claros, MG, Brazil
MON:Mount Cook, New Zealand
MOV:Moranbah, Australia
MOW:Moscow - Sheremetyevo 2, Russia
MOZ:Moorea, Society Islands
MPA:Katima Mulilo/Mpacha, Namibia
MPD:Sindhri, Pakistan
MPL:Montpellier, France
MPM:Maputo, Mozambique
MQL:Mildura, Australia
MQQ:Moundou, Chad
MRS:Marseille, France
MRU:Mauritius, Mauritius
MRV:Mineralniye Vody, CIS
MRZ:Moree, Australia
MSQ:Minsk, White Russia
MSR:Muenster/Osnabrueck, Germany
MST:Maastricht, The Netherlands
MSU:Maseru, Lesotho
MTE:Monte Alegre, PA, Brazil
MTL:Maitland, Australia
MTS:Manzini, Swaziland
MUB:Maun, Botswana
MUC:Muenchen (Munich), Germany
MUH:Marsa Matrah, Egypt
MUX:Multan, Pakistan
MVB:Mvengue, Gabon
MVD:Montevideo, Uruguay
MVR:Maroua, Cameroon
MVZ:Masvingo, Zimbabwe
MWD:Mianwali, Pakistan
MXP:Mailand - Malpensa, Italy
MYD:Malindi, Kenya
MYJ:Matsuyama, Japan
MYY:Miri, Malaysia
MZF:Mzamba, South Africa
MZG:Makung, Taiwan
MZM:Metz, France
MZP:Motueka, New Zealand
MZZ:Manzini, Swaziland
NAA:Narrabri, Australia
NAG:Nagpur, India
NAN:Nandi, Fiji
NAP:Naples, Italy
NAS:Nassau, Bahamas
NAT:Natal, RN, Brazil
NBO:Nairobi, Kenya
NCE:Nizza, France
NCL:Newcastle, Great Britain
NCS:Newcastle, South Africa
NCY:Annecy, France
NDB:Nouadhibou, Mauritania
NDJ:N'Djamena, Chad
NDU:Rundu, Namibia
NEV:Nevis, Nevis
NGE:N'Gaoundere, Cameroon
NGO:Nagoya, Japan
NGS:Nagasaki, Japan
NIC:Nicosia, Cyprus
NIM:Niamey, Niger
NKC:Nouakchott, Mauritania
NLA:N'Dola, Zambia
NLK:Norfolk Island, Australia
NLP:Nelspruit, South Africa
NNG:Nanning, China
NOC:Knock, Ireland
NOP:Lapu Lapu, Philippines
NOU:Noumea, France, New Caledonia
NRA:Narrandera, Australia
NPE:Napier/Hastings, New Zealand
NPL:New Plymouth, New Zealand
NRK:Norrkoeping, Sweden
NRT:Tokyo - Narita, Japan
NSA:Noosa, Australia
NSN:Nelson, New Zealand
NSO:Scone, Australia
NTE:Nantes, France
NTL:Newcastle, Australia
NTY:Pilanesberg/Sun City, South Africa
NUE:Nuernberg (Nuremburg), Germany
NVT:Navegantes, Brazil
OAG:Orange, Australia
OAM:Oamaru, New Zealand
OBI:Obidos, PA, Brazil
ODA:Ouadda, Central African Republic
ODB:Cordoba, Spain
ODE:Odense, Denmark
ODS:Odessa, Russia
OHD:Ohrid, Yugoslavia
OHT:Kohat, Pakistan
OIT:Oita, Japan
OKA:Okinawa, Ryukyo Island, Japan
OKU:Mokuti, Namibia
OLB:Olbia, Italy
OLP:Olympic Dam, Australia
OMD:Oranjemund, Namibia
OMO:Mostar, Yugoslavia
OND:Ondangwa, Namibia
OOL:Gold Coast (Coolangatta/Surfers Paradise), Australia
OOM:Cooma, Australia
OPO:Porto, Portugal
OPS:Sinop, MT, Brazil
ORB:Oerebro, Sweden
ORK:Cork, Ireland
ORN:Oran (Ouahran), Algeria
ORS:Orpheus Island, Australia
ORY:Paris - Orly, France
OSA:Osaka, Japan
OSI:Osijek, Yugoslavia
OSL:Oslo, Norway
OSR:Ostrau, CSFR
OTP:Bukarest - Otopeni, Romania
OUA:Ougadougou, Burkina Faso
OUD:Oujda, Morocco
OUH:Oudtshoorn, South Africa
OUL:Oulu, Finland
OUZ:Zouerate, Mauritania
OVB:Novosibirsk, Russia
OVD:Oviedo, Spain
OZZ:Ouarzazate, Morocco
PAD:Paderborn/Lippstadt, Germany
PAP:Port au Prince, Haiti
PAR:Paris, France
PAT:Patna, India
PAV:Paulo Afonso, BA, Brazil
PBM:Paramaribo, Suriname
PBO:Paraburdoo, Australia
PBZ:Plettenberg Bay, South Africa
PDL:Ponta Delgada, Portugal
PEG:Perugia, Italy
PEI:Pereira, Colombia
PEK:Beijing, China
PEN:Penang - International, Malaysia
PER:Perth, Australia
PET:Pelotas, PS, Brazil
PEW:Peshawar, Pakistan
PFB:Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil
PFO:Paphos, Cyprus
PGF:Perpignan, France
PGZ:Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil
PHC:Port Harcourt, Nigeria
PHE:Port Hedland, Australia
PHW:Phalaborwa, South Africa
PIK:Glasgow - Prestwick, Great Britain
PJG:Panjgur, Pakistan
PKW:Selibi Phikwe, Botswana
PLO:Port Lincoln, Australia
PLZ:Port Elizabeth, South Africa
PMI:Palma de Mallorca, Spain
PMO:Palermo, Italy
PMR:Palmerston North, New Zealand
PMV:Margerita, Venezuela
PNG:Paranagua, PR, Brazil
PNH:Phnom Penh, Cambodia
PNL:Pantelleria, Italy
PNQ:Pune, India
PNR:Pointe Noire, Congo
PNZ:Petrolina, PE, Brazil
POA:Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
POG:Port Gentil, Gabon
POM:Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
POP:Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
POR:Pori, Finland
POS:Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
PPG:Pago Pago, Amer. Samoa
PPP:Prosperpine, Australia
PPQ:Paraparaumu, New Zealand
PPT:Papeete, Tahiti
PQQ:Port Macquarie, Australia
PRG:Prague, CSFR
PRN:Pristina, Yugoslavia
PRY:Pretoria, South Africa
PSA:Pisa, Italy
PSE:Ponce, Puerto Rico
PSI:Pasni, Pakistan
PSR:Pescara, Italy
PTG:Pietersburg, South Africa
PTJ:Portland, Australia
PTO:Pato Branco, PR, Brazil
PTP:Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe
PTY:Panama City, Panama
PUF:Pau, France
PUG:Port Augusta, Australia
PUJ:Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
PUQ:Punta Arenas, Chile
PUY:Pula, Croatia
PVH:Porto Velho, RO, Brazil
PVI:Paranavai, PR, Brazil
PVK:Preveza/Lefkas, Greece
PXO:Porto Santo, Portugal
PYX:Pattaya, Thailand
PZB:Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
PZH:Zhob, Pakistan
PZO:Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela
QAB:Brusque, SC, Brazil
QAU:Bededouro, SP, Brazil
QAV:Benjamin Constant, AM, Brazil
QBD:Barra do Pirai, RJ, Brazil
QBN:Barra Mansa, RJ, Brazil
QBX:Sobral, CE, Brazil
QCB:Currais Novos, RN, Brazil
QCC:Camacari, BA, Brazil
QCD:Campo Bom, RS, Brazil
QCH:Colatina, ES, Brazil
QCJ:Botucatu, SP, Brazil
QCN:Canelas, RS, Brazil
QCS:Cataguases, MG, Brazil
QCV:Garulhos, SP, Brazil
QCX:Sao Caetano do Sul, Sp, Brazil
QDA:Charquedas, RS, Brazil
QDB:Cachoeirado do Sul, RS, Brazil
QDE:Catanduva, SP, Brazil
QDF:Consolheiro Lafaite, MG, Brazil
QDG:Divinopolis, MG, Brazil
QDO:Icoaraci, PA, Brazil
QDP:Dom Pedrito, RS, Brazil
QDQ:Duque de Caixas, RJ, Brazil
QDS:Itsjuba, SC, Brazil
QDW:Diadema, SP, Brazil
QFS:Sao Franzisco do Sul, SC, Brazil
QGA:Guaira, PR, Brazil
QGB:Garanhuns, PE, Brazil
QGF:Montenegro, PS, Brazil
QGK:Palmares, PE, Brazil
QGR:Pusso Alegre, MG, Brazil
QGS:Alagorinhas, BA, Brazil
QHE:Sao Bento do Sul, SC, Brazil
QHL:Castunhal, PA, Brazil
QHT:Teresopolis, RJ, Brazil
QHV:Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil
QID:Tres Coracoes, MG, Brazil
QIH:Tres Rios, RJ, Brazil
QJA:Jaragua do Sul, SC, Brazil
QJU:Kanpur, India
QLB:Lajeado, RS, Brazil
QLI:Limassol, Cyprus
QLL:Sao Leopoldo, RS, Brazil
QLW:Lavras, MG, Brazil
QMC:Mairiporu, SP, Brazil
QMF:Mafra, SC, Brazil
QMI:Mogi das Crazes, SP, Brazil
QML:Mirpur, Pakistan
QNA:Ballina, Australia
QNB:Anand, India
QND:Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
QNE:Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
QNH:Canoinhas, SC, Brazil
QNS:Canoas, RS, Brazil
QNT:Niteroi, RJ, Brazil
QNV:Nova Iguacu, RJ, Brazil
QOA:Mococa, SP, Brazil
QOC:Osasco, SP, Brazil
QOI:Cotia, SP, Brazil
QOX:Mossoro, RN, Brazil
QPE:Petropolis, RJ, Brazil
QPF:Pompeia, SP, Brazil
QRK:Arcos, MG, Brazil
QRQ:Caruaru, PE, Brazil
QRU:Rio so Sul, SC, Brazil
QRZ:Resende, RJ, Brazil
QSB:Sao Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil
QSC:Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil
QSD:Sao Gancalo, RJ, Brazil
QSE:Santo Andre, SP, Brazil
QSJ:Sao Jouo del Rei, MG, Brazil
QTA:Atibaia, SP, Brazil
QTD:Timbauba, PE, Brazil
QTE:Sao Goncalo do Amarante, RN, Brazil
QTO:Toledo, PR, Brazil
QUR:Muriae, MG, Brazil
QVB:Uniao do Vitoria, PR, Brazil
QVH:Vila Velho, ES, Brazil
QVR:Volta Redonda, RJ, Brazil
QXJ:Caixas do Sul, RS, Brazil
RAJ:Rajkot, India
RAK:Marrakesch, Morocco
RAO:Riberirao Preto, SP, Brazil
RAR:Rarotonga, Cook Island
RAZ:Rawala Kot, Pakistan
RBA:Rabat, Morocco
RBR:Rio Branco, AC, Brazil
RCB:Richards Bay, South Africa
RDZ:Rodez, France
REC:Recife, PE, Brazil
REG:Reggio Calabria, Italy
REK:Reykjavik, Iceland
REU:Reus, Spain
RFP:Raiatea, Society Islands
RGI:Rangiroa, Tuamaotou, Pacific
RGN:Yangoon, Myanmar
RHO:Rhodos, Greece
RIA:Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
RIG:Rio Grande, RS, Brazil
RIK:Riga, Latvia
RIO:Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
RIX:Riga, Lithuania
RJK:Rijeka, Yugoslavia
RKT:Ras al Khaymah, UAE
RLT:Arlit, Niger
RMI:Rimini, Italy
RNB:Ronneby, Sweden
RNE:Roanne, France
RNN:Roenne, Denmark
RNS:Rennes, France
ROK:Rockhampton, Australia
ROM:Rom, Italy
ROS:Rosario, Argentinia
ROT:Rotorua, New Zealand
ROU:Ruse, Bulgaria
RRG:Rodrigues Insel, Mauritius
RSD:Rock Sound, Bahamas
RTM:Rotterdam, The Netherlands
RUH:Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
RUN:Saint Denis de la Reunion, Reunion, Indian Ocean
RVN:Rovaniemi, Finland
RWP:Rawalpindi, Pakistan
RYK:Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan
SAH:Sanaa (Sana'a), Yemen
SAL:San Salvador, El Salvador
SAO:Sao Paulo, Brazil
SAP:San Pedro Sula, Honduras
SAY:Salisbury, Zimbabwe
SBK:Saint Brieuc, France
SBU:Springbok, South Africa
SBW:Sibu, Malaysia
SCL:Santiago de Chile, Chile
SCN:Saarbruecken, Germany
SCQ:Santiago de Compostela, Spain
SDA:Bagdad - Saddam International, Irak
SDJ:Sendai, Japan
SDL:Sundsvall, Sweden
SDQ:Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
SDR:Santander, Spain
SDT:Saidu Sharif, Pakistan
SDU:Rio de Janeiro - Santos Dumont, RJ, Brazil
SEB:Sehba, Libya
SEL:Seoul, South Korea
SEN:Southend, Great Britain
SEZ:Mahe, Seychelles
SFA:Sfax, Tunisia
SFG:St. Martin, St. Martin
SFJ:Soendre Stroemfjord, Greenland
SGD:Soenderborg, Denmark
SGN:Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam
SHA:Shanghai, China
SHJ:Sharjah, UAE
SID:Sal, Kap Verde
SIN:Singapore, Singapore
SIP:Simferopol, Ucrainia
SIS:Sishen, South Africa
SIX:Singleton, Australia
SJJ:Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
SJK:Sao Jose dos Lampos, SP, Brazil
SJO:San Jose, Costa Rica
SJP:Sao Jose do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
SJU:San Juan, Perto Rico
SJY:Seinaejoki, Finland
SKB:St. Kitts, Leeward Insel
SKD:Samarkand, Usbecistan
SKG:Saloniki, Greece
SKP:Skopje, Yugoslavia
SKS:Skrydstrup, Denmark
SKZ:Sukkur, Pakistan
SLL:Salalah, Oman
SLS:Silistra, Bulgaria
SLU:St. Lucia - Vigle, St. Lucia
SLZ:Sao Luis, MA, Brazil
SMA:Santa Maria, Portugal
SMI:Samos, Greece
SNN:Shannon (Limerick), Ireland
SOF:Sofia, Bulgaria
SOG:Sogndal, Norway
SOI:South Molle Island, Australia
SON:Santo, Vanuatu
SOT:Sodankylae, Finland
SOU:Sothampton, Great Britain
SPC:Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain
SPK:Saporro, Japan
SPN:Saipan, Pacific
SPU:Split, Yugoslavia
SPY:San Pedro, Ivory Coast
SRA:Santa Rosa, RS, Brazil
SRZ:Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
SSA:Salvador, BA, Brazil
SSG:Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
SSH:Sharm el Sheik, Egypt
SSZ:Santos, Brazil
STM:Santarem, Brazil
STN:Stansted (London), Great Britain
STO:Stockholm, Sweden
STR:Stuttgart, Germany
STT:St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
STV:Surat, India
STX:St. Croix, Virgin Islands
SUB:Surabaya, Indonesia
SUF:Lamezia Terme, Italy
SUL:Sui, Pakistan
SUM:Agana, Guam
SUV:Suva, Fiji
SVD:St. Vincent, St. Vincent
SVG:Stavanger, Norway
SVL:Savonlinna, Finland
SVO:Moscow - Sheremetyevo 2, Russia
SVQ:Sevilla, Spain
SWP:Swakopmund, Namibia
SXB:Strassburg, France
SXF:Berlin - Schoenefeld, Germany
SXL:Sligo, Ireland
SXM:St. Marteen, West Indian Isles
SXR:Srinagar, India
SYD:Sydney, Australia
SYY:Stornway, Great Britain
SZG:Salzburg, Austria
SZK:Skukuza, South Africa
SZZ:Stettin, Poland
TAK:Takamatsu, Japan
TAS:Taschkent, Usbecistan
TAT:Poprad (Tatry), CSFR
TAY:Taipei - Sungshan, Taiwan
TBS:Tiblissi (Tiflis), Georgia
TBT:Tabatinga, AM, Brazil
TBU:Nuku'alofa, Tonga
TCA:Tennant Creek, Australia
TCB:Treasure Cay, Bahamas
TCI:Teneriffa, Spain
TCU:Thaba'Nchu, South Africa
TED:Thisted, Denmark
TEM:Temora, Australia
TER:Terceira, Portugal
TEU:Te Anau, New Zealand
TFF:Tefe, MA, Brazil
TFN:Los Rodeos (Teneriffa), Spain
TFS:Reina Sofia (Teneriffa), Spain
TGD:Titograd, Yugoslavia
TGU:Tegucigalpa, Honduras
TGV:Targovishte, Bulgaria
THE:Teresina, PI, Brazil
THF:Berlin - Tempelhof, Germany
THG:Biloela, Australia
THR:Teheran, Iran
TIA:Tirana, Albanien
TIF:Taif, Saudi Arabia
TIP:Triplis, Libya
TIS:Thursday Island, Australia
TIU:Timaru, New Zealand
TIV:Tivat, Yugoslavia
TKS:Tokushima, Japan
TKU:Turku, Finland
TLL:Tallinn, Estonia
TLS:Toulouse, France
TLV:Tel Aviv, Israel
TMP:Tampere, Finland
TMS:Sao Tome, Sao Tome & Principe
TMT:Porto Trombetas, PA, Brazil
TMW:Tamworth, Australia
TMZ:Termez (Termes), Usbecistan
TNG:Tanger, Morocco
TNR:Antananarivo (Tanannarive), Madagascar
TOD:Tioman, Indonesia
TOS:Tromsoe, Norway
TOU:Touho, France, New Caledonia
TPE:Taipei - Chiang Kaisek, Taiwan
TPR:Tom Price, Australia
TPS:Trapani, Italy
TRD:Trondheim, Norway
TRF:Sandefjord, Norway
TRG:Tauranga, New Zealand
TRN:Turin, Italy
TRO:Taree, Australia
TRS:Triest, Italy
TRV:Trivandrum, India
TRZ:Tiruchirapally, India
TSA:Taipei (Domestic ?), Taiwan
TSB:Tsumeb, Namibia
TSF:Treviso, Italy
TSV:Townsville, Australia
TUK:Turbat, Pakistan
TUN:Tunis, Tunisia
TUO:Taupo, New Zealand
TUU:Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
TWB:Toowoomba, Australia
TWU:Tawau, Malaysia
TXL:Berlin - Tegel, Germany
TYN:Taiyuan, China
TYO:Tokyo, Japan
UAK:Narsarsuaq, Greenland
UBA:Uberaba, MG, Brazil
UDI:Uberlandia, MG, Brazil
UEE:Queenstown, Australia
UET:Quetta, Pakistan
UIO:Quito, Ecuador
UIP:Quimper, France
UKB:Kobe, Japan
ULD:Ulundi, South Africa
ULN:Ulan Bator, Mongolia
ULU:Ulan Ude, Russia
UMR:Woomera, Australia
UMU:Umuarama, PR, Brazil
UPG:Ujung Pandang, Indonesia
URC:Urumqi, China
URG:Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil
UTN:Upington, South Africa
UTP:Utapao (Pattaya), Thailand
UTT:Umtata, South Africa
UVE:Oyem ??/Ouvea ??, Gabon/Loyautte
UVF:St. Lucia - Hewanorra, St. Lucia
UVL:New Valley, Egypt
VAA:Vaasa, Finland
VAP:Valparaiso, Chile
VAR:Varna, Bulgaria
VBY:Visby, Sweden
VCE:Venedig, Italy
VCP:Sao Paulo - Viracopos, Brazil
VDA:Elat - Ovula, Israel
VDE:Valverde, Spain
VEK:Velikiye Luki (Welikije Luki), Russia
VFA:Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
VGO:Vigo, Spain
VID:Vidin, Bulgaria
VIE:Vienna, Austria
VIJ:Virgin Gorda, Virgin Islands
VIT:Vitoria, Spain
VIX:Vitoria, ES, Brazil
VKO:Moscow - Vnukovo, Russia
VLC:Valencia, Spain
VLI:Port Vila, Vanuatu
VLL:Valladolid, Spain
VLN:Valencia, Venezuela
VNO:Wilna (Vilnius), Lithuania
VNS:Varanasi, India
VOT:Votuporanga, SP, Brazil
VRA:Varadero, Cuba
VRK:Varkaus, Finland
VRN:Verona, Italy
VST:Vasteras, Sweden
VTE:Vietiane, Laos
VXO:Vaexjoe, Sweden
VYD:Vryheid, South Africa
WAG:Wanganui, New Zealand
WAW:Warschau, Poland
WDH:Windhoek - International, Namibia
WEI:Weipa, Australia
WEL:Welkom, South Africa
WGA:Wagga, Australia
WHK:Whakatane, New Zealand
WHM:Wickham, Australia
WKA:Wanaka, New Zealand
WIC:Wick, Great Britain
WLG:Wellington, New Zealand
WLS:Wallis, Wallis Archipel, Pacific
WMB:Warrnambool, Australia
WNS:Nawab Shah, Pakistan
WOL:Wollongong, Australia
WRE:Whangarei, New Zealand
WSY:Airline Beach, Australia
WSZ:Westport, New Zealand
WUN:Wiluna, Australia
WVB:Walvis Bay, South Africa
WYA:Whyalla, Australia
WYN:Wyndham, Australia
XAP:Chapeco, SC, Brazil
XMH:Manihi, Tuamaotou, Pacific
XRY:Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
YAO:Yaonde, Cameroon
YNB:Yanbu, Saudi Arabia
YOK:Yokohama, Japan
YVA:Moroni, Comores
ZAD:Zadar, Yugoslavia
ZAG:Zagreb, Yugoslavia
ZAZ:Zaragoza, Spain
ZBO:Bowen, Australia
ZDJ:Bern, Switzerland
ZND:Zinder, Niger
ZNE:Newman, Australia
ZQN:Queenstown, New Zealand
ZRH:Zurich, Switzerland
ZSS:Sassandra, Ivory Coast
ZTH:Zakynthos, Greece
ZYL:Sylhet, Bangladesh
--
Larry Autry
Silicon Graphics, St. Louis
autry@sgi.com
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
· Subject: Air Travel FAQ 4/5 Ticket Consolidators
Archive-name: air-travel/bucket-shops
Last-Modified: Tue Jun 30 17:37:38 CDT 1992
This is one in a series of FAQ lists that are posted monthly. Postings
1/5 through 5/5 include this introduction.
The charter of REC.TRAVEL.AIR is to serve as a discussion group for issues
related to air travel (surprise!). This monthly posting of frequently asked
questions (FAQ) is intended to prevent the recurrence of specific questions or
types of questions that are either unanswerable, or are asked seemingly weekly.
Some topics are mostly U.S./North American based, while others are global in
interest. The information contained here is based on the best postings from
the net on these subjects, and thanks are due to the netters who provided them.
Information from international sources would be a welcome addition.
(Please post or send to Laurie at bechtler@asdg.enet.dec.com.)
As with any newsgroup, it is best to read it for a few weeks before posting
anything, in order to see what topics are currently being discussed.
Please keep in mind that air travel is subject to a complex set of rules,
regulations, and agreements (official or unofficial) between governments,
airlines, and ticket agencies. Information transmitted over the net is not
definitive. Netters offer what they know with good intentions; however, no
guarantee is made the that information contained in this list is 100% correct.
Having said that, know then, that all information herein is offered AS IS
with no implied warranty of accuracy whatsoever.
Currently, the number of lists totals six. Five are posted by Larry Autry
and maintained by Laurie Bechtler <bechtler@asdg.enet.dec.com> and Larry
Autry <autry@sgi.com>. One FAQ list that is posted separately, is the
article on "How to Get Cheap Airtickets" by Mark Kantrowitz
<mkant@cs.cmu.edu>.
The subjects of these five lists are as follows:
I. Intro and Answers to General Questions
II. Airport Codes For North America
III. Airport Codes For The World
IV. Ticket Consolidator Article (Bucket Shops)
V. Article About How To Prevent Jetlag
********************************************************************************
BUCKET SHOPS AND CONSOLIDATORS
The following information was obtained from an anonymous posting, with
only minor editing. There are two separate descriptions, from two
different people, the second being an agent in a bucket shop. This
person didn't reveal an identity for fear of getting in trouble, so don't
post asking for the address of this bucket shop. This posting is very
long but answers many questions about international ticketing.
--description from first anonymous source--
"Consolidator" and "bucket shop" are sometimes used interchangeably, but
aren't exactly the same.
Consolidators are agencies that have discount agreements with the
airlines. In most cases, especially with the U.S. and other big airlines,
consolidators are wholesalers who sell only through retail agencies, not
directly to the public. (I recall seeing a list in the Consumers Report
Travel Newsletter of some consolidators who deal directly with the
public. But retail customers will, of course, be charged more than
wholesale customers.) In any case consolidators do NOT offer retail
service. If you want a straightforward round-trip ticket, know what
airline you want to go on, and exactly what dates, and that that airline
has the best route and price, fine. But of course many itineraries
aren't like that, and most people need a retail agent's help to figure
out what's the best ticket for them.
Any retail travel agent can buy tickets from consolidators, and most
U.S. agents who do significant international ticketing are familiar
with some of the biggest consolidators for major carriers. Bucket shops
are retail agencies that specialize in knowing the full range of
consolidators (every airline has many consolidators) and in knowing other
techniques of fare construction, importing tickets, etc. for discount prices.
Consolidators basically fall into three categories:
(1) Wholesale only -- no retail sales or advertising. (You may have seen
their names, however, in the validation box of tickets bought through a
retail agency.) These are the consolidators most local travel agents
know about. They generally deal only with round trips originating in the
country where they are based, and seem to be most common in the U.S.
They advertise heavily in the travel agency trade press.
(2) Specialty agencies selling both wholesale and retail. Frequently an
agency operating and retailing tours to a particular country will have a
discount agreement with the airline it uses for its tours (generally the
national carrier of the destination) and will also sell wholesale tickets
on that airline. One reason they do the wholesale business, even if
their markup on wholesale tickets is very low, is to boost their volume
of production (sales) with the airline, as many discount contracts are
contingent on a specified sales volume, and/or have year-end bonuses or
additional commission rebates based on sales threshholds. Sometimes they
are "general sales agents," that is, official representatives of an
airline (usually a small one) that doesn't have service or its own office
in a country.
(3) Bucket shops. Many bucket shops negotiate their own deals directly
with the airlines for routes where they can't get good (or any) discounts
from (1) or (2). They use these deals for their own retail customers,
and frequently also to other bucket shops. (Sometimes they negotiate
these deals specifically to be able to export the tickets to bucket
shops in other countries, as when a Singapore bucket shop gets permission
to discount tickets originating in the U.S.) Bucket shops' own deals
tend to emphasize one-way tickets, which are essential for constructing
around the world tickets and which often aren't available for other
consolidators.
Enough on consolidators. As for getting tickets at the last minute:
Airlines wait until they have a good idea how full their planes will
be (based on advance booking levels) before they decide how deeply they
need to discount their tickets to consolidators to fill their planes.
So consolidator contracts with the airlines are subject to change,
usually several times a year, and generally forbid sales of tickets for
travel commencing more than a few months after the sale. Verifying
prices with vendors around the world, and then importing tickets, can
take a couple of weeks (unless you want to pay extra for air courier
service). So you can't expect to get the best price, or to get your
tickets, many months ahead (except for times like Christmas, when prices
are set and planes fill up many months in advance). On the other hand,
it shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks to get your tickets from a
reputable, efficient agency -- barring complications. (The most common,
and justifiable, complication, especially with a complex ticket, is that
one of the rates has changed and a different source or fare construction
has to be found. Customers find this hard to understand, but it isn't
always possible to call or fax an oversees -- or even a domestic --
supplier to verify every fare in their wholesale tariff, which is always
subject to change, before quoting a price to the customer.)
As for what to do, I wouldn't think of buying an international ticket
from a neighborhood travel agnet, even if I told them to try to find a
consolidator fare. Depending on your itinerary, try either an agency
specializing in that destination and/or a bucket shop. You'd be
surprised how often local agents, when they have a customer for a weird
destination or routing (especially around the world) simply buy the
tickets from a bucket shop and mark them up to the customer.
You'll get the best price if you shop around, but remember that rating an
around the the world itinerary can take an hour of work (for which the
agent is paid nothing if you end up getting the ticket elswhere). So
don't be surprised that the fare isn't in the computer and can't be given
off the top of the agents head; the agent will give only a very rough
estimate of the fare unless you make clear that you are really serious
about getting the ticket from that agency if the price is right.
--description from a travel agent who chose to remain unnamed--
Bucket shops serve a limited and specialized subset of the air ticket
market, and are mostly concentrated in a few world cities: London,
Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and San Francisco. Much smaller and less
competitive bucket shop marketplaces include New York, Athens, and
Nairobi. It's worth going far out of your way to deal with a bucket shop
-- the overwhelming majority of travel agents don't even try to compete
with bucket shop fares. For that matter, most agents couldn't construct
the sorts of routings the better bucket shops specialize in (especially
customized around-the-world itineraries) at ANY price.
How do they do it? For one thing, simple specialization. Almost all air
tickets sold in the U.S. are domestic round trips (the majority) or the
simplest international round trips (mostly to resorts in the Caribbean,
Mexico, or perhaps Europe). I haven't the faintest idea what the fare is
to Cancun, and our agency policy is to tell callers flatly, "I'm sorry,
we don't handle domestic travel." On the other hand, most agents have
never booked a ticket to Moscow in their life, and might get one
around-the-world customer a year. I get round-the-world enquiries every
day. "You need to go to Manila, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Paris? No
problem. Of course, no airline flies directly from Hong Kong to Moscow,
so the route and the fare would be as follows..."
How do they get their fares? That's an extremely complex question, which
I can't answer fully both because (1) it would take too long and (2) I'm
not supposed to divulge trade secrets (although my boss, so far as I
know, isn't on the net -- and there is surprisingly little overlap
between the hacker community and even the most skilled CRS [computerized
reservations system] users, perhaps because travel agents are mostly
women and hackers mostly men). Even a sketchy answer requires some
explanation of fares in general:
International airfares are set by interantional agreement and regulated
by the airline cartel, IATA. Most international airlines are closely
related to, if not directly owned by, their national governments. Most
governments in turn have an interest in protecting the profits of their
national airline, and the IATA fares are artificially high. IATA rules
officially prohibit discounting, and in some countries these rules are
actually enforced -- one reason some countries have no bucket shops
whatsoever (although tickets originating in those countries can often be
bought in other countries, if you know where to look). All official fares
are "published" either in hardcopy (the OAG) or electronically to the
CRS's. Most important, only published fares are shown in any CRS. That
works OK for domestic U.S. fares, since with deregulation domestic
carriers can publish pretty much any fares they want, and change them at
whim. If they want to lower the fare, they lower the published fare. So
getting the best domestic fare means learning how to search whatever CRS
the travel agent uses (the major ones are pretty comparable on
completeness of published fare listings), figuring out which seats on
which flight itineraries it applies to, booking seats accordingly, and
driving the ticket directly from the CRS (using its "auto-price"
capability).
Bucket shops subvert the airline cartel conspiracy against discounting in
various ways. Airlines can contract with wholesalers ("consolidators")
to sell tickets at less than published fares. The rules on routes,
stopovers, seasonality, etc. for these tickets are governed by the
contract, not by the rules for any published fare. Sometimes bucket
shops contract directly with airlines and sometimes they buy and resell
tickets from consolidators. Since the goal of the airlines is to get
each passenger to pay the most they are willing to pay, airlines try to
discount tickets in such a way as to fill otherwise empty seats rather
than divert full-fare passengers to cheaper tickets. Frequently, they
restrict how consolidator tickets can be advertised, such as forbidding
mention of the name of the airline or allowing the discount fare to be
promoted only to a particular geographic or ethnic market. It's common
for tickets to be most heavily discounted in a place far (even thousands
of miles) from where the ticket either begins or ends, so as not to
depress the primary market. If a consolidator fare is TOO successful,
the airline will raise the fare or terminate the contract. Many
conolidators won't deal directly with the public, and net fare tariffs
are confidential. One of the most important skills for a bucket shop
agent is having a feel for the wholesale ticket market. It's one thing
to ask your local agent to try to buy you a consolidator ticket. It's
quite another for the agent to know who, and where, has the best price
for what you want.
Other consolidators, and some retail agencies (especially those with a
large volume on one airline to one destination, such as those serving
specialized ethnic markets) receive more than the standard commission on
some or all of the published fares of a certain airline to certain
destinations. This is permitted by IATA rules. The "incentive,"
"override," or "bonus" commission is officially forbidden to be rebated
to the customer, but of course is. (In fact, bucket shops often end up
with a smaller ppercentage commission than normal agencies.) Figuring
the actual price to the passenger with such commission deals is
particularly complex, since one must satisfy all the conditions of both
the published fare and the commission deal. Net fare contracts usually
have much simpler rules. (For example, the cheapest ticket may be issued
at a higher fare that also has a higher commission. For this reason, and
because net fare tickets usually carry the "full" fare as their official
price, the "face value" of a ticket need bear no relation to the price
paid. All else being equal, the HIGHER the face value of the ticket the
better, since in general high-value tickets are more readily changed,
rerouted, etc.)
Finally, the bucket shop business is global. Your local travel agent
might buy from a domestic consolidator, but they WON'T import your ticket
from overseas, even if that would be much cheaper. The major bucket
shops in SFO, HKG, BKK, SIN, and LON regularly buy from each other.
Costs of DHL and international faxes are less than the wide international
variations in ticket prices. Theres a lot more to it (especially in
constructing routes and connections, which no CRS does well for complex
international routes), but in many ways a bucket shop is simply a ticket
broker, buying for its retail customers on the world wholesale ticket
market. Most bucket shop tickets, if you inspect the validation, are not
issued by the bucket shop itself. If you already knew exactly where to
buy them, you could often get a slightly better price directly. But the
odds are you couldn't find the best deal for yourself -- the whole system
is DELIBERATELY stacked against just that.
Round-the-world tickets are the epitome of the bucket shop agent's art.
Don't be fooled by published around-the-world fares. They restrict you
to the extremely limited routes of just one or two airlines. Only rarely
are they the best deal; to put it another way, only the rare itinerary
can be shoehorned into such a fare without mangling it. Most around-
the-world itineraries can be best and most cheaply ticketed as a series
of one way tickets from point to point. Constructing a round-the-world
fare requires both deciding at what points to break the circle into
segments and getting the best price for each segment (where each ticket
may actually, with stopovers, cover several legs of the journey). On top
of that, most people aren't sure when they start planning a round-
the-world trip exactly what stops they want, or in what order. Good
round-the-world agents are rare, even in bucket shops -- but your average
travel agent doesn't even know where to begin.
As for bucket shop reliability, it varies. Caveat emptor. They tend to
be wheeler-deelers, and of neccessity they cut their margins thin. Find
out how long they've been around. Check them out with the Better
Business Bureau. See if they belong to the American Society of Travel
Agents (which has its own arbitration system). Go to their office in
person, if you can. If it's worth it to your peace of mind, pay by
credit card so you can refuse the charge if you don't get your tickets.
You'll probably be surcharged 2-5% for using a credit card, but its
simple, cheap, and effective insurance. (One thing not to believe is
favorable references. Except for complete frauds, even rip-off agencies
have satisfied customers. The test is what they do when things go
wrong.) For what it's worth, I have yet to encounter a completely
fraudulent bucket shop, and most are pretty reliable. But you have to
recognize that you can't expect the best service at the lowest price.
It's especially important to remember that fares change constantly and
that no estimate is certain until the tickets are actually issued.
(Amazingly, airlines claim the right to increase fares even after tickets
are issued, althought they never do.)
--
Larry Autry
Silicon Graphics, St. Louis
autry@sgi.com
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
· Subject: Air Travel FAQ 5/5 How To Prevent Jetlag
Archive-name: air-travel/jetlag-prevention
Last-Modified: Tue Jun 30 17:37:38 CDT 1992
This is one in a series of FAQ lists that are posted monthly. Postings
1/5 through 5/5 include this introduction.
The charter of REC.TRAVEL.AIR is to serve as a discussion group for issues
related to air travel (surprise!). This monthly posting of frequently asked
questions (FAQ) is intended to prevent the recurrence of specific questions or
types of questions that are either unanswerable, or are asked seemingly weekly.
Some topics are mostly U.S./North American based, while others are global in
interest. The information contained here is based on the best postings from
the net on these subjects, and thanks are due to the netters who provided them.
Information from international sources would be a welcome addition.
(Please post or send to Laurie at bechtler@asdg.enet.dec.com.)
As with any newsgroup, it is best to read it for a few weeks before posting
anything, in order to see what topics are currently being discussed.
Please keep in mind that air travel is subject to a complex set of rules,
regulations, and agreements (official or unofficial) between governments,
airlines, and ticket agencies. Information transmitted over the net is not
definitive. Netters offer what they know with good intentions; however, no
guarantee is made the that information contained in this list is 100% correct.
Having said that, know then, that all information herein is offered AS IS
with no implied warranty of accuracy whatsoever.
Currently, the number of lists totals six. Five are posted by Larry Autry
and maintained by Laurie Bechtler <bechtler@asdg.enet.dec.com> and Larry
Autry <autry@sgi.com>. One FAQ list that is posted separately, is the
article on "How to Get Cheap Airtickets" by Mark Kantrowitz
<mkant@cs.cmu.edu>.
The subjects of these five lists are as follows:
I. Intro and Answers to General Questions
II. Airport Codes For North America
III. Airport Codes For The World
IV. Ticket Consolidator Article (Bucket Shops)
V. Article About How To Prevent Jetlag
================================================================================
A contribution from pete@Octopus.COM (Pete Holzmann).
================================================================================
My experience says go with the time adjustment regimen...
As soon as possible before departure, set your watch to the final destination
time zone, and do all you can to act as if the time were truly what your
watch says. [I usually can't do this until I arrive at the airport :-(, due
to last second rush...]
I've traveled west (Singapore, Philippines, India) and east (Norway, England).
Following this regimen has helped me avoid just about any signs of jet
lag, except that 3 days after returning from India, I died for a day or
so. That just might be attributable to the fact that I was totally worn
out anyway :-)
Overall, I've noticed a tendency to be a more tired on the return leg of
any very long trip than on the outgoing leg.
A few hints about actually following the "act according to destination time"
advice:
- The on-board airline routine is not at all designed to help you act
as if you were on destination time. You can ignore the standard
routine as far as light/dark and busy/quiet times go if you bring
along eye shades and ear plugs (actually, a blanket in my face
darkens things enough for me).
- Meals are the really tricky part. I can't completely go without meals
without getting my body a little upset. I try to just tell myself
that this scrambled egg is a late evening snack, or this chicken
with vegetables is a strange breakfast. It works!
- Getting comfortable is really important. If I don't get some good
sleep at an appropriate time, I end up very tired once I arrive.
[I once ended up on a trans-pacific flight with a planeload of
excited exchange students who talked most of the way across. THAT
didn't work out so great for me!]
- Remember that you can request alternate diets. Typical airline food
is extremely high in protein. Something a little lighter weight
('heart healthy' 'vegetarian' or some of the other alternative
menus) helps me a lot. At the very least, I try to avoid pigging
out on sausage, etc. when I'm on a long flight.
Youngsters:
- Amen to bringing something to keep them busy. A favorite blankie
is a really important thing to remember :-).
- Some kind of hard candy or lollipop to suck on during takeoff/landing
approach will help with the ear popping routine.
- For your own and everybody else's peace of mind, make sure you know
what your little one is up to all the time (I've seen too many
kids either let loose or ignored in their seats (while they totally
mangle a meal, dropping pieces on the neighbors, pouring drinks on
the floor, etc... Yuck!))
I guess that's all from me...
--
Larry Autry
Silicon Graphics, St. Louis
autry@sgi.com
· Subject: FAQ: How to Get Cheap Airtickets [Monthly posting]
Archive-name: cheap-airfare
Last-Modified: Thu Apr 23 15:38:18 1992 by Mark Kantrowitz
Version: 1.2
Size: 51761 bytes
This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The
focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are
also covered.
Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms
and other information to mkant@cs.cmu.edu.
An updated version of this file is posted once a month to the
newsgroups rec.travel.air and news.answers. The version date for the
file is located in the header near the top of the file. The list is
also available via anonymous ftp from ftp.cs.cmu.edu in the directory
/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mkant/Public/Travel/ as the file airfare.text.
Note that you must cd to this directory in one command, as
intermediate directories are protected during an anonymous ftp. Of
course, if your site is running the Andrew File System, you may access
the file directly without using FTP. You can also get the file by
anonymous ftp from pit-manager.mit.edu (18.172.1.27) in the file
/pub/usenet/rec.travel.air/How_to_Get_Cheap_Airtickets, or by sending
a mail message to "mail-server@pit-manager.mit.edu" with the subject
"send usenet/rec.travel.air/How_to_Get_Cheap_Airtickets".
;;; ********************************
;;; Copyright **********************
;;; ********************************
Copyright (c) 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992 by Mark Kantrowitz. Use and copying
of this information and preparation of derivative works based upon
this information are permitted, so long as the following conditions
are met:
o no fees or compensation are charged for use, copies or access to
this information
o this copyright notice is included intact
This information is made available AS IS, and no warranty is made
about its quality or correctness.
;;; ********************************
;;; Contents ***********************
;;; ********************************
Topics Covered:
Temporary Notes
Standard Tricks
Fare Classes
Classes of Service
Fare Types
Special Fare Categories
Flying Standby
Getting "Bumped"
Sympathy Fares, Emergencies
Refunds
Advance Purchase Fares
Travel Agents
Pets
Lost Baggage
Baggage Limits
Hub Cities
Flying International: Couriers, Consolidators
Credit Card Voucher Offers
Special Meals
Airline Reservation Phone Numbers
Frequent Flyer Programs
Complaints and Compliments
Glossary
Miscellaneous Notes
Other Sources of Information
Further Reading
Jetlag
;;; ********************************
;;; Temporary Notes ****************
;;; ********************************
With the American Airlines fare restructuring, many discounted fares
have been eliminated, ostensibly because "everything's cheap now".
However, I am not eliminating the discussion of these discounts
because they still apply to some airlines. In addition, I expect the
fare restructuring to be largely temporary -- as soon as fares start
creeping up again, some airline is going to announce discounted
children's fares to attract families as a marketing move, and the
other airlines will follow suit.
;;; ********************************
;;; Standard Tricks ****************
;;; ********************************
Airlines give better fares to people who advance book because
they are trying to encourage people to book as early as possible. If
the airline were to lower fares just before flight time there would be
a flood of people (on random flights) at the last minute. Airlines
need an accurate estimate of the number of people and amount of
baggage on a flight so that they can load the proper amount of fuel.
(Meals and beverages also have to be loaded.)
Moreover, people who book at the last minute are usually
flying on business, and therefore the business is paying for it.
People flying for pleasure usually know weeks or months in advance,
and can't afford the prices that a business would pay. Thus it is to
an airline's advantage to set rates according to the major differences
between business and leisure travelers:
o Business travelers fly mostly between 9 and 5, whereas leisure
travelers can fly offpeak hours.
o Business travelers buy tickets on very short notice, whereas
leisure travelers plan trips well in advance.
o Business travelers do not stay over a weekend (= Saturday
night), whereas leisure travelers do.
So airlines typically give discounts for people who stay over a
weekend, flying offpeak hours, and purchasing tickets 7 days, 14 days,
21 days or 30 days in advance.
For example, "Supersaver" or "Maxsaver" fares require that you
buy your roundtrip ticket 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days in advance, and
that you stay over a weekend (Saturday night). The price is usually
the average of the two one-way tickets. (E.g., a 2-week advance
PGH/BOS advance ticket is around $200 this way.) Since a regular 1-way
ticket is so much worse, it sometimes pays to buy a round-trip ticket
and throw away the other half (if you're only going one way). If you
buy a round trip ticket and throw away the other half, make the first
leg of the trip the destination, since some airlines will cancel the
return trip if you don't show up for the first leg.
For example, a round-trip to San Francisco from Pittsburgh
with a one-night stayover is $1,333. However, the cost of a Saturday
night stayover is only $479 if you order the ticket a week or two in
advance. Purchasing two round trip tickets, one originating from Pgh
and one from SF, and then using one half of each round trip ticket
saves you $375.
Note that for many airlines the discount fares depend solely
on the date of the first leg of the trip. The price does not vary no
matter when the return flight is (so long as you stay over a Saturday
night). You could buy a flight with one leg in March and the return in
November, and it would cost the same as if the return was in March.
If you travel regularly to a particular destination, but don't
stay over weekends, you can get the cheaper weekend rates by
staggering your tickets. I.e., if you're flying from A to B and back
Monday and Wednesday of Week 1, and the same Week 2, instead of buying
roundtrip tickets for each week, buy a roundtrip ticket leaving A
Monday of Week 1 and returning Wednesday of Week 2, and a second
roundtrip ticket leaving B Wednesday of Week 1 and returning to B
Monday of Week 2. This works out to be precisely the same flights, but
since both tickets are over a weekend, you get the cheaper rate. The
only problem is that you have to know your schedule in advance to make
this work. Using the Pgh-SF example from above, this method would save
you $1708 on a pair of midweek round trip flights.
If you travel on offpeak hours and low volume days, the rates
are cheaper. Thus to guarrantee a low cost flight, you have to be very
flexible about where you are going, what time and day you are leaving,
and how long you want to stay.
Also important is when you make the reservation. If you make
the reservation for an offpeak flight during the peak season (say,
make a reservation for February just before Thanksgiving), you may be
charged the peak rates. After the holidays some airlines lower their
discount fares to attract customers. So you may be able to get a
better fare by making your reservation right after the holidays.
If you notice that the fare for your flight has been lowered
after you bought the ticket, try calling the airline. Sometimes they
will refund the difference between the price you paid and the lower
fare. (You may have to go to the airport to get the ticket rewritten
at the lower fare.)
;;; ********************************
;;; Fare Classes *******************
;;; ********************************
When airlines set their fares, they divide their seating into
"classes", which are based on an analysis of past passenger purchases.
Suppose you have a 100 seat airliner going from DC to SF. The rates
might break down on a particular day as follows:
30 seats at $315 round trip, 30 days in advance
20 seats at $350 RT, 21 days in advance
20 seats at $375 RT, 14 days in advance
20 seats at $400 RT, 7 days in advance
10 seats at $450 RT, full fare, available until the last minute.
Now if the time has elapsed within a given price group, then the fare
will go up to the rate of the next price group. If they sell the quota
of tickets for a price group, even if the time has not elapsed, then
they can only sell you tickets at the next rate group price (which is
naturally higher). So it can pay to make your reservations way in
advance. (The number of seats available at each fare varies from day
to day, depending on the airline's yield management algorithm.)
Actually, it would be more accurate to say that airlines
distinguish between classes of service and types of fares. A discount
ticket (fare) for first class travel (service) could, in theory, be
cheaper than an advance purchase ticket (fare) for thrift travel in
the first class compartment (service). The best way to describe it is
as a series of overlapping tiers of fares.
There are five regular classes of service: First, Business,
Standard, Coach and Thrift. Standard is practically nonexistent these
days. Fares usually drop with lower class service. For each class except
Standard there are six main types of reduced-fare tickets: discounted,
night, offpeak, weekend, advance purchase, and excursion fare.
;;; ********************************
;;; Classes of Service *************
;;; ********************************
The following chart gives some of the letters used to
designate each class of service. Note that Fn means Night/Offpeak
Coach in the First Class compartment, and Yn means Night/Offpeak Coach
in other than the First Class compartment.
Regular Premium Discounted Night/Offpeak
First Class F P A Fn
Business Class C J D Cn
Standard S
Coach Economy Y B, H, M, Q, T Qn, Yn
Thrift K L, V Vn, Kn
Supersonic R
No Reservation Service U
In reality there is no difference between classes F and P, nor between
classes C and J.
Midway Airlines class Q tickets are Tuesday, Wednesday or
Saturday, except on certain blackout dates.
;;; ********************************
;;; Fare Types *********************
;;; ********************************
The following lists some of the letters used to designate
different types of fares. This is distinct from class of service. A
number (e.g., 7 or 14) usually means how many days in advance the
ticket must be bought.
Miscellaneous
AP Advance Purchase
EX Excursion Fare
B Capacity-controlled Excursion Fares
SW Offpeak; Saturday or Sunday
W Weekend
X Midweek
US 48 contiguous states (not including alaska/hawaii)
Economy
KH Weekend
KL Midweek/Offpeak
MH Weekend (Discount Fare)
ML Midweek/Offpeak (Discount Fare)
L Capacity-controlled Inventory
Standard
SH Peak
SL Offpeak
V Offpeak
Coach
B Capacity-controlled Inventory
BN Night Coach
H Capacity-controlled Inventory, Coach/Night Coach
V Offpeak
YH Weekend
YL Midweek/Offpeak
Super Coach
QH Weekend; applies Fri-Sun
QL Midweek; applies Mon-Thur
;;; ********************************
;;; Special Fare Categories ********
;;; ********************************
All airlines have special rate categories, but you have to ask
for them by name, since the agents are usually not familiar with them.
You may even have to talk to the agent's supervisor. Below is a brief
listing of different special fare categories, followed by a more in
depth discussion of standby fares.
Also, see preceding discussion of classes of service and fare
types. For example, on TWA, class K, V, YC, and M fares are the cheapest.
Children's fares:
Children under 2 years of age travel free on US domestic
flights. To be more accurate, the child must not occupy a separate
seat (sits on its parent's lap), and must be accompanied by a fare
paying adult passenger 12 years of age and over (the lap in which it
sits). Additional children under 2 are subject to regular children's
fares. On international flights you need a "lap child" ticket which
typically costs about $100.
Fares for children accompanied by a fare paying adult
passenger and occupying a separate seat are cheaper than fares for
unaccompanied children. Some carriers will not accept unaccompanied
children under five years of age (some 8 years, some 12). Fares for
accompanied children range from 50% to 100% of an adult fare
(1/2 fare, 2/3 fare, 3/4 fare, 80%, 90%, full fare). Fares for
unaccompanied children range from 50% of adult fare to 125% of an
adult fare (1/2 fare, 2/3 fare, 3/4 fare, full fare, 1-1/4 fare).
Clergy fares:
Clergy get ridiculously cheap standby fares on certain
airlines if they possess a certain type of "Clergy Identification
Card".
Military fares:
US military personnel traveling at their own expense on
authorized leave or pass may get signicantly cheaper fares. Discharged
military personnel must complete all travel within 7 days of discharge
date. Valid active duty US green identification card or separation
orders must be presented. USAir has a 50% military discount. Note,
however, that air force personnel can usually fly on military aircraft
on a standby basis to any air force base for $20 (e.g., Hawaii,
Boston, Florida).
Senior Citizen fares:
Certain airlines provide reduced fares for passengers 65 years
of age and older. Passengers must carry proof of age (passport, birth
certificate, driver's license or medicare card). Seats are usually limited.
Standby fares:
Flying standby can be one of the cheapest ways to travel.
Adult standby passengers are enplaned on a flight on a standby basis
subject to availability of space at departure time. This is only after
all passengers with reservations for the flight have been boarded.
Passengers from a previous flight who were bumped have priority. No
advance reservations are accepted, but get to the gate early to put
yourself first on the standby list. No stopovers are permitted on
standby fares.
Note that nonrefundable, nonchangeable tickets can often be
used for standby travel (sometimes with a slight surcharge).
Student fares:
Some airlines give discounted fares to full-time students of an
accredited school, college or university who are at least 12 years of
age. Student ID card must be carried and displayed at the request of
the carrier. Some restrict the age of the student to under some age
(e.g., 22, 26 years of age). Stopovers are not permitted, and some
require reservations at least 7 days before departure. For example,
Midway has a 10% student discount.
USAir has a 10% discount on fares for full-time students. The student
discount is combinable with supersaver fares (i.e., you get a 10%
discount above and beyond the supersaver discount). The only
restrictions are that
(1) You must be a full-time student, aged 16 through 26.
(2) You must show proof of age and student status to the
agent when making a reservation (e.g., a college ID and
driver's license)
(3) The discount is limited to domestic travel.
Students may purchase discount books of 10 tickets on the Trump (now
USAir) shuttle for $449. Delta has a similar program for their shuttle.
A variety of discounts are available if you have an International
Student Identity Card. Ask your travel agent for details on how to get
such a card and what discounts are available.
Youth fares:
Passenger must be between 12 and 22 (25 for international
travel) years of age. Seats may be limited. Tickets must be purchased
from the point of origin. Some require picture identification such as
Youth Fare identification Card, birth certificate, government ID card
or drivers license. Southwest gives the offpeak rate for *all* flights
for youth (21 & under), although this is still more expensive than
their supersaver fares.
Family fares:
Some carriers offer discounts on family travel. For the
purposes of the discounts, a family is defined as a husband and wife
with or without accompanying children age 2-17, or one parent with one
or more accompanying children age 2-17. Age restrictions on children
differ from airline to airline (some set the maximum age at 20 or 21
years; and some break children into two classes, 12 & under and
12-21). Some include legal guardian and grandparents within the
definition of parent. It is usually not necessary for the family to
travel under a common surname. Proof of family relationship must be
established to the satisfaction of the carrier and all family members
must travel together for the entire trip. Fares are typically 100% for
first family member, 50% each additional. Some have further discounts.
;;; ********************************
;;; Flying Standby *****************
;;; ********************************
On the other hand, an empty seat doesn't earn the airline any
money. So some airlines offer what is called "standby tickets". Using
such a ticket you are NOT guarranteed a seat on a particular flight,
but on the next flight with empty seats. (In other words, standby
means on a space available basis.) If there are available seats,
flying standby can be much cheaper. If it is a busy day and the
flights are full, you may have to wait several hours to get a seat, or
maybe not get a seat at all. Don't fly standby on the day before
Thanksgiving or the Sunday after, you won't get a seat. On
Thanksgiving day itself, you're likely to find a seat. A standby
ticket does not guarrantee you a seat, but if you do not absolutely,
positively have to be there tomorrow, you can get some good deals.
[Days which are bad for standby seats are usually good days for
getting bumped.]
Note that even if every seat isn't taken, an airline sometimes
won't accept standby passengers because it might mean having to unload
fuel to change the weight distribution of the aircraft.
If you're on a later flight but get to the airport early,
check with the attendant at the gate. You may be able to get on the
earlier flight is there's space available (but this may result in your
getting no "snack"). This works even for "non-changeable" tickets.
One way to "ensure" the availability of standby seats is for
the agent or the passenger to make a large number of regular
reservations, and then an hour before the flight release the block of
seats, virtually ensuring that standby passengers will get aboard at
cheap standby fares. Travel agents don't do this very frequently,
since the airlines don't appreciate it. This probably doesn't do you
any good with the way airlines overbook flights. [And causes a lot of
bad will with the airlines. If people start doing this frequently,
airlines will probably eliminate standby fares.] Many airlines have
eliminated the discounts for flying standby for precisely this reason.
When flying standby, make sure you get to the gate EARLY. If
several people are flying standby, you want to make sure that your
name is first on the list. Note that connecting passengers, bumped
passengers, etc., get priority over local boarding standbys. On really
busy days it might pay to show up early for the *first* flight of the
day, since standbys who don't make it will "roll over" to the next
flight.
Note that although most airlines no longer sell standby tickets,
you can go to the gate agent at the airport with any unused ticket
from that airline and ask to be placed on the standby list. Your luck
will vary by airline and gate agent.
;;; ********************************
;;; Getting "Bumped" ***************
;;; ********************************
Airlines tend to overbook their flights in case of no-shows.
Occasionally this will mean that more people show up with confirmed
reservations than there are seats on the plane. (Or if the flight is a
particularly full one, it may exceed the weight limit even with empty
seats.) The airline will ask if there's anyone willing to be bumped
from the flight in exchange for compensation (e.g., USAir will give
you a free round-trip ticket anywhere they fly). The airline will then
put you on the next available flight to your destination, along with
your free ticket.
So another way to reduce the cost of flying is to purchase a
confirmed reservation for 8-9 am or 5-6 pm on a weekday. These are the
times most businessmen fly (trying to make early morning meetings or
to get home for dinner in the evening), and hence when the airline is
most likely to be overbooked. Airlines are also likely to be
overbooked on Sunday nights and the beginning and end of holidays,
since that is when non-businessmen typically fly. Receiving a free
roundtrip ticket effectively cuts your air travel costs in half. And
if you get bumped while using a previous free bump ticket, it gets
even cheaper.
If you have a confirmed reservation, and you notice the flight
is overbooked but first class is underbooked and you don't necessarily
want to be bumped, try being the last person on line. If you are lucky
the coach and business class will be full, and they will have to
upgrade you to first class at no charge. (Also, having a pre-issued
boarding pass will decrease your chances of an involuntary bump.) This
is risky, though, because you might wind up being bumped anyway, so
only do it if you don't care whether you'll be bumped.
It always pays to volunteer to be bumped, even if the flight
isn't overbooked. If the airline needs adjacent seating for a family,
they will sometimes bump you into first class if you are in a row by
yourself.
If you definitely want to be bumped, volunteer when you check
in and again at the gate. This will give you priority if there are
only a few bumps.
Good days to get bumped include: Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Sunday
after; couple days before and after Christmas; ditto with New Years.
Friday afternoons, evenings, and Sunday afternoons and evenings also
bump a lot.
If the airline still has plenty of coach seats a day or so
before the flight, it is unlikely that they will bump.
Here's what some airlines usually give volunteers:
Continental, Delta, United, USAir: Open roundtrip
American, America West, Southwest: $$ off another
ticket (usually $150 to $300; American has been known
to go as high as $1000.) Dollar-denominated vouchers
are not subject to tax, so they stretch further. Amounts
depend on the degree of overbooking of the flight. United
sometimes will also issue a dollar-denominated voucher.
United bumps more than average, Delta less.
Northwest bump tickets are non-transferrable.
Air Canada offers $150 cash or $300 in travel vouchers.
If you get bumped or your flight is canceled and need to stay at a
hotel overnight, hotels near the airport will often give you
a substantial discount if you ask for it (50% discount is not unheard of).
Under Department of Transportation rules, an involuntarily bumped
traveler who is delayed more than one hour but less than two on a
domestic flight is entitled to $200 or 100 percent of the one-way
fare, whichever is less (the airline must also honor the original
ticket). For delays longer than two hours, the compensation doubles.
Airlines can offer you a travel voucher (for a free domestic
round-trip ticket) in lieu of cash, but must give you the cash if
that's what you want. Airlines like bumped volunteers because free
travel costs them less than the cash compensation they're required to
offer involuntarily bumped passengers. (If the involuntarily bumped
passengers are put on a flight which brings them to their destination
within an hour of the original flight time, the airline has met its
requirement.) Anything more is strictly the policy of the airline,
which is stated in its Conditions of Carriage statement. (To obtain
this statement, get it either from your travel agent or by writing to
the customer affairs office of your airline. Be sure to ask for the
full copy of the conditions; otherwise they'll give you just a three
page summary of the limitations of liability sections.)
There are no rules governing compensation for volunteers -- airlines
can offer as little or as much as it takes to bid you off the flight.
Delta restricts reservations using volunteer bumped vouchers
to two days in advance.
Re-booking: Most volunteers are routinely booked on another flight
within a few hours, but re-routing isn't a legal requirement. Before
giving up your seat, ask when the next flight leaves, whether you'll
have a confirmed or standby reservation and (if the flight is with
another carrier) whether you'll have to pay additional fare.
Negotiating: Most airline managers can escalate compensation offers in
an attempt to get enough volunteers. So you might get a better deal by
simply asking for one. American Airlines, which has the lowest rate of
involuntary bumpees in the industry, tends to be the most generous
with compensation for volunteers.
;;; ********************************
;;; Sympathy Fares, Emergencies ****
;;; ********************************
If you have to go to a funeral, most airlines will give you
50% off of the discounted rate, at very short notice. They call this
the sympathy fare. Similarly for a medical emergency. For example,
Continental will waive advance purchase requirements for cheap fares
for an emergency. This is their bereavement rate for people who have
to attend funerals. Other airlines that do this are United and USAir
("compassionate fare"). American gives 50% off of the non-discounted
rate, and will ask you for the name, address and phone number of the
funeral home. This is a tradition carried over from the "funeral fare"
of the railroad days. Airlines do this because it is simply good PR,
and doesn't cost them all that much.
In any case you have to ask and sometimes be persistent as these are
nonstandard and not widely publicized policies. Many low level airline
workers are not aware of them or do not have the authority to allow them.
United "Rule 120" describes the rules governing sympathy fares.
;;; ********************************
;;; Refunds ************************
;;; ********************************
In the same vein, many airlines will refund a ticket, even a
nonrefundable one, for good cause. Medical emergencies, jury duty, and
a death in the family generally qualify as a good cause for not using
a ticket. Some sort of proof must be provided (death certiicate, note
from doctor), and it is completely up to the airline as to whether or
not the particular instance warrants a refund. Some airlines may issue
a new ticket or provide a flight credit voucher instead of offering a
refund.
A useful trick for normal circumstances: When they ask for
your name for printing on the ticket, use your first initial instead
of your full first name. (Many airlines now require your full first
name, even if you purchase the ticket through a travel agent.) Thus if
you can't use your "non-transferrable non-refundable" ticket, your
spouse or some other member of your family might be able to.
Another trick is to have your travel agent talk to the
airline, assuming you used him to purchase the ticket. Sometimes they
will be able to swing a deal.
Nontransferable tickets may still be useable by other people
in your organization, if the address listed on the ticket was your
business address.
Normally a reservation will cancel out automatically if you
don't purchase a ticket within 24 hours. However, if you ask the
airline to invoice you, usually this timeout is extended to 10 days to
allow enough time for the invoice to reach you. You can still pay the
invoice using a credit card.
;;; ********************************
;;; Advance Purchase Fares *********
;;; ********************************
Typically, tickets must be purchased 4, 7, 14, 21, or 30 days
in advance of the departure date. All require confirmed reservations.
Seats are always limited. Most do not permit changes/cancellations,
and those that do will usually charge you.
Some require a roundtrip ticket, though there are some that
give lower rates for one-way tickets. Most do not permit open-jaw
travel (most require circle-trip for excursion fares). Some permit
stopovers, and may or may not charge you for the privilege (typically
$15-30 per stopover). Fares are often seasonal.
For those that have a minimum and maximum stay period (e.g.,
stay over the weekend, must return 150 days after departure), the day
of departure is not included as part of the minimum and maximum stay period.
Children's rates are usually discounted against the applicable
fare. (Some airlines now apply children's discounts against the
highest fare only.) As usual, children must carry proof of age.
Note that fares are almost always not applicable to/from
intermediate points. This means a ticket from Boston to Chicago
passing through Pittsburgh could be cheaper than a ticket from Boston
to Pittsburgh! But, of course, you can get off at Pittsburgh so long
as you don't have checked bags nor have subsequent legs on the same
ticket.
;;; ********************************
;;; Travel Agents ******************
;;; ********************************
It pays to use a travel agent only if you know a *good* one. A
good travel agent will know when a small change in your schedule can
save you a lot of money. If you buy direct from the airline, you may
not find out such information, since they will only quote you the
rates for the times you ask. So if you're going to use a travel agent,
make sure that you find one who is willing (and able) to search
through the morass of fares and restrictions to find a good deal for
you. A travel agent who just punches your data into the computer and
tells you the prices is no better than the airline's 800 number. A
good travel agent can probably save you about 10-15%.
[Actually, if the airline goes bankrupt between ticket purchase and
flight time, and you bought your ticket from a travel agent, you may
be able to get a refund, especially from some of the larger agencies.
If the airlines goes bankrupt within 10 days of the purchase of the
ticket, the agency may not have paid the airline yet (they are allowed
10 days to do so), so you can ask them for a refund. Better yet, buy
your airtickets with a credit card, and the federal credit protection
act will allow you to get a refund from your credit card company.]
Also, airlines sometimes sell bulk tickets to large travel
agencies at bargain basement prices if they think they cannot fill the
seats. So depending on the travel agency, you might be able to get a
really good deal. Travel agents sometimes get complimentary tickets
(e.g., one free ticket for every 25 sold), which they can sell as they
wish. (These are called "Promotional Tickets" and are for standby travel.)
But then again, travel agents get a commission on air tickets
and hotels. The commission is a fixed percentage of the fare (if you
order direct from the airline, the airline pockets the difference). So
the agent can earn more money by selling you a more expensive ticket.
So be cautious when using a travel agent. Look over the agent's
shoulder and see if they're overlooking a really cheap flight.
Since discount flights have restrictions on day of week and
flight times, make sure that you let the travel agent know that you
are flexible and will change a day either way if that will save you money.
Airport ticket agents tend to be better informed than the
people at the toll-free reservation number, since they often have to
deal with special situations (missed connections, bumped people, etc.)
that require really knowing the reservation system's ins and outs.
But beware. Airport ticket agents are not beyond lying.
;;; ********************************
;;; Pets ***************************
;;; ********************************
If you are travelling with a dog, you must say so when you
make your reservation. All airlines will allow at most one dog in the
presurized portion of the cabin (to prevent barking fights). The dog
must be in a travel cage which fits under the seat in front of you and
sedated. (If the dog is small, try to get a cage which fits under the
seat, so you can keep watch on the pet. Otherwise, the dog will
travel with the baggage, and you won't see the dog until the flight is
over.) Some airlines will charge you extra (~$20) for the dog. I don't
know about cats.
America West and Southwest do not take pets. (Southwest will
take seeing-eye dogs. I believe all airlines are required to allow
seeing-eye and hearing-ear dogs to accompany their blind/deaf masters
on flights.)
AA, UA and US all take dogs. US charges $30. AA and UA charge
$50. (Small dogs.)
All carriers require a recent (10 days old or less) veterinary
certificate of health, but rarely look at it.
All airlines embargo pets if the outside temperature is in the
90's (or perhaps even 80's). AA won't carry a pet if the temperature
is less than 45F (enforcement of this rule is uneven). UA says they
won't handle pets when it is -10F. US says they always handle pets
except on certain commuter flights.
US allows you to bring your pet out to the gate and have it
boarded just before you get on the plane. AA sometimes will, but
usually won't, allow this.
Many airlines require that the dog be given a tranquilizer supplied
by your vet.
;;; ********************************
;;; Lost Baggage *******************
;;; ********************************
The domestic baggage liability limit is a minimum of $1250.00 per
passenger. Some airlines may provide greater limits for
checked/unchecked baggage. For international flights, the baggage
liability limit is approximately $9.07 per pound ($20 per kilogram)
for checked baggage and $400 per passenger for unchecked baggage. A
minimum waiting period of one week is required before baggage can be
declared lost.
Airlines will not reimburse for currency, photographic or electronic
equipment, rare and expensive jewelry or artistic works, or
medication, unless prior arrangements were made (e.g., excess valuation
insurance was purchased). Some credit cards will cover these items if
the tickets were purchased with the card.
;;; ********************************
;;; Baggage Limits *****************
;;; ********************************
Checked baggage weight/size/number limits vary depending on the airline,
the class of fare, and the country of origin. Typically one is limited
to 2 pieces of checked baggage (excluding luggage carriers), each of
which has a total length + width + height less than 60" (or 72") and
weighs less than 70 pounds (32 kg).
Unchecked baggage is usually limited to 2 bags, which must fit under
the seat in front of you or in the overhead compartment. Purses,
cameras, coats, and similar items are usually excluded from the limit.
Garment bags are also often excluded, especially for first class
customers. Sometimes the limit will be reduced to 1 bag, especially on
very full flights.
Oversize articles (e.g., skis, bicycles, moose heads) must be checked.
If you do have excess baggage, it is cheaper to pay the excess baggage
charges than to ship it by air freight. Rates airlines charge for
excess baggage vary considerably, so it pays to call around before
purchasing a ticket.
Baggage limit rules are enforced very unevenly, particularly on
flights which aren't very full.
;;; ********************************
;;; Hub Cities *********************
;;; ********************************
Try to avoid hub cities. For example, since USAir's hub is
Pittsburgh, they have a virtual monopoly on flights to PGH, so if
you're so unlucky as to be flying to Pittsburgh, the rates are not cheap.
Occasionally you may be able to take a flight which makes a stop or
connection at Pittsburgh, and walk off the plane in Pittsburgh (i.e.,
a ticket from Boston to Cleveland on a plane which makes a stop in
Pittsburgh might be cheaper than a ticket from Boston to Pittsburgh on
the same plane). This only works when you can carry on all of your
baggage. (Or if your connecting flight is more than two hours after
your flight arrives or on a different plane, you can usually arrange
to claim your baggage at the hub and recheck it yourself. 8*) Several
airlines are currently being investigated by the justice department
for anti-trust violations based on their dominating the airports at
their hubs.
Here's a list of airline hub cities. I've asterisked those
that I'm sure are monopolized by that airline. # indicates the main
hub of the airline.
Alaska Airlines (AS): Anchorage (ANC)#, SEA
America West (HP): Phoenix (PHX)#, Las Vega$ (LAS)
American Airlines (AA): Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW)#, Raleigh/Durham (RDU)*, SJC*,
Continental Airlines (CO): Newark (EWR)#, Cleveland (CLE)*, IAH, DEN, MSY
Delta Airlines (DL): Atlanta (ATL)*#, Salt Lake City (SLC)*, DFW, CVG, LAX, O
Midwest Express (YX): MKE
Northwest Airlines (NW): Minneaplois (MSP)#, Milwaukee (MKE)*, Memphis (MEM)*
Southwest Airlines (WN): Dallas Love (DAL), Houston Hobby (HOU), PHX, ABQ
TWA (TW): St. Louis (STL)*#, New York (JFK)
USAir (US): Pittsburgh (PIT)*#, Philadelphia (PHL), Charlotte (CLT)*, Baltimo
United Airlines (UA): Chicago#, DEN, Washington Dulles (IAD), SEA, SFO, Ralei
Airport Abbreviations and Hubs:
ABQ Albuquerque, NM WN
ANC Anchorage, AL AS
ATL Atlanta, GA DL
BNA Nashville, TN AA
BOS Boston, MA NW
BWI Baltimore, MD US
CLE Cleveland, OH CO
CLT Charlotte, NC US
CVG Cincinatti, OH DL
DAL Dallas (Love Field), TX WN
DAY Dayton, OH US
DEN Denver, CO CO UA
DFW Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX AA DL
DTW Detroit, MI NW
EWR Newark, NJ CO
HOU Houston (Hobby), TX WN
IAD Washington (Dulles), DC UA
IAH Houston (Intercontinental), TX CO
IND Indianapolis, IN US
JFK New York (Kennedy), NY PA TW
LAS Las Vega$ HP
LAX Los Angeles DL US
MEM Memphis, TN NW
MIA Miami, FL PA
MKE Milwaukee, WI NW YX
MSP Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN NW
MSY New Orleans, LA CO
ORD Chicago, IL AA UA
ORL Orlando, FL DL
PHL Philadelphia, PA US
PHX Phoenix, AZ HP WN
PIT Pittsburgh, PA US
RDU Raleigh/Durham, NC AA
SEA Seattle, WA AS UA
SFO San Francisco, CA UA US
SJC San Jose, CA AA
SJU San Juan, PR AA
SLC Salt Lake City, UT DL
STL St. Louis, MO TW
SYR Syracuse, NY US
AA American Airlines
AS Alaska Airlines
CO Continental Airlines
DL Delta Airlines
HP America West Airlines
PA Pan American World Airways
TW Trans World Airlines
UA United Airlines
US U S Air
WN Southwest Airlines
YX Midwest Express
;;; ********************************
;;; Flying International: **
;;; Couriers, Consolidators **
;;; ********************************
One way of getting cheap international flights is to fly as a
freelance courier. There are a few companies which will pay you for
the right to use your baggage allowance, yielding a heavily-discounted
fare. Non-refundable, and usually very short notice -- 1-2 weeks. You
do not deal with the baggage, other than to hand-carry a set of
paperwork. You are allowed a carry-on. For example, the following
courier company will let you fly as a courier to Israel (TelAviv) on
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, round trip, for $525: Dworkin
Cosell, (212) 213-0036. Other couriers include: Now Voyager NY
212-431-1616, Halbart NY 718-995-7019, IBC NY 718-262-8058, TNT NY
516-338-4180.
Some books about flying as a courier include:
o The Air Courier's Handbook, $9.95
Big City Books, PO Box 19667, Sacramento, CA 95819
o A Simple Guide to Courier Travel, $15.95
1-800-344-9375
Guide Books, PO Box 2394, Lake Oswego, OR 97035
o Travel Unlimited, $25/year
Attn: Steve Lantos, PO Box 1058, Allston, MA 02134
o Travel Secrets, $30/year
Box 2325, New York, NY 10108
Also, ticket consolidators (wholesalers, ``bucket shops'') are
often 30-40% cheaper than buying direct from the airline. They buy
blocks of unsold seats from the airlines and resell them at a slim
margin. Such tickets are usually heavily restricted and are for a
standard profile (e.g., no special meals, no changes, no transfers, no
refunds). The Sunday NY Times travel section has a list of
wholesalers. For example, Nippon Travel 800-662-6236.
Although "consolidator" and "bucket shop" are often used
interchangeably, they refer to different kinds of wholesalers.
Consolidators buy large blocks of tickets at discounted rates direct
from the airlines. The restrictions on these tickets are governed by
the consolidator's contract with the airline, and not by the rules for
published fares. Usually they sell only through retail agencies and
not directly to the public. Bucket shops are retail agencies that
specialize in getting discounted prices on tickets. They are familiar
with the full range of consolidators for all the carriers (every
airline has many consolidators) and in other techniques of fare
construction, importing tickets, etc.
International airfares are set by international agreement and
regulated by the airline cartel, IATA. Most interantional airlines
are closely related to, if not directly owned by, their national
governments. Thus most governments have an interest in protecting the
profits of their national airline, with the result that the IATA fares
are artificially high. IATA rules prohibit discounting, and in some
countries these rules are actually enforced. Bucket shops work around
the rules by buying discounted tickets direct from the airlines or
through consolidators. These tickets are discounted with restrictions
that attempt to ensure that the airlines fill otherwise empty seats
instead of diverting full-fare passengers to cheaper tickets. Some
restrictions include limitations on the advertising of such tickets,
forbidding mention of the name of the airline, or restricting the
promotion of such tickets to a particular geographic or ethnic market.
Another method of discounting tickets is through rebating a portion of
the consolidator commission to the public.
AirHitch (212-864-2000) is a consolidator which buys unsold seats very
close to the wire. Their customers provide a window of times (or
destinations), and AirHitch lets them know about available flights on
extremely short notice. Not for the faint of heart.
;;; ********************************
;;; Credit Card Voucher Offers *****
;;; ********************************
Several credit card companies offer vouchers for cheap airline travel
as an incentive to enroll students.
1. American Express.
Students who apply for the standard green card ($55/year) will
receive four vouchers if approved. If you travel within the
same zone the price is $129/ticket roundtrip; cross-zone travel
is $189/ticket roundtrip (Mississippi is the dividing line).
(The prices are $10 extra in the summer, and one of the vouchers is
good for two tickets at $189 each.) There are some restrictions on
destinations and some blackout dates. The vouchers expire 1 year
after issue and are not transferrable (and the airlines do check
your student id both at the ticket counter and at the gate). You
must purchase your tickets with the AmEx card. The stay is for a
maximum of 6 nights and must be over a Saturday night.
To work around the non-transferrable restriction, use your first
initial instead of your first name, and (if female) ask to have
your maiden (alternately, married) name on the ticket (which
allows you to substitute an arbitrary last name, if you're not
bothered by the sleaziness).
Although the current AmEx tickets are for travel on Continental
Airlines, USAir will honor them for travel on USAir. Give the
following promotion code to the travel agent when using the
AmEx/Continental vouchers for travel on USAir:
H/CO AMEX STUDENT
USAir seems less likely than Continental to check for student id.
In general, USAir seems to accept coupons from almost any other airline.
If you are a student, have an AmEx card and haven't received the
vouchers, call the 800 number (1-800-582-5823) and they'll send
them out to your billing address.
2. Chase Manhattan VISA
Same cost structure as the AmEx/Continental vouchers ($129 if you
don't cross the Mississippi River, $189 if you do), but for
travel on USAir. Maximum stay of 60 days (Saturday stay not
required). Tickets must be purchased within 48 hours of reservation.
Valid student id must be presented at time of ticketing.
Blackout dates around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and some
destination-specific days.
3. US Sprint
;;; ********************************
;;; Special Meals ******************
;;; ********************************
Most of the major airlines will provide alternate meals on meal-flights
upon request, if the request is made 24 hours in advance. Special
meals include: Kosher, Muslim, Hindu, vegetarian, low-fat, low-salt,
diabetic, low-glutin, and seafood. Simply ask for the meal when you
make your reservation; there is no extra charge.
The Kosher meals are glatt and double-sealed. Wilton Caterers is the
largest supplier of these meals, although there are a number of
smaller companies as well.
If you will be having a special meal, be sure to let the flight
attendant know as you entire the plane. Airlines sometime forget to
load the meal (especially kosher), and if you let the flight attendant
know, they can sometimes catch this.
;;; ********************************
;;; Airline Reservation Phone Numbers
;;; ********************************
AeroMexico 1-800-237-6639
Air Canada 1-800-776-3000
Alaska Airlines 1-800-426-0333, [1-602-921-3100]
American 1-800-433-7300, 1-800-223-5436, [1-817-267-1151]
America West 1-800-247-5692, [1-602-693-0737]
British Airways 1-800-247-9297
Canadian Partners 1-800-426-7000
Continental 1-800-525-0280 (Dom), 1-800-231-0856 (Itl)
[1-404-436-3300]
Delta 1-800-221-1212, [1-404-765-5000]
Northwest 1-800-225-2525, [1-612-726-1234]
TWA 1-800-221-2000, [1-404-522-5738]
United 1-800-241-6522, [1-312-825-2525]
USAir 1-800-428-4322, [1-412-922-7500]
;;; ********************************
;;; Frequent Flyer Programs ********
;;; ********************************
Most programs (e.g., United, Northwest, American, USAir) will give you
a free domestic roundtrip for 20,000 miles, a ticket to Hawaii or the
Carribbean for 30,000, a ticket to Europe for 40,000 and a ticket to
Australia or Asia for 60,000. Delta requires 40,000 miles for a free
domestic ticket. Given joining bonuses and mileage promotions, one can
often reach this with one overseas flight. Northwest and USAir give
you a minimum of 750 (Delta, 1000) miles for each flight segment.
Northwest will give you a one-way ticket for 10,000 miles.
Air Canada 1-800-361-8523
Partners with Austrian, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, First Air,
Singapore
Alaska Airlines 1-800-654-5669
Partners with Northwest, TWA
Aloha Airlines 1-800-486-7277
AAdvantage (American) 1-800-882-8880
Partners with TWA, Cathay Pacific, Singapore
America West 1-800-247-5691
Partners with Air France, Virgin Atlantic
Canadian 1-604-270-7587
Partners with Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa
Continental 1-713-952-1630
Delta 1-800-323-2323
Partners with Air Canada, Japan Air Lines, Singapore, Swissair
Midwest Express 1-800-452-2022
Northwest 1-800-435-9696
Partners with KLM.
TWA 1-800-325-4815, 1-800-221-2000
Partners with American, Alaska, Air India, British Airways
United 1-800-421-4655
USAir 1-800-428-4322, 1-800-872-4738
;;; ********************************
;;; Complaints and Compliments *****
;;; ********************************
If you have a legitimate complaint about service, write a
well-written letter to the appropriate people at the airline. This can
often result in real results. But don't become a habitual complainer.
Many airline customer service departments keep records of all
complaints and compliments. If you complain too often, you'll get
tagged as a flamer, and they'll ignore future complaints. If you are a
frequent flyer and don't complain often, complaints can end up in
travel discount compensation.
Airlines do keep track of who complains and how frequently, so if you
complain too often about trivial matters, your complaints won't have
the same effect as they would if you complained about only important
problems. Keep track of the names of all airline personnel you deal
with, and be as specific as possible about dates, times, places, and
flight numbers in your letter. Enclose copies of any receipts for
expenses incurred because of missed/delayed flights.
The Department of Transportation accepts consumer complaints
about airlines and records, compiles, and publishes statistics on
airline performance. The statistics are available in a monthly Air
Travel Consumer Report. For a free copy, write to the Office of
Consumer Affairs, US Department of Transportation, 400 7th Street, NW,
Room 10405, Washington, DC 20590. 202-366-2220. The statistics vary a
lot from month to month.
On-time:
Best -- America West Airlines 84.8%
Worst -- Delta 74.3%
Overbooking:
Best -- American 89 involuntary bumps/19 million passengers
Worst -- America West 1,805/3.7 million
Mishandled baggage:
Best -- Southwest
Worst -- America West
Customer Relations Departments of various airlines:
Aloha Airlines Inc., Customer Relations, PO Box 30028, Honolulu, HI 96820.
Alaska Airlines, Consumer Affairs, PO Box 68900, Seattle, WA 98168.
America West Airlines, Consumer Affairs, 222 South Mill Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281.
Continental Airlines, Customer Relations, PO Box 4607, Houston, TX 77210-4607.
Delta Air Lines Inc., Law Dept, Hartsfield Atlanta Int Airport, Atlanta, GA 3032
Eastern Air Lines Inc., Consumer Affairs, Bldg 11, Rm 1433, Miami Int Airport, M
Hawaiian Airlines, Consumer Affairs, Honolulu Intl Airport, PO Box 30008, Honolu
Midway Airlines, Consumer Affairs, 5959 South Cicero Avenue, Chicago, IL 60638.
Northwest Airlines, Consumer Affairs, Minneapolis/St. Paul Intl Airport, St. Pau
Pan American World Airways Inc., Consumer Affairs Dept, 200 Park Avenue, New Yor
Southwest Airlines Co., Customer Relations, PO Box 37611, Love Field, Dallas, TX
Trans World Airlines Inc., Customer Relations, 605 Third Ave., New York, 10158.
United Airlines, Customer Relations, PO Box 66100, Chicago, IL 60666.
USAir, Consumer Relations, Washington National Airport, Washington, DC 20001.
;;; ********************************
;;; On-line reservation services ***
;;; ********************************
Eaasy Sabare is an ailine reservation system. It can be
accessed via Prodigy, Compu$erve, Delphi or GENIE for an additional fee.
PARS TravelShopper is available on Compu$erve and Delphi.
Official Airline Guide (OAG) Electronic Edition is available on
Compu$erve, Delphi, direct TYMNET (with credit card billing).
None of these save you the commission charges, so it doesn't save you
much over calling the airline's 800 number or using a travel agent and
asking lots of "what-if" questions.
;;; ********************************
;;; Miscellaneous Notes ************
;;; ********************************
The largest travel agency in the US is Thomas Cook Travel.
Keep in mind that ticket agents and gate attendants are
people, and if you're nice to them, they may be able to bend the rules.
Seat assignment on most airlines starts 3 weeks in advance of
the flight (some are 30 days). No seat assignments on Southwest and
shuttle flights.
Non-refundable, non-changeable, non-transferable tickets are
the default; you might have to pay more to have a transferable ticket.
But then you might be able to sell half your ticket, and thereby
recoup some of your costs. (This only works on domestic flights, where
you don't need to show a passport.)
Bargain seats are almost always limited, so start looking
early and be flexible with your times and dates.
January, February, September and October are the slack travel
months; ticket prices will be cheapest around then.
Because of the way airlines price tickets, it is sometimes
cheaper to buy a ticket from point A to point C making a mid-trip stop
in point B (i.e., two tickets AC and CB) that it is to buy a ticket
direct from point A to point B. Note, however, that if you do this
your luggage should be carryons, since the airline usually checks the
luggage direct to the ultimate destination. Also, some airlines will
cancel your entire ticket if you skip one leg of the trip.
Airports notorious for heavy traffic and air-traffic-control
snafus: Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta, Logan Airport in Boston, O'Hare
in Chicago, Stapleton in Denver, JFK in New York, and San Francisco
International.
;;; ********************************
;;; Other Sources of Information ***
;;; ********************************
The best source of information is the US Department of
Transportation. All carriers must file their fares with them for
tariff purposes.
A variety of companies publish rate guides based on the US
Department of Transportation files. The subscription prices are a bit
steep, but your library may have some.
;;; ********************************
;;; Further Reading ****************
;;; ********************************
Consumer Reports Travel Letter
$37/yr, monthly
Pox 53629
Boulder CO 80322-3629
800-234-1970
Best Fares Magazine (consumer edition):
$58/year
Best Fares, Inc.
1111 W. Arkansas Lane, Suite C
Arlington, TX 76013
1-817-261-6114
Travel Secrets:
$30/year
Box 2325
New York, NY 10108
Travel Unlimited:
$25/year
Box 1058
Allston, MA 02134
Official Airline Guide, Pocket Edition:
$82/year
;;; ********************************
;;; Jetlag *************************
;;; ********************************
To reset your clock, there are several things you can do:
o Stay up 24+ hours and go to sleep at the normal time
for your destination.
o When you wake up in the morning, go for a half hour
walk in the bright morning sunlight.
o Do not eat right before you go to sleep. Eat a light dinner.
o Eat your meals according to the destination time zone.
o Do not drink any alcoholic or caffeine-based beverages
during your flight.