Mayday! Mayday!

Why do commercial airflights have those letters and numbers? Here’s why!

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Airport codes, numbers, and technical lingo might seem arcane or even random at first glance, but most have surprisingly logical origins. From international abbreviations to behind-the-scenes terms used by airport staff, there’s a whole coded world buzzing around your flight. Let’s unpack 10 of the most widely used ones.

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IATA airport codes are those three-letter codes you see on tickets and baggage tags, like LAX for Los Angeles or JFK for New York. They're set by the International Air Transport Association (the aforementioned IATA).

These codes often reflect the airport’s name or location, but not always. Some are not as obvious, like ORD for Chicago O’Hare, which comes from its previous name: Orchard Field.

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A relative of the IATA airport codes, UN/LOCODEs are five-character codes used in global trade and transport. They combine a two-letter country code with a three-letter location code, like USLAX for Los Angeles in the U.S.

These codes help standardize locations in shipping, logistics, and customs. You might not see them as often as airport codes, but they’re essential behind the scenes in moving goods worldwide.

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Airport terminal and gate codes help guide you through the airport. A sign like T1-G12 means Terminal 1, Gate 12.

Each airport has its own layout, so the letters and numbers can vary. Some use concourses (like B42), while others just number gates.

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Runway designators are those numbers you see at each end of an airport runway, like 09/27. They’re based on compass directions. For example, 09 means 90°, or east, and 27 means 270°, or west.

If there are parallel runways, you’ll see letters too, like L for left or R for right (e.g., 09L/27R).

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Airline and flight number codes help identify specific flights, like AA100 for American Airlines Flight 100. The first part is the airline’s IATA code, followed by a number assigned to the route.

These codes are used in schedules, boarding passes, and announcements.

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A-CDM codes are used at airports to help controllers and pilots work together smoothly using universal directives. They stand for Airport Collaborative Decision Making.

Some examples of these kinds of codes are TOBT (Target Off-Block Time) and TSAT (Target Start-up Approval Time), which help coordinate when planes should push back or start engines.

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METAR and TAF codes use ICAO airport codes to report weather conditions for pilots and flight crews. For example, EGLL is used in METAR reports for London Heathrow.

These reports include info like wind, visibility, and temperature. METARs show current weather, while TAFs give forecasts.

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Baggage tag numbers and codes are the barcodes that are attached to the luggage when it is checked. They usually include the airport's IATA code, like LAX123456, to help route the bag correctly.

These tags let airports and airlines track bags from drop-off to arrival.

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Flight status codes are seen on airport screens, like ON TIME, DELAYED, or BOARDING, to keep passengers updated. They’re simple but super helpful when you’re rushing to your gate.

Other codes can be spotted, like DEP (Departed), ARR (Arrived), ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival), and GATE CLOSED.

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Flight numbers help identify each flight and usually include four or five digits after the airline code. These numbers aren’t random: they often reveal details like the route, destination, or flight type.

For example, Lufthansa uses 400s for North America and 900s for Asia. Some airlines even assign numbers based on the country of origin.

Language slip-ups

Say that again? Common words born from misunderstandings

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You probably don’t go around thinking about where words come from. But, as it turns out, some of our everyday vocabulary was never supposed to happen. From pronunciation blunders to translation mishaps, these words made it into the English language completely by accident. Grab your coffee, settle in, and enjoy these amusing little mix-ups that stuck around longer than anyone expected.

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Back in the 1600s, politician Sir Edwin Sandys wrote expedite instead of expediate in an essay. It was a mistake, but people liked the sound of it. Even after the error was spotted, the made-up version hung around. That’s one way to make a typo famous!

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In Middle English, "pease" was a mass noun, like "rice." But people assumed that "pease" must be plural, so they trimmed it down to create a new singular: "pea." It was a back-formation based on a misunderstanding… And yet, we’ve been using it ever since!

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Back in the day, court clerks would jot down "cul. prit." to stand in for a mouthful of French legalese: Culpable, prest d’averrer nostre bille. Over time, people misread it as an actual word, and boom, "culprit" entered the English language with a similar meaning.

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The French had a word, naperon, for a protective cloth. But English speakers often blurred the line between "a napron" and "an apron." Eventually, the "n" slid over and the new version stuck. See how even small slips reshape the language?

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The word "algorithm" can trace its roots to al-Khwarizmi, a 9th-century scholar. Latin scribes butchered his name into algorismus, and it subsequently morphed into "algorithm." Quite the journey for a name. Now it powers everything from apps to smart speakers.

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In Old English, there was quease, meaning to press or crush. But somewhere along the way, someone added an extra "s," maybe to make it fit better with "squash" or "squish." And just like that, "squeeze" started sounding a lot more satisfying.

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The French phrase la munition was misheard by soldiers as l’amonition, and English speakers picked up that error like it was fact. The "a" shouldn’t have been there, but it stuck and gave us the word "ammunition" we use today.

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In French, nompere meant someone neutral, literally "not a peer." But in English, "a nompere" got twisted into "an umpire." And now it’s the name we give to the person brave enough to call strikes with parents in the bleachers. It changed the spelling and the meaning, brave indeed!

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The French word chassé described a graceful dance step. But English speakers didn’t quite nail the pronunciation, and it turned into the fancier, flirtier "sashay." Sometimes a mispronunciation ends up sounding better than the original.

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Originally spelled "fneze," this word changed when people mistook the "f" for an old-style "s." One printing error later, and "sneeze" became the standard. Honestly, it does a better job of capturing the sound, don’t you think?

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French speakers said lingot, but when it crossed into English, scribes dropped the "L," thinking it stood for an article like "le" or "la." Oops! What they left behind became "ingot," a word now used to describe solid bars of metal.

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This windy word started out as tronada, Spanish for thunderstorm. English speakers twisted the syllables around and made "tornado." It doesn’t match the original, but hey, it feels like it belongs, right?

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Back in the day, people used the term ekename to mean "additional name." Say "an ekename" too quickly, and it morphs into "a nickname." Just another case of sounds slipping around and creating something brand new.