the.com/iata
the club that turns letters into airports and turf wars into three-character truces.
means the international trade association of airlines that assigns codes, sets standards, and lets your bag find its way to jfk instead of jnb.
from founded in 1945 in havana, cuba, by 57 airlines rebuilding global air travel after world war ii; it replaced an earlier 1919 version killed off by the war itself.
member airlinesaround 300, covering most global air traffic
code limitonly 17,576 possible three-letter combos exist
ord mysterychicago's ord honors its old name, orchard field
headquarters splitbased in montreal and geneva simultaneously