Are IATA codes and FAA airport codes always the same in the United States?

No. Many large US commercial airports use the same three-letter code for IATA and FAA purposes, but not every airport does. Some smaller airports use FAA identifiers that are not IATA passenger codes.

Is us-east-1 or us-west-2 an airport code?

No. us-east-1, us-east-2 and us-west-2 are cloud region identifiers, not airport codes. US airport codes are typically three-letter passenger codes such as ATL, LAX, JFK, ORD, DFW and MIA.

How do I find the correct airport code for a US city?

Search by the airport name or city, then confirm whether the code is the IATA passenger code used for tickets and baggage or an FAA identifier used for US aviation records. For multi-airport cities, verify the exact airport before booking.

USA Airport Codes Guide

Airport Codes for US Airports: IATA & Travel Info

A practical guide to airport codes for US airports, major US cities, US territories and common search mistakes such as “us-east-1,” “us-east-2” and “us-west-2.”

Quick answer: For passenger travel, the code you usually need is the three-letter IATA airport code, such as ATL for Atlanta, LAX for Los Angeles, JFK for New York JFK, ORD for Chicago O’Hare and DFW for Dallas Fort Worth.

Major US airport codes IATA vs FAA vs ICAO US Virgin Islands codes

Important: Airport codes are not the same as airline codes, city abbreviations, postal abbreviations, military airport identifiers or cloud-computing region labels. This guide focuses on passenger-use airport codes for the United States and US territories.

Know the code system

IATA vs FAA vs ICAO airport codes in the United States

Most travelers only need the IATA airport code. That is the three-letter code shown on tickets, baggage tags, flight search engines and airline apps.

FAA and ICAO identifiers matter for aviation data, pilot resources, airport diagrams, weather products and official aeronautical records.

Airport Travel Command Center

Airport live checks & travel tools

Use current local conditions, official live-status links and planning calculators before you travel. Airline gate, terminal and flight times can change; your carrier remains the final source for flight-specific details.

Airport—

Local time—

Terminals—

WeatherLoading…

Live flight center

Check the airport's official flight board, then confirm any last-minute gate or timing change with the airline.

Official flight search Airline directory

“Live” here means a current source is being opened or fetched. This block does not invent gates, delays or flight status when a verified feed is unavailable.

Current airport-area weather

Useful for planning your trip to the airport. This is model-based local weather, not an aviation METAR or an airline operational forecast.

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Loading current conditions…

Feels like—

Visibility—

Wind—

Cloud cover—

Source: Open-Meteo current model dataNot loaded

Quick official checks

Open the source that matches the decision you are making right now.

Terminal map Parking status Security / TSA FAA airport status Aviation weather Official airport site

When should I reach the airport?

A planning estimate based on flight type and common time buffers. Always increase the buffer for severe weather, major holidays, unusual airport alerts or airline instructions.

Flight departure

Flight type

Drive / transit time to airport (minutes)

Extra parking / rental-car transfer (minutes)

Checking a bag (+20 min) Family, mobility or extra-assistance buffer (+25 min) Holiday / peak travel buffer (+30 min)

Enter your departure time to build a plan.

Connection-risk checker

This is a planning heuristic, not an airline minimum-connection-time rule. International arrivals that require U.S. entry processing, baggage claim and security can need substantially more time.

Connection time (minutes)

Arrival type

Terminal change Separate tickets / separate reservation Need to reclaim / recheck baggage Mobility / family assistance may add transfer time

Adjust the options to estimate how much buffer you have.

Parking cost estimator

Uses the airport-specific rates stored in this article's configuration. Rates can change; verify availability and final pricing on the official parking page before driving in.

Parking option

Number of 24-hour periods

Choose a lot and number of days.

Check live parking / official rates

Passenger pickup readiness

Landing time is not curb-ready time. Add time for taxiing, deplaning, baggage claim, customs when applicable and walking to the correct pickup zone.

Scheduled / estimated landing

Arrival type

Checked baggage Mobility / family assistance

Enter the landing time to estimate when the passenger may actually reach pickup.

Passenger code IATA code

Usually three letters. Examples: ATL, LAX, JFK, ORD. Best for tickets, bags and traveler search.

US aviation identifier FAA identifier

Used in FAA airport data and US aviation systems. Often the same as IATA at large airports, but not always.

Global aviation identifier ICAO code

Usually four letters for airports. In the continental US, many start with K, such as KJFK, KLAX and KORD.

Takeaway: If you are booking a flight, checking a bag, tracking an arrival or telling a rideshare driver where to pick you up, use the IATA code unless the source specifically asks for an FAA or ICAO identifier.

High-use traveler list

Airport codes for major US cities and airports

This is not every airport in the country. It is a practical list of major US airport codes travelers search most often when booking flights, checking baggage tags, comparing nearby airports or planning pickup.

ATL

Atlanta

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Major Delta hub and one of the most searched US airport codes.

LAX

Los Angeles

Los Angeles International Airport. Main airport for LA international and long-haul service.

ORD

Chicago O’Hare

Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Do not confuse with Midway, which uses MDW.

DFW

Dallas Fort Worth

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Do not confuse with Dallas Love Field, which uses DAL.

DEN

Denver

Denver International Airport. Main commercial airport for the Denver metro area.

JFK

New York JFK

John F. Kennedy International Airport. One of three main New York City-area passenger airports.

EWR

Newark / NYC area

Newark Liberty International Airport. Commonly used for New York City trips, though it is in New Jersey.

LGA

New York LaGuardia

LaGuardia Airport. Often used for domestic New York trips.

SFO

San Francisco

San Francisco International Airport. Main international airport for San Francisco.

SEA

Seattle

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Often called Sea-Tac.

MIA

Miami

Miami International Airport. Major US gateway for Latin America and the Caribbean.

MCO

Orlando

Orlando International Airport. The airport code does not match “Orlando” because it traces to the former McCoy Air Force Base name.

LAS

Las Vegas

Harry Reid International Airport. Formerly McCarran, but the passenger code stayed LAS.

PHX

Phoenix

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Main Phoenix airport.

IAH

Houston Intercontinental

George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Do not confuse with Houston Hobby, which uses HOU.

BOS

Boston

Boston Logan International Airport. Main commercial airport for Boston.

MSP

Minneapolis–St. Paul

Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport. Serves the Twin Cities metro area.

DTW

Detroit

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Main Detroit passenger airport.

CLT

Charlotte

Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Major hub in the Southeast.

PHL

Philadelphia

Philadelphia International Airport. Main commercial airport for Philadelphia.

Traveler tip: In metro areas with multiple airports, airport code matters more than city name. A flight to “New York” may mean JFK, LGA or EWR; a flight to “Chicago” may mean ORD or MDW.

Avoid wrong-airport bookings

US cities where airport codes prevent expensive mistakes

Many US cities have more than one practical airport option. Picking the wrong code can add taxi costs, missed meetings, hotel transfer problems or long ground travel.

NYC

New York City

JFKLGAEWR

Use JFK for many international flights, LGA for many domestic trips, and EWR when Newark/New Jersey or west-side access makes sense.

CHI

Chicago

ORDMDW

ORD is the larger global hub. MDW is often useful for Southwest and closer South Side access.

WAS

Washington, DC area

DCAIADBWI

DCA is closest to central DC. IAD handles many long-haul international flights. BWI can be useful for Maryland and some budget routes.

HOU

Houston

IAHHOU

IAH is George Bush Intercontinental. HOU is Hobby. They are not interchangeable for pickup or rental-car planning.

DAL

Dallas area

DFWDAL

DFW is the large international airport. DAL is Dallas Love Field.

SFO

Bay Area

SFOOAKSJC

SFO, Oakland and San Jose can all work for Bay Area trips depending on airline, price and final destination.

Booking warning: Never book only because the city looks right. Check the airport code, transfer time, airline, baggage policy and hotel distance before paying.

US territories

Airport codes for US Virgin Islands airports

For US Virgin Islands passenger travel, the two codes most travelers need are STT and STX. These are especially important when planning ferry connections, island transfers or cruise add-ons.

STT

Cyril E. King Airport — St. Thomas

IATA / FAA: STT

ICAO: TIST

Use STT for St. Thomas, Charlotte Amalie, many St. John connections and common USVI vacation itineraries.

Takeaway: If your hotel or ferry is on St. John, you will usually fly into STT first, then transfer by ground and ferry.

STX

Henry E. Rohlsen Airport — St. Croix

IATA / FAA: STX

ICAO: TISX

Use STX for St. Croix trips, including Christiansted, Frederiksted and St. Croix resorts.

Takeaway: STX and STT are different islands. Do not book STT if your lodging is on St. Croix unless you have a separate inter-island plan.

USVI planning note: US domestic travelers should still check airline ID rules, baggage timing, ferry schedules and inter-island transfer time. Airport code accuracy matters more in island travel because a wrong airport may require a separate flight or ferry plan.

Search intent mismatch

“Airport code for us-east-1, us-east-2 or us-west-2” is not an airport-code search

Searches like airport code for us east 1, airport code for us east 2 and airport code for us west 2 usually mix two different systems.

us-east-1, us-east-2 and us-west-2 are cloud region labels. They are not IATA airport codes and should not be used for flight booking, baggage, airport pickup or travel search.

us-east-1

Cloud region style label. Not an airport code.

us-east-2

Cloud region style label. Not an airport code.

us-west-2

Cloud region style label. Not an airport code.

What to search instead: If you want a travel airport, search by city plus “airport code,” such as “Columbus Ohio airport code,” “Northern Virginia airport code,” “Portland Oregon airport code” or “Seattle airport code.”

Step-by-step

How to check the right US airport code before booking

Use this process when a city has multiple airports, when a code looks unfamiliar, or when you are booking a flight for someone else.

Start with the airport name, not only the city.
“Washington,” “New York,” “Chicago,” “Houston” and “Dallas” can point to more than one airport.

Confirm the IATA code.
This is the code used by most passenger booking tools and baggage tags.

Check the airport location on a map.
Compare drive time to your hotel, meeting, cruise port, theme park or final destination.

Check whether the airline actually serves that airport.
Some airports are tied strongly to specific airlines or route types.

Verify live travel details on travel day.
Airport code may be stable, but terminals, counters, gates, security timing and pickup rules can change.

Practical takeaway: Before paying, read the booking line out loud: airline, airport name, airport code, date, time and passenger. This catches many wrong-airport mistakes.

Common traveler problems

Airport-code troubleshooting

Problem: The city name is right, but the code looks wrong

Possible reason: The city has more than one airport, or the airport code comes from an older airport name.

What to do: Confirm the airport name and map distance before booking. Examples include MCO for Orlando and ORD for Chicago O’Hare.

Problem: The code is four letters

Possible reason: You may be looking at an ICAO code, such as KJFK or KLAX, rather than the passenger-facing IATA code.

What to do: Use the three-letter IATA code for tickets and baggage unless the form specifically requests ICAO.

Problem: The code includes numbers or hyphens

Possible reason: It may not be an airport code. It could be a cloud region, internal system label, military code or database field.

What to do: Search by city and airport name instead of the technical-looking label.

Problem: Your baggage tag shows a different code than expected

Possible reason: Your itinerary may route through a hub or use a nearby airport.

What to do: Ask the airline agent to confirm the final destination code before the bag is accepted.

FAQs

Airport codes for US airports FAQs

What are airport codes for US airports?

They are short airport identifiers used across airline booking, baggage, flight status and aviation systems. The code most travelers need is the three-letter IATA code.

What is the difference between airport codes for US cities and US airports?

A city can have more than one airport, so a city name is not always specific enough. New York, Chicago, Washington, Houston and Dallas all require checking the exact airport code.

Are all US airport codes three letters?

Passenger-facing IATA codes are three letters. FAA identifiers and ICAO codes can use different formats, especially for smaller airports and aviation operations.

What are the airport codes for US Virgin Islands airports?

The main US Virgin Islands passenger airport codes are STT for Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas and STX for Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix.

Is us-west-2 an airport code?

No. us-west-2 is a cloud region style label, not an airport code. Use three-letter airport codes such as SEA, PDX, SFO, LAX or SAN depending on the city you mean.

Source transparency

Official sources to verify US airport codes

Use these official resources when you need to verify a code, airport name, location identifier or passenger-airport data.

IATA code search

IATA provides an official airline and airport code search for passenger-facing codes.

Verify airport codes with IATA

FAA airport data

The FAA Airport Data and Information Portal supports official US airport and aeronautical data.

Check FAA ADIP airport data

FAA passenger boarding data

FAA passenger boarding data helps identify major US commercial airports by enplanements.

View FAA passenger boarding data

Virgin Islands Port Authority

VIPA manages the main public airports in the US Virgin Islands, including STT and STX.

Check USVI airport information