United States airport codes: find the right IATA code before you book
Use this traveler-focused United States airport codes list to find major U.S. IATA codes, understand FAA and ICAO identifiers, compare multi-airport cities, search common codes by state and avoid booking or pickup mistakes caused by similar airport names.
What are United States airport codes?
United States airport codes are short identifiers used to distinguish airports and aviation locations. For ordinary airline travel, the code you usually need is the three-letter IATA location code shown in flight searches, itineraries, boarding passes and checked-baggage tags.
Examples include ATL for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, LAX for Los Angeles International Airport, JFK for John F. Kennedy International Airport, ORD for Chicago O’Hare International Airport and DFW for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
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.
Live flight center
Check the airport's official flight board, then confirm any last-minute gate or timing change with the airline.
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.
Quick official checks
Open the source that matches the decision you are making right now.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A code does not always match the present airport name. ORD reflects O’Hare’s Orchard Field history, MCO comes from Orlando’s McCoy Air Force Base heritage, MSY traces to Moisant Stock Yards, and BNA preserves Nashville’s Berry Field history.
IATA vs FAA vs ICAO airport codes
Passenger travel
IATA assigns three-letter location identifiers used throughout commercial passenger and cargo systems, including reservations, ticketing and baggage handling.
Example: LAX.
U.S. facility records
FAA location identifiers are used in U.S. aviation records and databases. Major airports often share the same three letters as their IATA code, but the systems are not identical.
Example: LAX.
Aviation operations
ICAO location indicators are four letters and appear in flight planning, air traffic, aviation weather and technical operational systems.
Example: KLAX.
Transportation data
DOT/BTS datasets can use airport IDs and sequence IDs in addition to familiar airport codes. Stable numeric identifiers are safer for historical analysis when codes or airport names change.
| Task | Code system | Example | Best source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book a passenger flight | IATA | JFK | Airline / IATA |
| Check baggage destination | IATA | SEA | Airline |
| Look up a U.S. aviation facility | FAA | DEN | FAA Location ID Database |
| Read aviation weather / flight plan | ICAO | KDEN | FAA / ICAO aviation data |
| Analyze historical flight data | DOT / BTS IDs | Dataset-specific | BTS data dictionary |
Major United States airport codes A to Z
This table focuses on major and commonly searched U.S. passenger airports. It is not the complete FAA registry of public-use airports, private fields, heliports, seaplane bases, military facilities or other aviation locations.
| Code | Airport | City / area | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABE | Lehigh Valley International Airport | Allentown / Bethlehem | Pennsylvania |
| ABQ | Albuquerque International Sunport | Albuquerque | New Mexico |
| ACY | Atlantic City International Airport | Atlantic City | New Jersey |
| ALB | Albany International Airport | Albany | New York |
| ANC | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport | Anchorage | Alaska |
| ASE | Aspen/Pitkin County Airport | Aspen | Colorado |
| ATL | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport | Atlanta | Georgia |
| AUS | Austin-Bergstrom International Airport | Austin | Texas |
| AVL | Asheville Regional Airport | Asheville | North Carolina |
| BDL | Bradley International Airport | Hartford / Windsor Locks | Connecticut |
| BGR | Bangor International Airport | Bangor | Maine |
| BHM | Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport | Birmingham | Alabama |
| BNA | Nashville International Airport | Nashville | Tennessee |
| BOI | Boise Airport | Boise | Idaho |
| BOS | Boston Logan International Airport | Boston | Massachusetts |
| BUF | Buffalo Niagara International Airport | Buffalo | New York |
| BUR | Hollywood Burbank Airport | Burbank / Los Angeles area | California |
| BWI | Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport | Baltimore / Washington area | Maryland |
| BZN | Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport | Bozeman | Montana |
| CHS | Charleston International Airport | Charleston | South Carolina |
| CLE | Cleveland Hopkins International Airport | Cleveland | Ohio |
| CLT | Charlotte Douglas International Airport | Charlotte | North Carolina |
| CMH | John Glenn Columbus International Airport | Columbus | Ohio |
| COS | Colorado Springs Airport | Colorado Springs | Colorado |
| CRP | Corpus Christi International Airport | Corpus Christi | Texas |
| CVG | Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport | Cincinnati region / Hebron | Kentucky |
| DCA | Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | Washington area | Virginia |
| DEN | Denver International Airport | Denver | Colorado |
| DFW | Dallas Fort Worth International Airport | Dallas / Fort Worth | Texas |
| DTW | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport | Detroit | Michigan |
| ELP | El Paso International Airport | El Paso | Texas |
| EWR | Newark Liberty International Airport | Newark / New York region | New Jersey |
| FAI | Fairbanks International Airport | Fairbanks | Alaska |
| FAT | Fresno Yosemite International Airport | Fresno | California |
| FLL | Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport | Fort Lauderdale | Florida |
| GEG | Spokane International Airport | Spokane | Washington |
| GRR | Gerald R. Ford International Airport | Grand Rapids | Michigan |
| GSP | Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport | Greenville / Spartanburg | South Carolina |
| HNL | Daniel K. Inouye International Airport | Honolulu | Hawaii |
| HOU | William P. Hobby Airport | Houston | Texas |
| IAD | Washington Dulles International Airport | Washington area / Dulles | Virginia |
| IAH | George Bush Intercontinental Airport | Houston | Texas |
| IND | Indianapolis International Airport | Indianapolis | Indiana |
| JAX | Jacksonville International Airport | Jacksonville | Florida |
| JFK | John F. Kennedy International Airport | New York City / Queens | New York |
| JNU | Juneau International Airport | Juneau | Alaska |
| KOA | Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole | Kailua-Kona | Hawaii |
| LAS | Harry Reid International Airport | Las Vegas | Nevada |
| LAX | Los Angeles International Airport | Los Angeles | California |
| LGA | LaGuardia Airport | New York City / Queens | New York |
| LIT | Clinton National Airport | Little Rock | Arkansas |
| MCI | Kansas City International Airport | Kansas City | Missouri |
| MCO | Orlando International Airport | Orlando | Florida |
| MDW | Chicago Midway International Airport | Chicago | Illinois |
| MEM | Memphis International Airport | Memphis | Tennessee |
| MIA | Miami International Airport | Miami | Florida |
| MKE | Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport | Milwaukee | Wisconsin |
| MSP | Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport | Minneapolis / St. Paul | Minnesota |
| MSY | Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport | New Orleans / Kenner | Louisiana |
| MYR | Myrtle Beach International Airport | Myrtle Beach | South Carolina |
| OAK | San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport | Oakland / Bay Area | California |
| OGG | Kahului Airport | Maui / Kahului | Hawaii |
| OKC | Will Rogers World Airport | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma |
| OMA | Eppley Airfield | Omaha | Nebraska |
| ONT | Ontario International Airport | Ontario / Los Angeles region | California |
| ORD | Chicago O’Hare International Airport | Chicago | Illinois |
| ORF | Norfolk International Airport | Norfolk | Virginia |
| PBI | Palm Beach International Airport | West Palm Beach | Florida |
| PDX | Portland International Airport | Portland | Oregon |
| PHL | Philadelphia International Airport | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |
| PHX | Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport | Phoenix | Arizona |
| PIT | Pittsburgh International Airport | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
| PNS | Pensacola International Airport | Pensacola | Florida |
| PVD | Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport | Providence | Rhode Island |
| RDU | Raleigh-Durham International Airport | Raleigh / Durham | North Carolina |
| RNO | Reno-Tahoe International Airport | Reno | Nevada |
| ROC | Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport | Rochester | New York |
| RSW | Southwest Florida International Airport | Fort Myers | Florida |
| SAN | San Diego International Airport | San Diego | California |
| SAT | San Antonio International Airport | San Antonio | Texas |
| SAV | Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport | Savannah | Georgia |
| SDF | Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport | Louisville | Kentucky |
| SEA | Seattle-Tacoma International Airport | Seattle / Tacoma | Washington |
| SFO | San Francisco International Airport | San Francisco | California |
| SJC | San José Mineta International Airport | San Jose | California |
| SLC | Salt Lake City International Airport | Salt Lake City | Utah |
| SNA | John Wayne Airport | Orange County | California |
| STL | St. Louis Lambert International Airport | St. Louis | Missouri |
| SYR | Syracuse Hancock International Airport | Syracuse | New York |
| TPA | Tampa International Airport | Tampa | Florida |
| TUL | Tulsa International Airport | Tulsa | Oklahoma |
| TUS | Tucson International Airport | Tucson | Arizona |
| XNA | Northwest Arkansas National Airport | Bentonville / Fayetteville | Arkansas |
United States airport codes by state
This compact state list helps you identify likely passenger airports quickly. For a deeper state-by-state directory, use the dedicated state guide rather than treating this national hub as a complete FAA inventory.
Alabama AL
BHM Birmingham · HSV Huntsville · MOB Mobile · MGM Montgomery
Alaska AK
ANC Anchorage · FAI Fairbanks · JNU Juneau · KTN Ketchikan
Arizona AZ
PHX Phoenix · TUS Tucson · AZA Mesa · FLG Flagstaff
Arkansas AR
LIT Little Rock · XNA Northwest Arkansas · FSM Fort Smith · TXK Texarkana
California CA
LAX Los Angeles · SFO San Francisco · SAN San Diego · SJC San Jose · OAK Oakland · SNA Orange County
Colorado CO
DEN Denver · COS Colorado Springs · ASE Aspen · EGE Eagle/Vail · GJT Grand Junction
Connecticut CT
BDL Hartford/Bradley · HVN New Haven
Delaware DE
ILG Wilmington
Florida FL
MIA Miami · MCO Orlando · FLL Fort Lauderdale · TPA Tampa · RSW Fort Myers · JAX Jacksonville
Georgia GA
ATL Atlanta · SAV Savannah · AGS Augusta · CSG Columbus
Hawaii HI
HNL Honolulu · OGG Maui · KOA Kona · LIH Lihue · ITO Hilo
Idaho ID
BOI Boise · IDA Idaho Falls · SUN Sun Valley · TWF Twin Falls
Illinois IL
ORD O’Hare · MDW Midway · RFD Rockford · MLI Moline · SPI Springfield
Indiana IN
IND Indianapolis · SBN South Bend · FWA Fort Wayne · EVV Evansville
Iowa IA
DSM Des Moines · CID Cedar Rapids · SUX Sioux City · ALO Waterloo
Kansas KS
ICT Wichita · MHK Manhattan · GCK Garden City · HYS Hays
Kentucky KY
SDF Louisville · LEX Lexington · CVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky · OWB Owensboro
Louisiana LA
MSY New Orleans · BTR Baton Rouge · SHV Shreveport · LFT Lafayette · AEX Alexandria
Maine ME
PWM Portland · BGR Bangor · PQI Presque Isle · RKD Rockland
Maryland MD
BWI Baltimore/Washington · HGR Hagerstown · SBY Salisbury
Massachusetts MA
BOS Boston · ORH Worcester · ACK Nantucket · MVY Martha’s Vineyard
Michigan MI
DTW Detroit · GRR Grand Rapids · FNT Flint · TVC Traverse City
Minnesota MN
MSP Minneapolis/St. Paul · DLH Duluth · RST Rochester · BJI Bemidji
Mississippi MS
JAN Jackson · GPT Gulfport/Biloxi · PIB Hattiesburg/Laurel · MEI Meridian
Missouri MO
STL St. Louis · MCI Kansas City · SGF Springfield · COU Columbia
Montana MT
BZN Bozeman · BIL Billings · MSO Missoula · FCA Kalispell · HLN Helena
Nebraska NE
OMA Omaha · LNK Lincoln · GRI Grand Island · BFF Scottsbluff
Nevada NV
LAS Las Vegas · RNO Reno/Tahoe · EKO Elko
New Hampshire NH
MHT Manchester · LEB Lebanon · PSM Portsmouth
New Jersey NJ
EWR Newark · ACY Atlantic City · TTN Trenton
New Mexico NM
ABQ Albuquerque · SAF Santa Fe · ROW Roswell · HOB Hobbs
New York NY
JFK JFK · LGA LaGuardia · BUF Buffalo · ROC Rochester · SYR Syracuse · ALB Albany
North Carolina NC
CLT Charlotte · RDU Raleigh/Durham · AVL Asheville · GSO Greensboro · ILM Wilmington
North Dakota ND
FAR Fargo · BIS Bismarck · MOT Minot · GFK Grand Forks · XWA Williston
Ohio OH
CLE Cleveland · CMH Columbus · DAY Dayton · CAK Akron/Canton
Oklahoma OK
OKC Oklahoma City · TUL Tulsa · LAW Lawton · SWO Stillwater
Oregon OR
PDX Portland · EUG Eugene · MFR Medford · RDM Redmond
Pennsylvania PA
PHL Philadelphia · PIT Pittsburgh · MDT Harrisburg · ABE Lehigh Valley
Rhode Island RI
PVD Providence · BID Block Island
South Carolina SC
CHS Charleston · GSP Greenville/Spartanburg · MYR Myrtle Beach · CAE Columbia
South Dakota SD
FSD Sioux Falls · RAP Rapid City · ABR Aberdeen · PIR Pierre
Tennessee TN
BNA Nashville · MEM Memphis · TYS Knoxville · CHA Chattanooga · TRI Tri-Cities
Texas TX
DFW Dallas/Fort Worth · DAL Dallas Love · IAH Houston Intercontinental · HOU Hobby · AUS Austin · SAT San Antonio
Utah UT
SLC Salt Lake City · PVU Provo · SGU St. George · CDC Cedar City
Vermont VT
BTV Burlington · RUT Rutland
Virginia VA
IAD Dulles · DCA Reagan National · RIC Richmond · ORF Norfolk · ROA Roanoke
Washington WA
SEA Seattle/Tacoma · GEG Spokane · PSC Tri-Cities · BLI Bellingham · PAE Everett
West Virginia WV
CRW Charleston · HTS Huntington · CKB Clarksburg · LWB Lewisburg
Wisconsin WI
MKE Milwaukee · MSN Madison · GRB Green Bay · ATW Appleton · CWA Central Wisconsin
Wyoming WY
JAC Jackson Hole · CPR Casper · CYS Cheyenne · COD Cody · GCC Gillette
U.S. territory airport codes travelers commonly see
Territories are not U.S. states, but their airports often appear in domestic or U.S.-focused travel searches. Code and immigration treatment can differ by destination and traveler status, so verify entry requirements separately from the airport code.
Puerto Rico
SJU San Juan · BQN Aguadilla · PSE Ponce
U.S. Virgin Islands
STT St. Thomas · STX St. Croix
Guam
GUM Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport
American Samoa
PPG Pago Pago International Airport
Which airport code should you use?
Code-system selector
Choose what you are trying to do.
Multi-airport city checker
Use this before booking ground transport or a self-transfer.
Major U.S. cities with more than one practical airport
The cheapest flight is not always the cheapest trip. A different airport can change rail access, rideshare cost, hotel shuttle coverage, rental-car availability and the time needed for a connection.
New York City
JFK and LGA are in New York; EWR is in New Jersey but commonly appears in NYC flight searches.
Chicago
O’Hare and Midway are separate airports. A self-transfer between them requires substantial ground time.
Washington, DC
Reagan National and Dulles are in Virginia; BWI is in Maryland. Ground access is very different.
Dallas
DFW and Dallas Love Field are separate airports with different airline networks and ground-transport assumptions.
Houston
George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby serve different parts of the market.
San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose can all be practical depending on the final destination.
Los Angeles region
LAX is only one option. Burbank, Orange County, Ontario and Long Beach can be much closer to some destinations.
Orlando
Orlando International and Orlando Sanford are separate airports with different locations and transport options.
South Florida
Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach may all appear for regional trips.
How to save a United States airport codes PDF
Use the Save / Print button above or your browser’s print command and choose “Save as PDF.” That produces a convenient traveler copy of this page without requiring a separate downloadable file that may become stale.
Travel reference
Save this page when you want a quick offline list for trip planning, school work or a travel spreadsheet.
Official U.S. inventory
Use FAA’s current NPIAS and location database when you need official airport-system data rather than a traveler shortlist.
Passenger-code verification
Use IATA’s official airport and location code search when a specific three-letter passenger code must be confirmed.
Airport-code mistakes that cause real travel problems
1. Booking the wrong airport in the same metro area
JFK, LGA and EWR can all appear for New York trips. ORD and MDW both serve Chicago. DCA, IAD and BWI can all appear for Washington travel.
Do this: compare the exact airport code with your hotel, meeting location, rail route or rental-car plan before paying.
2. Assuming the city and airport are in the same state
CVG serves Cincinnati but is physically in Kentucky. DCA and IAD serve Washington but are in Virginia. EWR serves the New York market from New Jersey.
Do this: separate “city served” from physical airport location.
3. Confusing an airline code with an airport code
AA identifies American Airlines, while DFW identifies an airport. DL is an airline designator; DEN is an airport.
Do this: look for the three-letter origin or destination code on the itinerary.
4. Treating a metro code as one physical airport
Travel systems may use broader location codes such as NYC or CHI for city-level searches. These can represent multiple airports rather than one terminal location.
Do this: verify the final airport code after choosing a flight.
5. Assuming every IATA and FAA identifier matches
They often match at major passenger airports, but IATA and FAA are separate systems with different purposes.
Do this: use the identifier required by the form or dataset.
6. Using codes alone in historical datasets
Airport names and code assignments can change over time, and data systems may reuse or redefine fields.
Do this: use stable BTS or dataset-specific airport IDs when doing longitudinal analysis.
How to use a U.S. airport code correctly
Start with the three-letter code on the itinerary
For passenger travel, this is normally the IATA code. Example: SEA means Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Match the code to the full airport name
Do not rely only on the city. Multi-airport regions can have major differences in terminals, road distance and ground transportation.
Check the physical location
An airport may serve a city while being physically located in another city or state. This matters for rental cars, hotel shuttles and pickup.
Use the correct official source for the task
Use the airline or IATA for passenger codes, FAA for U.S. facility identifiers and airport-system data, and BTS documentation when analyzing transportation datasets.
Recheck before spending money on ground arrangements
Confirm the airport code before booking non-refundable parking, transfers, rental cars or hotels near the airport.
Why there is no simple count of “all United States airport codes”
The answer depends on what you mean by an airport and which identifier system you are counting. FAA’s current 2025–2029 National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems contains 3,287 NPIAS airports, but the United States has additional public, private and specialized aviation facilities outside that traveler-focused interpretation.
IATA’s location-code system is different again. IATA’s database covers airports, metropolitan areas and some intermodal locations around the world. That means an “IATA code count” is not the same thing as an FAA airport count.
NPIAS airports
FAA’s current national airport-system plan includes 3,287 airports across states and U.S. jurisdictions.
Location codes
IATA identifiers can represent commercial airports, metropolitan areas and certain intermodal locations.
This page
This guide deliberately lists commonly searched passenger airports rather than pretending to be a complete federal aviation registry.
United States airport codes quiz
What airport uses LAX?
Los Angeles International Airport in California.
What airport uses ORD?
Chicago O’Hare International Airport. ORD reflects the airport’s Orchard Field history.
What code is Orlando International Airport?
MCO.
What code is Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas?
LAS.
Which New York airport uses JFK?
John F. Kennedy International Airport.
What code is Denver International Airport?
DEN.
What are the three main New York-area airport codes?
JFK, LGA and EWR.
What is the difference between LAX and KLAX?
LAX is the passenger-facing IATA code. KLAX is the ICAO location indicator used in aviation operations.
Continue with a specific airport or region
United States airport codes FAQs
What is the airport code for the United States?
There is no single airport code for the United States. Individual airports have their own identifiers, such as ATL, LAX, JFK, ORD, DFW and MIA.
What are United States airport codes?
They are identifiers used for airports and aviation locations. Travelers normally mean three-letter IATA codes shown on tickets, boarding passes and baggage tags.
Are all U.S. airport codes three letters?
Passenger-facing IATA airport codes use three letters, but FAA identifiers follow the FAA system and ICAO location indicators use four letters.
What is the difference between IATA and FAA airport codes?
IATA codes are widely used in commercial passenger travel, while FAA location identifiers are used for U.S. aviation facilities and government aviation records. They often match at major airports but are separate systems.
Why do many U.S. ICAO codes begin with K?
For airports in the contiguous United States, ICAO location indicators commonly use a K prefix with the three-letter identifier, such as KJFK or KLAX. Other U.S. regions use different ICAO prefixes.
What airport code should I use for New York City?
It depends on the actual flight. JFK is John F. Kennedy International, LGA is LaGuardia and EWR is Newark Liberty in New Jersey. Confirm the airport before arranging ground transportation.
Which airport code should I use for Washington, DC?
Common choices are DCA for Reagan National, IAD for Dulles and BWI for Baltimore/Washington. They are separate airports in Virginia and Maryland.
Why is Chicago O’Hare ORD?
The ORD code is tied to O’Hare’s earlier Orchard Field identity. Airport codes often remain even after an airport is renamed.
Why is Orlando International Airport MCO?
MCO reflects the airport site’s earlier McCoy Air Force Base name. The modern airport name changed, while the established airport code remained.
Can airport codes change?
Yes. Airport names, service patterns and some code assignments can change. Use official IATA, FAA, airline or airport sources when a code must be current and exact.
Where can I download every FAA airport identifier?
Use the FAA Location ID Database or current FAA aeronautical-data resources. A traveler list like this page should not be treated as a complete FAA facility database.
Can I save this United States airport codes list as a PDF?
Yes. Use the Save / Print button or your browser’s print menu and choose Save as PDF. Verify critical codes again before travel because a saved PDF is static.
Where to verify a United States airport code
Use IATA’s official code search when you need to confirm a passenger-facing airport or location code. Use FAA’s Location ID Database and aeronautical data for U.S. aviation facilities. FAA’s current NPIAS files are appropriate when you need the national airport-system inventory rather than a commercial travel shortlist.
For an actual trip, the operating airline and the airport’s official site remain the best sources for flight number, gate, terminal, baggage, parking and same-day transportation information.