United States airport codes: IATA, FAA, ICAO and major U.S. travel hubs
The United States does not have one national airport code. Every airport has its own identifier, so travelers should use the exact airport code shown for their destination—such as JFK for New York JFK, LAX for Los Angeles, ATL for Atlanta or DFW for Dallas/Fort Worth.
Airport-Guides.org is not IATA, FAA, TSA, CBP, DOT, an airport authority or an airline. Airport codes are relatively stable, but airlines, terminals, gates, routes, security rules and entry procedures can change. Verify travel-day details with the responsible official source.
What is the airport code for the United States of America?
The United States of America does not have a single airport code. Airport identifiers are assigned to individual airports and, in some booking systems, metropolitan areas.
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.
For passenger travel, the code you normally need is the airport’s three-letter IATA location code. IATA states that commercial airports can receive a location identifier when requested through the relevant airline or reservation-system process.
John F. Kennedy International
Los Angeles International
O’Hare International
Hartsfield-Jackson
IATA vs FAA vs ICAO airport codes in the United States
The United States uses several airport-identifier systems. They may look similar at a large commercial airport but they serve different purposes.
Usually three letters. This is the code most travelers see on airline bookings, boarding passes, baggage tags and flight-status pages.
Examples: LAX, JFK, ATL, ORD, DFW.
FAA identifiers are used to identify U.S. aviation facilities and can include formats that do not work like passenger IATA codes.
Example: a smaller general-aviation field may have a letter-and-number FAA identifier.
ICAO airport identifiers are normally four characters. Many airports in the contiguous United States use a “K” prefix with a familiar airport code.
Examples: KJFK, KLAX and KORD.
Major United States airport codes
This is a practical shortlist of major passenger airports, not a complete U.S. airport registry. The FAA tracks commercial-service, general-aviation and other airport categories separately, while the complete traveler-facing code universe is much larger than the table below.
| IATA | Airport | City / area | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport | Atlanta | Georgia |
| BOS | Boston Logan International Airport | Boston | Massachusetts |
| CLT | Charlotte Douglas International Airport | Charlotte | North Carolina |
| DEN | Denver International Airport | Denver | Colorado |
| DFW | Dallas Fort Worth International Airport | Dallas–Fort Worth | Texas |
| DTW | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport | Detroit | Michigan |
| EWR | Newark Liberty International Airport | Newark / New York region | New Jersey |
| FLL | Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport | Fort Lauderdale / South Florida | Florida |
| HNL | Daniel K. Inouye International Airport | Honolulu · Oʻahu | Hawaiʻi |
| IAD | Washington Dulles International Airport | Washington region | Virginia |
| IAH | George Bush Intercontinental Airport | Houston | Texas |
| JFK | John F. Kennedy International Airport | New York City | New York |
| LAS | Harry Reid International Airport | Las Vegas | Nevada |
| LAX | Los Angeles International Airport | Los Angeles | California |
| MCO | Orlando International Airport | Orlando | Florida |
| MIA | Miami International Airport | Miami | Florida |
| MSP | Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport | Minneapolis–Saint Paul | Minnesota |
| ORD | Chicago O’Hare International Airport | Chicago | Illinois |
| PHL | Philadelphia International Airport | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |
| PHX | Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport | Phoenix | Arizona |
| SEA | Seattle-Tacoma International Airport | Seattle | Washington |
| SFO | San Francisco International Airport | San Francisco Bay Area | California |
| SLC | Salt Lake City International Airport | Salt Lake City | Utah |
Common U.S. airport codes by region
Regional grouping helps when you know the part of the country but have not yet chosen the exact airport. Always confirm the final airport because nearby cities can have several commercial options.
Northeast USA
Major codes around New York, Boston and Philadelphia.
Southeast USA
High-use gateways for Atlanta, Florida and the Carolinas.
Midwest USA
Common passenger hubs across the central-northern states.
South Central USA
Major Texas and nearby travel hubs.
Mountain West USA
Key gateways for the Rockies and interior West.
West Coast USA
Large California, Oregon and Washington airport markets.
U.S. cities with more than one major airport
The city name on your trip is not always specific enough. Large metro areas can have several airports that differ dramatically in location, airline mix and ground transportation.
New York City area
JFK LGA EWRJFK and LaGuardia are in New York City; Newark Liberty is in New Jersey but commonly serves New York-area travelers.
Chicago
ORD MDWO’Hare and Midway are different airports with different routes and ground-transport options.
Washington, D.C. area
DCA IAD BWIReagan National, Dulles and Baltimore/Washington are separate airports serving different parts of the region.
Dallas
DFW DALDallas Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field are not interchangeable pickup or parking locations.
Houston
IAH HOUGeorge Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby serve the same broad metro area but are on different sides of Houston.
San Francisco Bay Area
SFO OAK SJCSan Francisco, Oakland and San José airports can all be practical depending on destination and airline.
Los Angeles region
LAX BUR LGB SNA ONTSouthern California’s airports can be far apart in traffic. Choose by final destination, not only airfare.
South Florida
MIA FLL PBIMiami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach serve different parts of the South Florida corridor.
How to choose the correct U.S. airport code before booking
Choose the city
Start with the city, neighborhood, resort, cruise port, campus or business location you actually need to reach.
List nearby airports
Check whether the metro area has more than one commercial airport and compare ground distance.
Match the exact code
Read the airport name and IATA code together before paying for the ticket.
Verify the whole trip
Check airline, terminal, baggage destination, parking or pickup location before travel day.
Airport codes on checked luggage
The three-letter airport code printed on a checked-baggage tag is one of the easiest places to catch a destination mistake. Before the bag leaves the counter, compare the final code with the airport on your itinerary.
A connection code and a final destination code are not necessarily the same. If your itinerary connects through ATL but ends at MCO, for example, follow the airline’s baggage instructions and confirm the bag is tagged to the intended final airport when applicable.
Current ID rules for U.S. domestic flights
For travelers age 18 and older, TSA requires an acceptable form of identification at airport security checkpoints. Since May 7, 2025, a state-issued driver’s license or identification card that is not REAL ID compliant is no longer accepted by itself for normal checkpoint identification.
Accepted alternatives include documents such as a U.S. passport, U.S. passport card, certain DHS trusted-traveler cards and other forms listed by TSA. Because the approved-ID list can change, check TSA before leaving for the airport.
A REAL ID-compliant state credential or another TSA-accepted identification document is the normal requirement.
TSA generally does not require children under 18 to present identification for domestic U.S. travel, though airline-specific requirements can still apply.
International arrival connections in the United States
For an international arrival, airport code selection matters even more when the first U.S. airport is only a connection. U.S. Customs and Border Protection states that travelers generally clear CBP at their first U.S. port of entry, unless they were already processed at an authorized preclearance location.
If the trip continues to another U.S. airport, leave enough connection time for the required arrival process. Baggage procedures can vary by airport, airline, itinerary and current CBP program, so follow the operating airline’s instructions rather than assuming every international connection works the same way.
Common airport codes in U.S. territories
U.S. territory airports often appear in searches for “United States airport codes,” but they should be distinguished from the 50 states. Common traveler codes include:
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, San Juan.
Cyril E. King Airport, St. Thomas.
Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, St. Croix.
Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport.
Saipan International Airport.
Pago Pago International Airport.
Use the right Airport-Guides.org U.S. code page
This page answers the country-level question. Use the more specialized pages when you need a larger lookup list rather than repeating hundreds of codes here.
Need an A–Z code list?
Use the dedicated U.S. airport-code list for major passenger airports, code search and alphabetical browsing.
Need codes by state?
Use the state-by-state airport-code guide when the destination state is already known.
Need broader U.S. code help?
Use the traveler-focused airport-codes-for-US page for additional code-system and city guidance.
Need North or South America too?
Use the America-wide code guide when your search is not limited to the United States.
United States airport code FAQs
What is the airport code for the United States of America?
There is no single airport code for the United States. Each airport has its own identifier. Examples include JFK for New York JFK, LAX for Los Angeles, ORD for Chicago O’Hare and ATL for Atlanta.
What airport code should I use when booking a U.S. flight?
For normal passenger booking, use the three-letter IATA code for the exact airport shown in the airline search result or itinerary.
Are all U.S. airport codes three letters?
Passenger-facing IATA airport codes are three letters. FAA location identifiers can use other formats, while ICAO airport identifiers normally use four characters.
What are the main New York airport codes?
The three major New York-area passenger airport codes are JFK for John F. Kennedy International Airport, LGA for LaGuardia Airport and EWR for Newark Liberty International Airport.
What are the main Los Angeles-area airport codes?
LAX is Los Angeles International Airport. Other regional airports include BUR for Hollywood Burbank, LGB for Long Beach, SNA for John Wayne and ONT for Ontario International.
Is NYC an airport code?
NYC can be used as a metropolitan-area search code in travel systems, but it does not identify one physical airport. Specific New York-area airport codes include JFK, LGA and EWR.
What is the difference between IATA and FAA airport codes?
IATA codes are the three-letter identifiers travelers usually use for airline booking and baggage. FAA location identifiers are used in U.S. aviation data and can use different formats, particularly for smaller aviation facilities.
Do U.S. ICAO airport codes always begin with K?
No. Many airports in the contiguous United States use ICAO codes beginning with K, such as KJFK or KLAX, but Alaska, Hawaiʻi, territories and other locations use different prefixes. Verify the actual ICAO identifier rather than creating one from the IATA code.
Do I need a REAL ID to fly within the United States?
Travelers age 18 and older need acceptable identification at TSA checkpoints. Since May 7, 2025, a non-REAL-ID-compliant state driver’s license or ID is not accepted by itself. A passport or another TSA-accepted identification document can be used instead.
Where do international passengers clear customs when connecting in the USA?
CBP states that travelers generally clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection at their first U.S. port of entry unless they were processed at an authorized preclearance location. Follow current airline and CBP instructions for baggage and onward connections.
Official sources for U.S. airport codes and travel rules
Use IATA for passenger-facing code information, FAA for U.S. airport and aeronautical records, TSA for security-checkpoint identification rules and CBP for international-arrival procedures.