KUNV vs SCE

Teller1900

Teller1900

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I don't get it. University Park Airport's FAA designator is KUNV, but all of the airline booking stuff (including my own company's, as it's a base for us) uses SCE. From the airport's website:

The official FAA airport identifier for University Park Airport is “UNV”. When visiting the commercial airlines websites, or other travel websites, please remember to use the airport booking code “SCE” for University Park Airport.
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Why does it have two different identifiers? And if one is ICAO vs. IATA, why do the airlines do it different than everyone else?
 
Could it be the airlines have never updated software from the "old days"? They sure are sticking to the old way of doing business in most other aspects.
 
Matt I've been to KUNV a lot always known it as KUNV. It souds like its an airline thing. Why they choose to call it SCE is beyond me. The only thing I can think of is that its in State College so perhaps SCE is State College Exeuctive or sumthin.
 
Probably same reason that when you book to MQT in the upper peninsula, you are actually headed to SAW.
 
Teller1900 said:
Why does it have two different identifiers? And if one is ICAO vs. IATA, why do the airlines do it different than everyone else?
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I have not looked it up but it is probably a IATA and ICAO issue. It is not uncommon BTW. JAAA is the ICAO designation for Narita Japan's airport yet the IATA designator is NRT.

LHR is the IATA deisgnator for Londen Heathrow. Wanna guess what the ICAO one is?

EGLL is the right answer.

In the US is is less common to see the two identifiers as different, e.g. KORD is ICAO for O'HAre IAP while it's IATA designator is ORD.

The deal is that the IATA is all about scheduled airlines, is supported by the airlines, and provides what they need in their system to work. Their luggage tracking is based on the three digit IATA numbers.

The ICAO is the internation governmental body in charge of labling airports as well as other things and they have adopted a 4-digit system with the first digit a country code that is based on treaties made at the UN. BTW the ICAO is part of the UN.

The ICAO is one of those things you get for your UN dues. It is there to keep all countries, that are signators to the treaties, using the same standards.
 
Wouldn't ya think that the ICAO would assign the first letter of an airport in any given country with the same letter that their registration starts with. our airports are all K something ( Hawaii and AK excepted) but our registration numbers begin with N.
 
AdamZ said:
Wouldn't ya think that the ICAO would assign the first letter of an airport in any given country with the same letter that their registration starts with. our airports are all K something ( Hawaii and AK excepted) but our registration numbers begin with N.
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And radio call signs in the US start with K, N, W or AAA through ALZ. So, where does that put us? :D
 
AdamZ said:
Wouldn't ya think that the ICAO would assign the first letter of an airport in any given country with the same letter that their registration starts with. our airports are all K something ( Hawaii and AK excepted) but our registration numbers begin with N.
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FYI K, N, A (partial A's) and W are all assigned to the US as some of our country designations.
 
Teller1900 said:
Interesting. So why in the world do the airlines use the IATA code? We seem to be fairly standardized to ICAO for most everything else. Seems like a great way to cause a lot of confusion!

On a semi-related note (that I'm too lazy to look up before going to bed) - can you file a flight plan using the IATA code?
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The IATA does more than just assign codes and I am sure there is a legacy issues that is involved as well.
 
Teller1900 said:
Interesting. So why in the world do the airlines use the IATA code? We seem to be fairly standardized to ICAO for most everything else. Seems like a great way to cause a lot of confusion!

On a semi-related note (that I'm too lazy to look up before going to bed) - can you file a flight plan using the IATA code?
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For the same reason that only 2 of my groups 7 bags made it on the USAir CRJ from CLT to EWR last night. ITS THE AIRLINES :rofl:
 
Well, the issue is probably changing all the codes in the computer databases. In Marquette, they used to have two airports...MQT and SAW. MQT was the commercial/public use airport, and SAW was the old Air Force Base. When the Air Force Base closed down, they moved everything from MQT over to the base, and put an industrial park up where MQT was. But if you want to book a flight on a 121, you will put in your destination as MQT, because that's what the destination had been in the computers.
 
AdamZ said:
For the same reason that only 2 of my groups 7 bags made it on the USAir CRJ from CLT to EWR last night. ITS THE AIRLINES :rofl:
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Well it is not like you pay extra to the airlines to ahv ethe carry your bags. nor is it that they are inspected and cross checked to make sure you are on the plane or anything:rofl::rofl:
 
AdamZ said:
For the same reason that only 2 of my groups 7 bags made it on the USAir CRJ from CLT to EWR last night. ITS THE AIRLINES :rofl:
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Hey, that's your fault...you booked through EWR! That place is pretty much a black hole for all things normal and decent. :yikes:
 
Teller1900 said:
Hey, that's your fault...you booked through EWR! That place is pretty much a black hole for all things normal and decent. :yikes:
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Thank you Thank you Thank you. I did not book the trip I wanted to fly out of Philly so badly. PHL is soooo much easier that EWR. HA I've been vindicated by an airline pilot!
 
AdamZ said:
Thank you Thank you Thank you. I did not book the trip I wanted to fly out of Philly so badly. PHL is soooo much easier that EWR. HA I've been vindicated by an airline pilot!
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Disclaimer - The above opinion is in no way representative of any airline or its subsidiary; past, present, or future, in this or any unknown dimension. Fly more. Check bags.

That said, Sewark sucks :D. I never thought I would miss La Guardia so much.
 
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