Quiz: Airport Alphabet Soup

Booking travel can be daunting when you don’t have all your airport codes memorized, especially with a connection. See how well you know your airports and the distinctions around them.

Kimberly Ferrante,

AARP

En español

Published May 22, 2023

8 Questions

Quiz: Airport Alphabet Soup

[ {
  "question" : "Which of the following airport codes is in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "LGA",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "JFK",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "EWR",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "SWF",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "LGA is LaGuardia Airport. Skytrax, an international air transport rating company, awarded LaGuardia’s Terminal B five stars in March. It is the first North American terminal to receive this distinction. Be sure to arrive early to see the full water show at the terminal’s 25-foot-tall fountains, which puts the Bellagio in Las Vegas to shame.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which airport in the Southern U.S. routinely sees passengers arriving more than two hours before their flight so they can hear some live music inside the security checkpoints?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "MEM",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "MYR",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "BNA",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "MIA",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Nashville International Airport has live music throughout the various terminals, including at an offshoot of iconic Tootsies Orchid Lounge (Concourse C, near gate C7). Performances are scheduled several times a week on the Meeter-Greeter Lounge stage in the A/B and C/D Concourse and the C Concourse Food and Retail Court stage.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which of the following airports allows you to go shopping at the Mall of America during a few-hour layover?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "MSY",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "MCO",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "MCI",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "MSP ",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "From the Tram Level at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, you can catch the Metro Blue Line every 15 minutes on weekdays (every 15-30 minutes on evenings and weekends), and within a 12-minute ride, you have arrived at the Mall of America. You can shop, eat, explore and return in a few hours. Be sure you leave enough time to go through security again, and you may need to check another bag with all the goodies you pick up.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which state has two airports that appear on Fodor’s Travel’s list of the world’s 13 most dangerous airports?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Colorado ",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "New Mexico",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Washington",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "New York",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Fodor’s Most Dangerous Airports ranking, released in 2021, listed only two airports from the United States, and both were in Colorado. Coming in as the 12th and 13th most dangerous airports in the world, respectively, are TEX (Telluride Regional Airport) and ASE (Aspen/Pitkin County [Sardy Field] Airport). The travel guide cites the mountains and runway elevation for producing swirling winds and low visibility, making the takeoff and landing of aircraft difficult.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "True or false: The airport code for Gerald Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is GRR because Ford was known as a gruff, no-nonsense president.",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "True",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "False ",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The airport with the code GRR was constructed as Kent County’s first airport in 1919. This was eight years after aviation first came to Michigan when a Wright Brothers biplane landed at Comstock Park State Fairgrounds in 1911. The airport was renamed the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in 1999 in honor of the 38th president of the United States, who attended a Grand Rapids high school and the University of Michigan.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "This airport in Bentonville, Arkansas, has not one but two centralized family play areas with giant board games, where parents and grandparents are encouraged to let their kids run around while still keeping a watchful eye.",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "MSY",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "MSP",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "MCI",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "XNA ",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Maybe it’s because Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, and is known to children as having a heckuva toy section, but Northwest Arkansas National Airport has a tremendous play area before and after security for kiddos to run off some energy. Open areas include chess pieces and checkers as large as the kids, as well as comfortable kid-friendly seating (and massage chairs for parents) positioned near the floor-to-ceiling windows so the youngsters can watch the planes take off and land.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Although airport bathrooms are not usually a part of the travel experience that leaves a lasting memory on vacation, the bathrooms at this airport are so clean and impressive that you might want to add a photo of them to your vacation scrapbook.",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "ABQ",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "CLE",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "DFW",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "TPA",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Tampa, Florida, is a wonderful town with myriad land-and-sea activities for couples’ or friends’ retreats, but the instant conversation starter centers on the first pit stop you make upon arrival. Tampa International Airport’s restrooms won Cinta Corp.’s award for the best in America in 2022 for their spotless commodes and unique features. After you’ve done your business, stop by the main terminal and meet Phoebe, a floor-to-ceiling flamingo sculpture that is ready for photo ops.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "True or false: The origin of many airport codes lies in the two letters first used by the National Weather Service to categorize weather stations.",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "True",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "False",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "True. Airport codes are issued by the International Air Transport Association, but the three-letter codes are not all original. As aviation gained in popularity, airport codes multiplied and expanded to three letters. Either an “X” was added to the end of the weather station code — LAX, for example — or if a weather station wasn’t present in a city with a new airport, a “common-sense” identifier was used, which consisted of the city’s first three letters.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

Quiz Progress

0 Correct

0 Incorrect

get help and give help through AARP Community Connections

Caption for quiz image

Credit for quiz image

NEED A HINT?

CLOSE HINT

CORRECT

INCORRECT

Answer:

Quiz: Airport Alphabet Soup

0 Correct

0 Incorrect

Score:

Oops...something went wrong. Please log out and log back in to continue.

Kimberly Ferrante is an award-winning journalist based in Plano, Texas. Her work has appeared in Road Trip, Island Soul, Explore the Northshore and The Lens.