An IATA airport code , also known as an IATA location identifier , IATA station code , or simply a location identifier , is a three-letter geocode designating many airports and metropolitan areas around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The characters prominently displayed on baggage tags attached at airport check-in desks are an example of a way these codes are used.
99-402: Chicago Midway International Airport ( IATA : MDW , ICAO : KMDW , FAA LID : MDW ) is a major commercial airport on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois , located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the city's Loop business district. Established in 1927, Midway served as Chicago's primary airport until the opening of O'Hare International Airport in 1944. Today, Midway is one of
198-530: A major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta , Georgia . It is the United States' oldest operating airline and the seventh-oldest operating worldwide . Delta, along with its regional subsidiaries and contractors operating under the brand name Delta Connection , operate over 5,400 flights daily and serve 325 destinations in 52 countries on six continents. Delta is a founding member of
297-414: A $ 2.5 billion deal to privatize the airport via a 99-year lease fell through when the consortium could not put together financing. The city would have kept $ 125 million in the down payment. The consortium operating under the name of Midway Investment and Development Company LLC consisted of Vancouver Airport Services , Citi Infrastructure Investors, and Boston's John Hancock Life Insurance . It
396-481: A 40-year lease. Construction began on expansions of the security checkpoint and main parking garage. The bridge spanning Cicero Ave is being widened from 50 feet to over 400 feet, allowing up to 17 security lanes and a streamlined queue. As the current terminal opened just a few months prior to the September 11th attacks, the security area was quickly rendered too small for the new screening measures and subsequently
495-700: A chef that would feature an open kitchen. The move represented a shift away from a standard offering to something closer to a unique experience for each airport and the city in which the lounge was located. On November 27, 2001, Delta Air Lines launched SkyBonus, a program aimed toward small-to-medium businesses spending between $ 5,000 and $ 500,000 annually on air travel. Businesses can earn points toward free travel and upgrades, as well as Sky Club memberships and SkyMiles Silver Medallion status. Points are earned on paid travel based on various fare amounts paid, booking codes, and place origin or destination. While enrolled businesses are able to earn points toward free travel,
594-481: A commuter shuttle connecting the airport to Manteno and Bourbonnais in Kankakee County . On December 8, 1972, United Air Lines Flight 553 , a Boeing 737-200 , crashed into a residential area outside Midway during landing. The crash of the 737-200 killed 43 of the 61 on board, and two on the ground. One of the victims on the plane was Dorothy Hunt, the wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt . She
693-596: A different buy-on-board program between 2003 and 2005. The previous program had items from differing providers, depending on the origin and destination of the flight. Prices ranged up to $ 10 ($ 16.13 when adjusted for inflation). The airline started the service on a few selected flights in July 2003, and the meal service was initially offered on 400 flights. Delta ended this buy-on-board program in 2005; instead, Delta began offering snacks at no extra charge on flights over 90 minutes to most U.S. domestic flights and some flights to
792-722: A few flights per week. Unfortunately, Midway being surrounded by buildings on all sides meant that the airport was running out of room; its runways were too short to safely handle larger four-engine jetliners (the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 ) that appeared in 1959. Instead, every Chicago jet flight was directed to use O'Hare, which had opened to airlines in 1955. Lighter aircraft like turboprop Lockheed L-188 Electras and Vickers Viscounts could have continued to fly out of Midway, but O'Hare's new terminal opened in 1962, allowing airlines to consolidate their flights. From July 1962 until United returned in July 1964, Midway's only scheduled airline
891-641: A food court in Concourse A utilizing previously unused space built during the 2010 rebuild of the Gate A4A/B connecting walkway. The program is the largest capital improvements project at the airport since the 2001 terminal redevelopment and has been completed All terminals and hangars were on the square periphery. By the late 1970s, the shorter north–south and east–west runway pairs had been closed, though some were converted to taxiways. The other four runways remain in use, all strengthened and enhanced, but about
990-567: A new airport is built, replacing the old one, leaving the city's new "major" airport (or the only remaining airport) code to no longer correspond with the city's name. The original airport in Nashville, Tennessee, was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration and called Berry Field with the designation, BNA. A new facility known as Nashville International Airport was built in 1987 but still uses BNA. This
1089-1057: A new premium service. Delta introduced it on its new Airbus A350 , first delivered in fall 2017, to be followed by the now-retired Boeing 777 . In October 2018, Delta announced that it would be selling first class seats on domestically configured Boeing 757 aircraft flying transatlantic routes as Premium Select. Delta's A330-900, delivered in 2019, also offers Premium Select. In 2021, Delta began retrofitting many of its 767-300ER and older A330 aircraft with Premium Select. Delta Comfort+ seats are installed on all aircraft and feature 34–36 inches (860–910 mm) of pitch; on all Delta One configured aircraft, 35–36 inches (890–910 mm) of pitch and 50 percent more recline over standard Main Cabin seats. Additional amenities include: priority boarding, dedicated overhead space, complimentary beer, wine, and spirits on flights 250 miles (400 km) or more, and complimentary premium snacks on flights 900 miles (1,400 km) or more. Complimentary premium entertainment
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#17327805218901188-457: A new, more exclusive or premium level of Sky Club lounge aimed at high-spending travellers. The first would be at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, followed by those in Boston's Logan International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport later in the year. In addition to wellness areas, the lounge would offer a full-service brasserie and a marketplace influenced or assisted by
1287-470: A result of the COVID-19 pandemic , Delta Air Lines announced that it would be cutting 1,941 pilot job positions if it could not conclude a cost reduction deal with its union. In January 2021, Delta said that, thanks to the federal support, it will be able to bring back 400 pilots in full time. Delta Global Staffing (DGS) was a temporary employment firm located in Atlanta, Georgia . Delta Global Staffing
1386-594: A result, as of 2023, Delta flies the second-oldest fleet among the legacy carriers , and the average fleet age has been reduced to 15.3 years. Delta underwent a cabin branding upgrade in 2015. Availability and exact details vary by route and aircraft type. Delta One is the airline's premier business class product, available on long-haul international flights, as well as transcontinental service from New York–Kennedy to Los Angeles and San Francisco . Delta One features lie-flat seating on all aircraft types and direct aisle access from every seat on all types except
1485-411: A second carrier, Volaris , began flights between Guadalajara and Midway. Starting in early 2009, a construction project added a new walkway and food court to Concourse A. The project also connected gates A4A and A4B to the main A concourse. Expansions were completed in the spring of 2010. Chicago has considered privatizing the airport, but the deals fell through in 2009 and 2013. On April 20, 2009,
1584-672: A week.) More construction was funded in part by $ 1 million from the Works Progress Administration ; the airport expanded to fill the square mile in 1938–41 after a court ordered the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad to reroute tracks that had crossed the square along the northern edge of the older field. The March 1939 OAG shows 47 weekday departures: 13 on United, 13 American, 9 TWA, 4 Northwest, and two each on Eastern, Braniff, Pennsylvania Central , and C&S . New York's airport (Newark, then LaGuardia by
1683-467: A white fuselage with the company's name in blue lettering and a widget on the vertical stabilizer. Delta introduced its current livery in 2007 as part of a re-branding after it emerged from bankruptcy. The new livery consists of four colors, while the old one (called "colors in motion") uses eight. This meant the switch saved the airline money by removing one day from each aircraft's painting cycle. The airline took four years to repaint all of its aircraft into
1782-605: A wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta until December 31, 2009, when the Northwest Airlines operating certificate was merged into that of Delta. Delta completed integration with Northwest on January 31, 2010, when their computer reservations system and websites were combined, and the Northwest Airlines brand was officially retired. In July 2024, The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) opened an investigation into Delta Air Lines, after receiving hundreds of complaints over cancelled and delayed flights that started following
1881-565: A wider variety of free snacks compared to Main Cabin, as well as free drinks and alcohol, and full meal service on flights 900 miles (1,400 km) and longer. Certain aircraft also feature power ports at each seat and free entertainment products from Delta Studio. First Class passengers are also eligible for priority boarding. In April 2016, Delta CEO Ed Bastian announced that a new Premium Economy cabin would be added. Since renamed to Premium Select, this cabin will feature extra legroom; adjustable leg rests; extra seat pitch, width, and recline; and
1980-509: Is GSN and its IATA code is SPN, and some coincide with IATA codes of non-U.S. airports. Canada's unusual codes—which bear little to no similarity with any conventional abbreviation to the city's name—such as YUL in Montréal , and YYZ in Toronto , originated from the two-letter codes used to identify weather reporting stations in the 1930s. The letters preceding the two-letter code follow
2079-489: Is a basic version of Main Cabin, offering the same services with fewer flexibility options for a lower price. Examples of fewer flexibility options include no ticket changes, no paid or complimentary upgrades regardless of frequent-flier status, and only having a seat assigned at check-in. As of December 2021, Basic Economy travelers no longer earn award miles (used for redeeming free travel, for example) or medallion qualifying miles (which count towards elite status). SkyMiles
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#17327805218902178-544: Is a member of the SkyTeam alliance and has codeshare agreements with the following airlines: As of 25 November 2024 , the Delta Air Lines fleet consists of 992 mainline aircraft, making it one of the two largest commercial airline fleets in the world, along with United Airlines. Delta Air Lines operates a fleet manufactured by Airbus and Boeing . Delta operates the world's largest fleets of
2277-599: Is also the home of Delta TechOps , the airline's primary maintenance, repair, and overhaul arm and the largest full-service airline MRO in North America, specializing in engines, components, airframe, and line maintenance. Delta maintains a large presence in the Twin Cities , with over 12,000 employees in the region as well as significant corporate support functions housed in the Minneapolis area, including
2376-640: Is available via Delta Studio, with free headsets available on most flights. On transcontinental flights between JFK-LAX/SFO, Delta Comfort+ passengers also get Luvo snack wraps. Certain Medallion members can upgrade from Main Cabin to Comfort+ for free right after booking, while other customers can upgrade for a fee or with SkyMiles. Main Cabin (Economy Class) is available on all aircraft with seats ranging from 17 to 18.6 inches (43 to 47 cm) wide and 30 to 33 inches (76 to 84 cm) of pitch. The main cabin on some aircraft has an articulating seat bottom where
2475-554: Is available. However, many railway administrations have their own list of codes for their stations, such as the list of Amtrak station codes . Airport codes arose out of the convenience that the practice brought pilots for location identification in the 1930s. Initially, pilots in the United States used the two-letter code from the National Weather Service (NWS) for identifying cities. This system became unmanageable for cities and towns without an NWS identifier, and
2574-523: Is different from the name in English, yet the airport code represents only the English name. Examples include: Due to scarcity of codes, some airports are given codes with letters not found in their names: The use of 'X' as a filler letter is a practice to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable: Some airports in the United States retained their NWS ( National Weather Service ) codes and simply appended an X at
2673-513: Is in conjunction to rules aimed to avoid confusion that seem to apply in the United States, which state that "the first and second letters or second and third letters of an identifier may not be duplicated with less than 200 nautical miles separation." Thus, Washington, D.C. area's three airports all have radically different codes: IAD for Washington–Dulles , DCA for Washington–Reagan (District of Columbia Airport), and BWI for Baltimore (Baltimore–Washington International, formerly BAL). Since HOU
2772-484: Is located on a corporate campus on the northern boundary of Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, within the city limits of Atlanta. This location has served as Delta's headquarters since 1941, when the company relocated its corporate offices from Monroe, Louisiana , to Greater Atlanta . The crop dusting division of Delta remained headquartered in Monroe until Delta ceased crop dusting in 1966. Before 1981,
2871-543: Is not followed outside the United States: In addition, since three letter codes starting with Q are widely used in radio communication, cities whose name begins with "Q" also had to find alternate codes, as in the case of: IATA codes should not be confused with the FAA identifiers of U.S. airports. Most FAA identifiers agree with the corresponding IATA codes, but some do not, such as Saipan , whose FAA identifier
2970-995: Is the frequent flyer program for Delta Air Lines. Miles do not expire but accounts may be deactivated by Delta in certain cases, such as the death of a program member or fraudulent activity. Delta Sky Club is the branding name of Delta's airport lounges. Membership is available through an annual membership that can be purchased with either money or miles. International passengers travelling in Delta One class get free access. Membership can also be granted through top-level Delta status or by being an American Express cardholder with certain exceptions. As of January 2019, Delta no longer offered single-day passes. Originally, Delta's membership-based airport clubs were called Crown Room lounges, with Northwest's called WorldClubs. Exclusive Delta One Clubs for customers travelling in business class are slated to open at New York–Kennedy , Los Angeles , and Boston in 2024. In February 2024, Delta announced
3069-482: Is the current chief executive officer and has served in this position since May 2, 2016. Joanne Smith is Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer responsible for the oversight and support of personnel needs at Delta. She was appointed on October 1, 2014, replacing Mike Campbell. Delta's 14,500 mainline pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International and are
Midway International Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue
3168-416: Is used for William P. Hobby Airport , the new Houston–Intercontinental became IAH. The code BKK was originally assigned to Bangkok–Don Mueang and was later transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport , while the former adopted DMK. The code ISK was originally assigned to Gandhinagar Airport (Nashik's old airport) and later on transferred to Ozar Airport (Nashik's current airport). Shanghai–Hongqiao retained
3267-583: The Fortune 500 . Delta was ranked first in the annual rankings of top airlines by The Wall Street Journal in 2022, 2023, and 2024 and ranked first in the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards of Best Airlines in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler . The history of Delta Air Lines began with the world's first aerial crop dusting operation called Huff Daland Dusters , Inc. The company was founded on March 2, 1925, in Macon, Georgia , before moving to Monroe, Louisiana , in
3366-659: The Airbus A220 , Boeing 717 , and Boeing 757 , the largest passenger fleet of the Boeing 767 , and the largest Airbus A330 fleet of any US airline. Delta has historically preferred purchasing or leasing used aircraft or using older-generation models to keep initial acquisition costs down. To support this business model, Delta has also invested in an extensive MRO ( maintenance, repair, and overhaul ) organization called TechOps . However, Delta has acquired lower-priced newer aircraft via discounts on slower-selling models and as aircraft manufacturers transition to newer designs. As
3465-571: The Canadian transcontinental railroads were built, each station was assigned its own two-letter Morse code : When the Canadian government established airports, it used the existing railway codes for them as well. If the airport had a weather station, authorities added a "Y" to the front of the code, meaning "Yes" to indicate it had a weather station or some other letter to indicate it did not. When international codes were created in cooperation with
3564-465: The CrowdStrike outage caused technological chaos worldwide. Delta and its worldwide alliance partners operate more than 15,000 flights per day. Delta is the only U.S. carrier that flies to Dakar , and along with competitors United Airlines and American Airlines , are the only two U.S. carriers that fly to Stockholm and Copenhagen , respectively. Delta currently has nine hubs: Delta
3663-478: The SkyTeam airline alliance . As of the end of 2023, it had 100,000 employees. Delta has nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its largest in terms of total passengers and number of departures. It is ranked second among the world's largest airlines by number of passengers carried, passenger miles flown, and fleet size. It is ranked first by revenue for commercially owned airline companies as well as in brand value, and 113th on
3762-765: The Stevenson Expressway , and Midway saw the return of major airlines that year, with 1,663,074 passengers on smaller-capacity, shorter range twin-jet and trijet airliners such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 , BAC One-Eleven , Boeing 727 , and Boeing 737 that could use Midway's runways, which the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 could not. In May 1968 there were 22 scheduled departures: six United 727s to MSP, DCA and LGA, 12 Northwest 727s to MSP and CLE, one Delta DC-9 to STL and three Ozark FH227s. The December 1970 OAG shows 86 weekday arrivals (77 jet) on 13 fixed-wing airlines from 31 airports, but
3861-579: The Airbus A330 cabins, Delta One features the Cirrus flat-bed sleeper suite by Zodiac Seats U.S. , configured in a reverse herringbone pattern. All seats are also equipped with a personal, on-demand in-flight-entertainment (IFE) system, universal power-ports, a movable reading light, and a folding work table. Passengers also receive meals, alcoholic beverages, an amenity kit, bedding, and pre-flight Delta Sky Club access. In August 2016, Delta announced
3960-551: The August 1974 shows 14 arrivals (all jet) on four airlines, and in 1976–79 Midway had only the two or three Delta DC-9s from St Louis. Midway Airlines arrived on October 31, 1979, with DC-9 nonstops to Kansas City, Detroit and Cleveland Lakefront; they expanded greatly in the 1980s. Their September 1989 timetable shows 117 weekday departures to 29 cities, plus 108 departures on their commuter affiliates to 22 more cities. Midway ceased flying in 1991 due to financial challenges. In 1982,
4059-467: The Boeing 757-200 (in which only a special sub-fleet of approximately 20 aircraft feature lie-flats) and in their 'type 35L' ex-LATAM A350s (which use a 2-2-2 layout). The Boeing 767-300ER seats, designed by James Thompson , feature a space-saving design whereby the seats are staggered such that when in the fully flat position, the foot of each bed extends under the armrests of the seat in front of it. On
Midway International Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue
4158-580: The Caribbean and Latin America. Beginning in mid-March 2005 the airline planned to stop providing pillows on flights within the 48 contiguous U.S. states, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, and Central America. In addition, the airline increased the price of alcoholic beverages on Delta mainline flights from $ 4 ($ 6.24 when adjusted for inflation) to $ 5 ($ 7.8 when adjusted for inflation); the increase in alcohol prices did not occur on Song flights. Basic Economy
4257-571: The City of Atlanta in taxes. In September 1981, the airline sued the city, challenging the annexation on the basis of the constitutionality of the 1960 City of Atlanta annexation of the Hartsfield old terminal. The City of Atlanta was only permitted to annex areas that are adjacent to areas already in the Atlanta city limits. In addition to hosting Delta's corporate headquarters, Hartsfield–Jackson
4356-533: The Delta corporate campus, an 80-acre (32 ha) plot of land in proximity to the old Hartsfield Airport terminal, was outside the City of Atlanta limits in unincorporated Fulton County . On August 3, 1981, the Atlanta City Council approved the annexation of 141 acres (57 ha) of land, an area containing the Delta headquarters. As of 1981 Delta would have had to begin paying $ 200,000 annually to
4455-631: The Deltamatic reservation systems using computers in the IBM 7070 series. In 1965, Delta was the first airline to fly the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 . By 1970, Delta had an all-jet fleet, and in 1972 it acquired Northeast Airlines . Trans-Atlantic service began in 1978 with the first nonstop flights from Atlanta to London . In 1981, Delta launched a frequent-flyer program . In 1987, it acquired Western Airlines , and that same year Delta began trans-Pacific service (Atlanta-Portland, Oregon-Tokyo). In 1990, Delta
4554-538: The January 1951 C&GS approach chart shows four parallel pairs of runways, all 4240 ft or less except for 5730-ft runway 13R (current runway 13C) and 5230-ft runway 4R. The April 1957 OAG shows 414 weekday fixed-wing departures from Midway: 83 American , 83 United , 56 TWA , 40 Capital , 35 North Central , 28 Delta , 27 Eastern , 22 Northwest , 19 Ozark , 11 Braniff , 5 Trans-Canada , and 5 Lake Central . Air France , Lufthansa , and REAL (of Brazil) had
4653-645: The Loop. Midway Airport is the end of the line, which crosses the southwest part of the city before circling around the Loop. Unlike the CTA Blue Line, which runs 24 hours a day, every day, the Orange Line runs from about 4:00 am to 1:00 am, just shy of 24 hours, at an average of 8-minute intervals. During overnight periods, the N62 Archer bus is available as an alternative. Once the train departs,
4752-452: The U.S. For example, several airports in Alaska have scheduled commercial service, such as Stebbins and Nanwalek , which use FAA codes instead of ICAO codes. Thus, neither system completely includes all airports with scheduled service. Some airports are identified in colloquial speech by their IATA code. Examples include LAX and JFK . Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines is
4851-576: The US FAA Chart Supplement , are restricted from use by large commercial aircraft except in emergency. Runway 13L/31R was permanently closed after 82 years on August 9, 2023, and was converted to Taxiway H. Midway has 43 aircraft gates on three concourses. The Chicago Transit Authority operates the Orange Line "L" and multiple bus routes to the airport. Pace also operates numerous bus routes. River Valley Metro operates
4950-481: The United States, because "Y" was seldom used in the United States, Canada simply used the weather station codes for its airports, changing the "Y" to a "Z" if it conflicted with an airport code already in use. The result is that most major Canadian airport codes start with "Y" followed by two letters in the city's name (for example, YOW for O tta w a , YWG for W innipe g , YYC for C algar y , or YVR for V ancouve r ), whereas other Canadian airports append
5049-518: The airline and aviation industries. DGS now supports customers in major US metropolitan areas. Delta Global Staffing provided contract workers for short and long term assignments, VMS partnering, VOP on-site management, temp-to-hire, direct placements, and payroll services. DGS services markets such as call centers, customer services and administrative placements, IT & professional recruiting, logistics, finance & accounting, hospitality, and aviation/airline industry. Delta's corporate headquarters
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#17327805218905148-646: The airline in July 2019, also features Delta One Suites. Also in July 2019, Delta began retrofitting a new seat on the 767-400ER , which featured increased privacy and design similar to Delta One Suites, though without a privacy door. These seats lack a door due to the 767's smaller cabin width. First Class is offered on mainline domestic flights (except those featuring Delta One service), select short- and medium-haul international flights, and Delta Connection aircraft. Seats range from 18.5 to 20.75 inches (47.0 to 52.7 cm) wide and have between 37 and 40 inches (94 and 102 cm) of pitch. Passengers in this class receive
5247-713: The airmail contract for the route Delta had pioneered was awarded to another airline, which purchased the assets of Delta Air Service. Local banker Travis Oliver, acting as a trustee, C.E. Woolman, and other local investors purchased back the crop-dusting assets of Delta Air Service and incorporated as Delta Air Corporation on December 31, 1930. Delta Air Corporation secured an airmail contract in 1934, and began doing business as Delta Air Lines over Mail Route 24, stretching from Fort Worth, Texas, to Charleston, South Carolina. Delta moved its headquarters from Monroe, Louisiana, to its current location in Atlanta in 1941. The company name officially became Delta Air Lines in 1945. In 1946,
5346-440: The airport itself instead of the city it serves, while another code is reserved which refers to the city itself which can be used to search for flights to any of its airports. For instance: Or using a code for the city in one of the major airports and then assigning another code to another airport: When different cities with the same name each have an airport, they need to be assigned different codes. Examples include: Sometimes,
5445-418: The airport's former name, such as Orlando International Airport 's MCO (for Mc C o y Air Force Base), or Chicago's O'Hare International Airport , which is coded ORD for its original name: Or char d Field. In rare cases, the code comes from the airport's unofficial name, such as Kahului Airport 's OGG (for local aviation pioneer Jimmy H ogg ). In large metropolitan areas, airport codes are often named after
5544-675: The airport, noting that the process was no longer competitive after one of the two finalists had backed out. The one remaining was Great Lakes Airport Alliance – a partnership of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets and Ferrovial . Macquarie was one of the investors in the Chicago Skyway. The group that had backed out was a group that included the Australia-based Industry Funds Management and Manchester Airports Group . The Great Lakes proposal had been valued at $ 2 billion and would have involved
5643-688: The airport. ATA Airlines (ATA) took over Chicago Express Airlines , also known as ATA Connection , whose primary hub was at Midway. Chicago Express served as a regional airline connecting to airports around the Great Lakes regions. Following the September 11 attacks , which resulted in a drop in passenger service, along with other problems for the airline industry, both Vanguard and National ceased operations at Midway and became defunct in 2002, with MetroJet being dissolved and refolded into US Airways' main line in late 2001. In 2002, Midway welcomed
5742-474: The airport. The airfield is located in a square mile bounded by 55th and 63rd Streets, and Central and Cicero Avenues . The current terminal complex was completed in 2001. The terminal bridges Cicero Avenue and contains 43 gates with facilities for international passengers. The CTA rapid transit Orange Line provides transit to Downtown Chicago, where it connects with other subway/elevated rapid transit lines. Originally named Chicago Air Park , Midway Airport
5841-443: The barrier fence of the airport, and came to rest at the intersection of 55th Street and Central Avenue bordering the airport at its northwest corner. A 6-year-old boy was killed as a passenger in a vehicle that was struck by the plane after it skidded into the street. Source: Civil Aeronautics Board archives, NTSB records. Note: Prior to 1941, the runways did not have numerical designations. The runway now designated 13C/31C
5940-475: The busiest airports in the nation and the second-busiest airport both in the Chicago metropolitan area and the state of Illinois, serving 22,050,489 passengers in 2023. Midway is a base for Southwest Airlines , which carries over 95% of the passengers at the airport. The airport's current name is in honor of the Battle of Midway . The now-defunct Midway Airlines , once headquartered at Midway, took its name from
6039-567: The city of Chicago purchased Midway Airport from the Chicago Board of Education for $ 16 million. Three years later, Southwest Airlines began operations at Midway. Midway was a focus city for Vanguard Airlines from 1997 to 2000. The Chicago Transit Authority displaced the Carlton Midway Inn to open a new CTA terminal at the airport on October 31, 1993, for the new Chicago 'L' Orange Line that connected Midway to
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#17327805218906138-502: The code SHA, while the newer Shanghai–Pudong adopted PVG. The opposite was true for Berlin : the airport Berlin–Tegel used the code TXL, while its smaller counterpart Berlin–Schönefeld used SXF; the Berlin Brandenburg Airport has the airport code BER, which is also part of its branding. The airports of Hamburg (HAM) and Hannover (HAJ) are less than 100 nautical miles (190 km) apart and therefore share
6237-474: The company commenced regularly scheduled freight transport . In 1949, the company launched the first discounted fares between Chicago and Miami . In 1953, the company launched its first international routes after the acquisition of Chicago and Southern Air Lines . In 1959, it was the first airline to fly the Douglas DC-8 . In 1960, it was the first airline to fly Convair 880 jets. In 1964, it launched
6336-595: The company launched Song , a low-cost carrier . On September 14, 2005, the company filed for bankruptcy , citing rising fuel costs. It emerged from bankruptcy in April 2007 after fending off a hostile takeover from US Airways and its shares were re-listed on the New York Stock Exchange . The acquisition of Northwest Airlines was announced on April 14, 2008. It was approved and consummated on October 29, 2008. Northwest continued to operate as
6435-598: The company's information technology divisional offices. Delta's logo, often called the "widget", was originally unveiled in 1959. Its triangle shape is taken from the Greek letter delta , and recalls the airline's origins in the Mississippi Delta . It is also said to be reminiscent of the swept-wing design of the DC-8, Delta's first jet aircraft. Delta's current livery is called "Upward & Onward". It features
6534-492: The displaced landing thresholds, the runways have shorter distances available for landings than for takeoffs. 13C/31C, the longest runway, only has an available landing distance of 6,059 feet (1,847 m) in the southeast direction, and 5,826 feet (1,776 m) to the northwest. The largest aircraft normally seen at Midway is the Boeing 757 . Normally, commercial planes only take off from and land on runways 4R/22L and 13C/31C. The other runways are used by smaller aircraft and, per
6633-435: The end of 1939) was then the busiest airline airport in the United States, but Midway passed LaGuardia in 1948 and kept the title until 1960. The record-breaking 1945 Japan–Washington flight of B-29s refueled at the airport on their way to Washington, DC. In July 1949, the airport was renamed after the Battle of Midway . That year, Midway saw 3.2 million passengers; passengers peaked at 10 million in 1959. The diagram on
6732-934: The end. Examples include: A lot of minor airfields without scheduled passenger traffic have ICAO codes but not IATA codes, since the four letter codes allow more number of codes, and IATA codes are mainly used for passenger services such as tickets, and ICAO codes by pilots. In the US, such airfields use FAA codes instead of ICAO. There are airports with scheduled service for which there are ICAO codes but not IATA codes, such as Nkhotakota Airport/Tangole Airport in Malawi or Chōfu Airport in Tokyo, Japan. There are also several minor airports in Russia (e.g., Omsukchan Airport ) which lack IATA codes and instead use internal Russian codes for booking. Flights to these airports cannot be booked through
6831-557: The first three letters of the city in which it is located, for instance: The code may also be a combination of the letters in its name, such as: Sometimes the airport code reflects pronunciation, rather than spelling, namely: For many reasons, some airport codes do not fit the normal scheme described above. Some airports, for example, cross several municipalities or regions, and therefore, use codes derived from some of their letters, resulting in: Other airports—particularly those serving cities with multiple airports—have codes derived from
6930-478: The following format: Most large airports in Canada have codes that begin with the letter "Y", although not all "Y" codes are Canadian (for example, YUM for Yuma, Arizona , and YNT for Yantai , China), and not all Canadian airports start with the letter "Y" (for example, ZBF for Bathurst, New Brunswick ). Many Canadian airports have a code that starts with W, X or Z, but none of these are major airports. When
7029-597: The form of " YYZ ", a song by the rock band Rush , which utilizes the Morse code signal as a musical motif. Some airports have started using their IATA codes as brand names , such as Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Numerous New Zealand airports use codes that contain the letter Z, to distinguish them from similar airport names in other countries. Examples include HLZ for Hamilton , ZQN for Queenstown , and WSZ for Westport . Predominantly, airport codes are named after
7128-487: The international air booking systems or have international luggage transferred there, and thus, they are booked instead through the airline or a domestic booking system. Several heliports in Greenland have 3-letter codes used internally which might be IATA codes for airports in faraway countries. There are several airports with scheduled service that have not been assigned ICAO codes that do have IATA codes, especially in
7227-462: The introduction of Delta One Suites on select widebody fleets. The suites will feature a door to the aisle for enhanced privacy, as well as improved storage space, a larger IFE screen, and an updated design. The suites rolled out on the Airbus A350 fleet, first delivered in July 2017, followed by installation within the Boeing 777 fleet. Delta's Airbus A330-900 , which began revenue service for
7326-599: The main hub for Indianapolis -based ATA, but the airline announced in March 2008 that it would end all flights from Midway on June 7, 2008. Even before that could happen, though, ATA filed for bankruptcy on April 2, 2008, and ceased all flights the following day. In November 2008, Porter Airlines , which flies between Midway and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , was the only international route served from Chicago–Midway after ATA Airlines , which had flights to Mexico , ceased operations in April that year. On December 13, 2010,
7425-612: The name of the airport itself, for instance: This is also true with some cities with a single airport (even if there is more than one airport in the metropolitan area of said city), such as BDL for Hartford, Connecticut 's B ra dl ey International Airport or Baltimore's BWI, for B altimore/ W ashington I nternational Airport ; however, the latter also serves Washington, D.C. , alongside Dulles International Airport (IAD, for I nternational A irport D ulles) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, for D istrict of C olumbia A irport). The code also sometimes comes from
7524-497: The new 900,000-square-foot (84,000 m) Midway Airport terminal building opened, with larger ticket counters, spacious baggage claim areas, traveler information, and a short walking distance to gates. A 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m) food court opened with Chicago-style food and retail options. The expansion project culminated with a short lived period of great airline diversity at Midway as Vanguard Airlines , National Airlines and AirTran Airways all expanded their services to
7623-416: The one they are located in: Other airport codes are of obscure origin, and each has its own peculiarities: In Asia, codes that do not correspond with their city's names include Niigata 's KIJ , Nanchang 's KHN and Pyongyang 's FNJ . EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg , which serves three countries, has three airport codes: BSL, MLH, EAP. Some cities have a name in their respective language which
7722-541: The return of international service after a 40-year absence with the opening of the new Federal Inspection Service facility in Concourse A. In June 2004, Mayor Daley and airline officials celebrated the completion of the Terminal Development Program. The project, designed by HNTB resulted in the addition of 14 gates (from 29 to 43). A new 6,300-space economy parking garage, including a new bridge and roadway for buses shuttling passengers to and from
7821-506: The same first and middle letters, indicating that this rule might be followed only in Germany. Many cities retain historical names in their airport codes, even after having undergone an official name/spelling/transliteration change: Some airport codes are based on previous names associated with a present airport, often with a military heritage. These include: Some airports are named for an administrative division or nearby city, rather than
7920-486: The same lengths as always. A short runway (13R/31L) for light aircraft was added in 1989. Chicago Midway International Airport covers just over one square mile (650 acres or 260 hectares) and has four active runways: Midway is surrounded by buildings and other development, so the landing thresholds of the runways are displaced to provide obstacle clearance. The FAA and the airlines ensure safety by adhering to calculated load limits and various weather minimums. Because of
8019-681: The seat bottom moves forward in addition to the seat back tilting backwards when reclining. Main Cabin passengers receive complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic drinks on all flights 250 miles (400 km) or longer. Alcoholic beverages are also available for purchase. Complimentary meals and alcoholic drinks are provided on long-haul international flights as well as selected transcontinental domestic flights, such as between New York–JFK and Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. As part of Delta's Flight Fuel buy on board program, meals are available for purchase on other North American flights 900 miles (1,400 km) or longer. Delta operated
8118-453: The state. The Midway Airport parking garage opened in 1999, bringing covered parking to the airport for the first time. The garage is connected to the Midway terminal building for convenient access to ticket counters and baggage claim areas. Continuing with the expansion project, a pedestrian bridge over Cicero Avenue was built in 2000, connecting the new terminal to the new concourses. In 2001
8217-500: The station code of Malton, Mississauga , where it is located). YUL is used for Montréal–Trudeau (UL was the ID code for the beacon in the city of Kirkland , now the location of Montréal–Trudeau). While these codes make it difficult for the public to associate them with a particular Canadian city, some codes have become popular in usage despite their cryptic nature, particularly at the largest airports. Toronto's code has entered pop culture in
8316-716: The summer of 1925. It flew a Huff-Daland Duster, the first true crop duster, designed to combat the boll weevil infestation of cotton crops. C.E. Woolman , general manager and later Delta's first CEO, led a group of local investors to acquire the company's assets. Delta Air Service was incorporated on December 3, 1928, and was named after the Mississippi Delta region. Passenger operations began on June 17, 1929, from Dallas, Texas , to Jackson, Mississippi , with stops at Shreveport and Monroe, Louisiana. By June 1930, service had extended east to Atlanta and west to Fort Worth, Texas . Passenger service ceased in October 1930 when
8415-459: The terminal, opened in December 2005. Simultaneous to Midway's expansion, ATA Airlines began rapid expansion at Midway in the early 2000s (decade), and was the airport's dominant carrier prior to 2004, using 14 of the 17 gates in Concourse A. However, after the airline declared bankruptcy in October 2004, scheduled service from Midway significantly decreased. For over 16 years, Midway had been
8514-411: The travelling passenger is still eligible to earn SkyMiles during his or her travel. In early 2010, Delta Air Lines merged its SkyBonus program with Northwest's similar Biz Perks program. The key trends for Delta Air Lines are (as of the financial year ending 31 December): size Between its mainline operation and subsidiaries, and as of March 2015, Delta employs nearly 80,000 people. Ed Bastian
8613-502: The trip from Midway to the Loop takes about 25 minutes. In 1996, after failing to get his Lake Calumet Airport and having received harsh criticism for the idea of turning the airport into an industrial park, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced the Midway Airport Terminal Development Program, which was launched the following year. At the time, it was the largest public works project in
8712-515: The two-letter code of the radio beacons that were the closest to the actual airport, such as YQX in Gander or YXS in Prince George . Four of the ten provincial capital airports in Canada have ended up with codes beginning with YY, including: Canada's largest airport is YYZ for Toronto Pearson (as YTZ was already allocated to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , the airport was given
8811-535: The union's largest pilot group. The company's approximately 180 flight dispatchers are represented by the Professional Airline Flight Control Association (PAFCA). Not counting the pilots and flight dispatchers, Delta is the only one of the five largest airlines in the United States , and one of only two in the top 9 (the other being JetBlue), whose non-pilot USA domestic staff is entirely non-union. In August 2020, as
8910-529: The use of two letters allowed only a few hundred combinations; a three-letter system of airport codes was implemented. This system allowed for 17,576 permutations, assuming all letters can be used in conjunction with each other. Since the U.S. Navy reserved "N" codes, and to prevent confusion with Federal Communications Commission broadcast call signs , which begin with "W" or "K", the airports of certain U.S. cities whose name begins with one of these letters had to adopt "irregular" airport codes: This practice
9009-471: Was Chicago Helicopter. In August 1966, a total of four fixed-wing arrivals were scheduled, all United 727s (United was alone at Midway until early 1968). By 1967, reconstruction began at the airport, adding three new concourses with 28 gates and three ticket counters, and in 1968, the city invested $ 10 million in renovation funds. (For a few months during the 1967 renovation, Midway had no scheduled airline flights.) The funds partly supported construction of
9108-459: Was a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, Inc., and a division of the internal company DAL Global Services . Delta Air Lines sold majority ownership of DAL Global Services to Argenbright Holdings on December 21, 2018. As part of the sale, Delta dissolved the staffing division of DGS. It was founded in 1995 as a provider of temporary staffing for Delta primarily in Atlanta. DGS has since expanded to include customers and businesses outside
9207-525: Was awarded the contract in October 2008 by the City Council , which voted 49–0 to approve it. The consortium would have operated the airport and collected airport parking, concession, and passenger facility charges. However, Chicago would have continued to provide fire and police services. In 2010 a new slogan emerged, calling the airport "The busiest square mile in the world". In September 2013, Mayor Rahm Emanuel terminated new negotiations to privatize
9306-428: Was built on a 320-acre (130 ha) plot in 1923 with one cinder runway mainly for airmail flights. In 1926, the city leased the airport and named it Chicago Municipal Airport on December 12, 1927. By 1928, the airport had twelve hangars and four runways, which were lit for night operations. A major fire early on June 25, 1930, destroyed two hangars and 27 aircraft, "12 of them tri-motor passenger planes." The loss
9405-533: Was carrying $ 10,000 in cash. James McCord alleged that she supplied the Watergate defendants with money for legal expenses. Exactly 33 years later, on December 8, 2005, Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 , a Boeing 737-700 inbound from Baltimore–Washington International Airport in Baltimore, Maryland , slid off the runway while attempting to land at the airport in a heavy snow storm. The airplane broke through
9504-865: Was designated 13R/31L from 1941 until 1989, when a new Runway 13R/31L was built. Runways 27L, 27R, 36L and 36R were closed by 1973. IATA airport code The assignment of these codes is governed by IATA Resolution 763, and it is administered by the IATA's headquarters in Montreal , Canada. The codes are published semi-annually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory. IATA provides codes for airport handling entities, and for certain railway stations. Alphabetical lists of airports sorted by IATA code are available. A list of railway station codes , shared in agreements between airlines and rail lines such as Amtrak , SNCF , and Deutsche Bahn ,
9603-722: Was estimated at more than two million dollars. The hangars destroyed belonged to the Universal Air Lines, Inc. and the Grey Goose Airlines, the latter under lease to Stout Air Lines . The fire followed an explosion of undetermined cause in the Universal hangar. In 1931, a new passenger terminal opened at 62nd St; the following year the airport claimed to be the " World's Busiest " with over 100,846 passengers on 60,947 flights. (The July 1932 Official Aviation Guide (OAG) shows 206 scheduled airline departures
9702-481: Was forced to expand inward, taking away from space in the concourses. Space that is reclaimed by moving security outward into the bridge will be redeveloped with an expansion of the central food court. The main parking garage is being extended eastward over the CTA L tracks to add 1,500 spaces and streamline the entrance way. In addition to the redeveloped central food court, new concession options will open in phases including
9801-655: Was the first airline in the United States to fly McDonnell Douglas MD-11 jets. In 1991, it acquired substantially all of Pan Am 's trans-Atlantic routes and the Pan Am Shuttle, rebranded as the Delta Shuttle . Delta was now the leading airline across the Atlantic. In 1997, Delta was the first airline to board more than 100 million passengers in a calendar year. Also that year, Delta began an expansion of its international routes into Latin America . In 2003,
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