Strange Airport Codes, Part III: When the Kids in the Family Want to Know

Airport codes sometimes have some strange three-letter combinations that those who travel notice like kids in the family. For those who travel, strange three-letter airport codes might cause people of all ages to wonder, like the kids in the family. This article on strange airport codes is from cities that are known to kids and the rest of the family, for people travel to these air centers, too, but these codes aren't as well-known as JFK or LAX.

Have your children ever asked you questions like this en route to certain cities by airplane:

"Mom, why is Nashville BNA? BNA doesn't stand for Nashville!"
"What does RSW have to do with grandma's home of Fort Myers?"
"Does Kansas City have hidden letters in its name since our airline tickets say MCI?"

Well, now you can give the kids the answers to such airport codes questions as the mysteries behind a number of these strange airport codes will be revealed here!

CAE

Columbia, South Carolina has a mysterious letter "e" as its third letter for its designation. Could it be a filler letter or is there an interesting airport codes story regarding Columbia Metropolitan Airport? The small town of Cayce is due northwest of this travel hub, and might explain the code, but it's not totally certain according to the CAE airport official I contacted in July 2007 via email. This place has the distinction for being the training grounds for Jimmy Doolittle's B-25 flight crews, which would conduct a bombing raid over Tokyo in April of 1942. This raid helped to raise the morale of the USA, which was struggling initially in both the European and Pacific campaigns of World War II. CAE offers the public, including kids, free tours and can even arrange scavenger hunts according to its website

BNA