why does S.N.A. have 3 different names?
your bag tag writes santa ana the monitor reads orange county and your flight crew says wecome to john wayne airport damm john bricher"s
Aircraft - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Mu guess is that SNA stemmed from "Santa Ana" where the airport is actually located. It generically is called "Orange County airport" and I think the "John Wayne" part came as an honor by the Board of Supervisors after Newport Beach resident actor John Wayne died. But what about airport codes that make no sense like IAD?
2 :
Originally borrowing from the days of train travel, all stops, in this case aiports, were given a 3 letter code for simplicity when transmitting using the technology of the day, the telegraph. John Wayne was a famous long-time resident of the Newport Beach area, and was honored in tribute when he passed. The reason, which I believe that that it is called Orange County, is two-fold, because it is in Orange County, and secondly, since SNA is in Santa Ana, many of the upscale residents in Newport, Balboa and Laguna, have aversion to what is often perceived as the Lower Class gang ridden city of Santa Ana. Also, sometimes although airports may be named after a city or person, the runway,terminal, and field may have a completely different name.
3 :
It does not have 3 names. The airport name is John Wayne Airport, SNA is the 3 letter identifier for the airport, and it is in Santa Ana , CA., which is in Orange County.
4 :
The airport is primarily located in Santa Ana, however Costa Mesa, Newport, and Santa Ana all contributed land to the construction of the airport. Its called Orange County airport because it is partially located in three different cites, and John Wayne's name was attached to it after he passed on.
