Short answer: 50 of them. We checked 70 three-letter abbreviations people use in texts and group chats against every IATA airport code, more than 9,000 of them. LOL is a small airfield in Lovelock, Nevada. OMG is Omega, Namibia. FTW is Fort Worth's Meacham airport. WTF, FYI and IRL are not airports, at least not yet.
You can text a whole conversation in real airports: OMG TBH IDK. BRB, GTG. That's Namibia, the Philippines, Australia, Brazil and Wisconsin.
How we checked
We used the OurAirports open data (October 2026), which lists every airport, airfield, heliport and seaplane base with an IATA code, and looked up 70 common three-letter abbreviations. Each IATA code belongs to exactly one place, so every match below is one real airport. Then we checked every one of them against current airline schedules: 24 of the 50 have scheduled passenger flights. The others see only private planes, charters or military flights, if any. Dundee (DND) loses its last scheduled flights on 23 October 2026, so we don't count it.
Reactions
| Code | Slang for | Airport | Where | Scheduled flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOL | laughing out loud | Derby Field | Lovelock, Nevada, US | No |
| OMG | oh my god | Omega Airport | Omega, Namibia | No |
| SMH | shaking my head | Sapmanga Airport | Sapmanga, Papua New Guinea | No |
| MEH | meh | Mehamn Airport | Mehamn, Norway | Yes |
| EEK | eek | Eek Airport | Eek, Alaska, US | Yes |
| WUT | what | Xinzhou Wutaishan Airport | Xinzhou, China | Yes |
| THX | thanks | Turukhansk Airport | Turukhansk, Russia | Yes |
| PLZ | please | Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport | Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa | Yes |
| YAS | yes! | Yasawa Island Airport | Yasawa Island, Fiji | No |
| SUP | what's up | Trunojoyo Airport | Sumenep, Indonesia | Yes |
| BRO | brother | Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport | Brownsville, Texas, US | Yes |
| SIS | sister | Sishen Airport | Sishen, South Africa | Yes |
| FAM | family | Farmington Regional Airport | Farmington, Missouri, US | No |
| BFF | best friends forever | Western Nebraska Regional Airport | Scottsbluff, Nebraska, US | Yes |
| ILY | I love you | Islay Airport | Isle of Islay, Scotland | Yes |
| BAE | babe | Barcelonnette - Saint-Pons Airfield | Saint-Pons, France | No |
Being honest
| Code | Slang for | Airport | Where | Scheduled flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBH | to be honest | Tugdan Airport | Tablas Island, Philippines | Yes |
| NGL | not gonna lie | Ngala Airport | Ngala, South Africa | No |
| IMO | in my opinion | Zemio Airport | Zemio, Central African Republic | No |
| IDK | I don't know | Indulkana Airport | Indulkana, Australia | No |
| TIL | today I learned | Cheadle Airport | Cheadle, Alberta, Canada | No |
| TMI | too much information | Tumling Tar Airport | Tumling Tar, Nepal | Yes |
| POV | point of view | Prešov Air Base | Prešov, Slovakia | No |
| MRW | my reaction when | Lolland Falster Maribo Airport | Rødby, Denmark | No |
| SUS | suspicious | Spirit of St. Louis Airport | St. Louis, Missouri, US | No |
Busy right now
| Code | Slang for | Airport | Where | Scheduled flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRB | be right back | Barreirinhas Airport | Barreirinhas, Brazil | No |
| AFK | away from keyboard | Kondavattavana Tank Seaplane Base | Ampara, Sri Lanka | No |
| GTG | got to go | Grantsburg Municipal Airport | Grantsburg, Wisconsin, US | No |
| BTW | by the way | Bersujud Airport | Batu Licin, Indonesia | Yes |
| NVM | never mind | Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes Airport | Nova Mutum, Brazil | No |
| HBU | how about you | Bulgan Sum Airport | Bulgan, Mongolia | No |
| WYA | where you at | Whyalla Airport | Whyalla, Australia | Yes |
| TYT | take your time | Treinta y Tres Airport | Treinta y Tres, Uruguay | No |
| JIC | just in case | Jinchang Jinchuan Airport | Jinchang, China | Yes |
| DND | do not disturb | Dundee Airport | Dundee, Scotland | Until 23 Oct 2026 |
| TBD | to be decided | Timbiquí Airport | Timbiquí, Colombia | Yes |
Internet culture
| Code | Slang for | Airport | Where | Scheduled flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMA | ask me anything | Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport | Amarillo, Texas, US | Yes |
| FTW | for the win | Fort Worth Meacham International Airport | Fort Worth, Texas, US | No |
| OTP | one true pairing | Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport | Otopeni (Bucharest), Romania | Yes |
| TBT | throwback Thursday | Tabatinga International Airport | Tabatinga, Brazil | Yes |
| GIF | GIF | Winter Haven Regional Airport (Gilbert Field) | Winter Haven, Florida, US | No |
| DIY | do it yourself | Diyarbakır Airport | Diyarbakır, Türkiye | Yes |
| MVP | most valuable player | Fabio Alberto León Bentley Airport | Mitú, Colombia | Yes |
| CEO | chief executive | Waco Kungo Airport | Waco Kungo, Angola | No |
| VIP | very important person | Payerne Air Base | Payerne, Switzerland | No |
| ATM | at the moment | Altamira Interstate Airport | Altamira, Brazil | Yes |
| PTO | paid time off | Juvenal Loureiro Cardoso Airport | Pato Branco, Brazil | Yes |
| BBQ | barbecue | Burton-Nibbs International Airport | Codrington, Barbuda | No |
The cheeky ones
| Code | Slang for | Airport | Where | Scheduled flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUX | sucks | Sioux Gateway Airport | Sioux City, Iowa, US | Yes |
| POO | poo | Poços de Caldas Airport | Poços de Caldas, Brazil | No |
Slang that isn't an airport (yet)
WTF, FYI, IRL, LMK, OMW, IKR, IDC, OOF, RIP, OOO, WFH and ETA. No airport in the world has any of these codes.
A few favorites
- EEK is Eek, Alaska. The town is actually called Eek.
- ILY is Islay, the Scottish island known for its whisky.
- TBT is Tabatinga, deep in the Amazon where Brazil, Colombia and Peru meet.
- OTP is Bucharest's main airport, named after the Romanian aviation pioneer Henri Coandă.
- PLZ is the airport of Gqeberha, South Africa, the city formerly called Port Elizabeth.
- AMA is Amarillo, Texas. The airport is named after astronaut Rick Husband, who grew up there.
- VIP is a Swiss Air Force base in Payerne. No commercial flights, so even the VIPs can't book a seat.
More codes that spell things
Slang is only the start. 756 airport codes are real English words, from BAD, SAD and MAD to FUN, DAD and PIE. Here is the full list of airport codes that spell words, with a map. And for Halloween: 37 Halloween words that are real airport codes, from BOO to EEK. And at work: 33 job titles that are real airport codes, CEO included.
Wear one
We put real airport pairs on tees, aviation hoodies and airport code hats. LOL→SUX is Lovelock, Nevada to Sioux City, Iowa, two real airports. See all airport code tees, or our aviation gifts for the frequent flyer in your group chat.
FAQ
Is LOL a real airport code?
Yes. LOL is Derby Field in Lovelock, Nevada.
Is OMG a real airport?
Yes. OMG is Omega Airport in Namibia.
Is WTF an airport code?
No. No airport has the IATA code WTF.
Which slang airport codes can you actually fly to?
24 of the 50 have scheduled flights, including BFF (Scottsbluff, Nebraska), SUX (Sioux City, Iowa), AMA (Amarillo, Texas), OTP (Bucharest) and PLZ (Gqeberha, South Africa).
Can I use this list?
Yes, please do. Just link to this page.