Every frequent flyer knows the game. You're half awake at the gate, staring at the departures board, and suddenly an airport code reads like a word. LOL. FUN. SUX. I OFTEN FLY turns that moment into something you can wear.
Aviation geeks, for real
We are the people who stop mid-sentence when something flies overhead, pull out Flightradar24 and announce the aircraft type, the airline and where it is headed. We have lost hundreds of hours to flight simulators, flying approaches into airports we have never visited just to see if we could. We pick window seats on purpose, photograph wingtips, and still get a little excited when the engines spool up for takeoff.
That is where I OFTEN FLY comes from. The codes on our shirts are not random letters to us. They are places on a map we have probably already looked up, twice.
Real codes, real airports
Every design pairs two real IATA airport codes that spell something when you read them together. LOL→SUX is Lovelock, Nevada to Sioux City, Iowa. EAT→PIE is Wenatchee, Washington to St. Pete-Clearwater, Florida. BAD→GUY is Barksdale, Louisiana to Guymon, Oklahoma. We check every code, and we print the city and country so nobody at the gate has to Google it.
We checked all 9,051 airport codes in the OurAirports data against an English word list, and 753 of them made our list of airport codes that spell words. Brilliant Maps published our map of them. For Halloween we checked the spooky ones too: here are the Halloween words that are real airport codes, from BOO to EEK. And at the office, CEO, CFO and CTO are all airports: here are the job titles that are real airport codes.
Some routes are worth wearing just as they are: our Real Routes tees carry JFK→LAX, JFK→LHR and LGA→ORD, some of the busiest routes Americans fly.
Black and white, on purpose
The whole collection is designed in black and white, so the codes do the talking. It's a clean look that works at the airport, at the office and on the couch after a red-eye.
Made to order, printed close to you
Nothing sits in a warehouse. Each piece is printed or embroidered on demand as soon as you order, which means less overproduction and a fresh piece made just for you. Printing takes 2-7 business days. Orders to the US are printed in the US and arrive 3-5 business days later, with free shipping on orders over $50. Orders to the EU are printed in Germany and arrive in 2-6 business days, with VAT included in the price. We also ship from the US to Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean, and from Germany to Switzerland, Norway, Turkey and other European countries; there, delivery takes a little longer and import taxes may apply.
Who we are
I OFTEN FLY is a small independent brand run by people who spend a lot of time in airports, and even more time looking at them on a screen. Questions, ideas for your own route, or just a funny code you spotted on a boarding pass? Write to us at info@ioftenfly.com or find us on Instagram @ioftenfly.
Curious how the codes work? Read what do airport codes mean. Looking for a present? Start with our aviation gifts, or browse the aviation hoodies and the full collection.