Sioux City embraces airport identifier: SUX

The Daily Iowan reports that Sioux City's Gateway Airport has come to terms with its "unflattering" three-letter acronym, SUX, by incorporating it into its promotional campaign.

City leaders have scrapped plans to do away with the Sioux Gateway Airport's unflattering three-letter identifier - SUX - and instead have made it the centerpiece of the airport's new marketing campaign.

The code, used by pilots and airports worldwide and printed on tickets and luggage tags, will be used on T-shirts and caps sporting the airport's new slogan, "FLY SUX." It also forms the address of the airport's redesigned Web site - www.flysux.com.

Link (Via State 29)

[#1 posted by Lizzle , October 23, 2007 10:48 AM]

Mumbai's airport code is still BOM, from back when the city was still called Bombay. Few things are more uncomfortable-making than hauling luggage with great big "BOM" tags all over it through unsympathetic airports.

[#2 posted by Colonist , October 23, 2007 11:03 AM]

SUX was the cite of the tragic plane crash of Flight 232 on July 19th 1989, which was later remade into a TV movie "Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232."

Sioux City is the cite where the first person died on the Lewis & Clark expedition. His name was Sgt. Floyd and there is a large obelisk in his honor that one can see when driving into the town.

Regardless, it SUX that it's so expensive to fly there.

[#3 posted by Toastpoints , October 23, 2007 11:15 AM]

I love that one of the FAA's five proposed alternatives was "GAY". I seriously wish I could have been there when that document arrived. "Are these guys kidding? We want to get rid of SUX and they suggest GAY???"

Not that there's anything wrong with it...

[#4 posted by Colonist , October 23, 2007 11:26 AM]

It's better than GWU- the most expensive university in the world!

[#5 posted by Peter Swimm , October 23, 2007 11:28 AM]

I can't wait for the "SUX to be you" sweatshirts.

[#6 posted by ElGuapo138 , October 23, 2007 11:41 AM]

Think SUX is bad? Then you don't want to know the airport code for Fukuoka, Japan!

[#7 posted by jphilby , October 23, 2007 12:30 PM]

A perfect example of: Don't damn -- embrace.

I'm not from Iowa, but inherited a 78 record bearing this song:

Our land is full of ripe-ning corn,
Yo-Ho, yo-ho, yo-ho
We've watched it grow both night and morn,
Yo-Ho, yo-ho, yo-ho
But now we rest, we've stood the test.
All that's good we have the best
I-O-way has reached the crest,
Yo-Ho, yo-ho, yo-ho

We're from I-O-way, I-O-way.
State of all the land,
Joy on ev-'ry hand.
We're from I-O-way, I-O-way.
That's where the tall corn grows.

[#8 posted by devophill , October 23, 2007 1:45 PM]

So, that means GAY is still available? Somebody needs to snap that one up!

[#9 posted by Anonymous , October 23, 2007 2:25 PM]

Also in the world of airport abbreviations, does anyone else chuckle everytime they see one of northwest airlines planes with the big NWA on the side?

[#10 posted by Cory , October 23, 2007 2:45 PM]

My brother-in-law is flying there in a few weeks. I *will* get the t-shirt! I must!