Railway Industry Codes vs Air Industry Codes

[Xenophon PCDGS]

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West Midlands Trains "Destination Manchester" - will it happen?

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Am I the first to see the glaring mistake in the picture of the four people holding the plane display stating MIA as one of the two airport codes....MIA is the IATA 3-letter code for Miami, not Manchester, whose code is MAN.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Am I the first to see the glaring mistake in the picture of the four people holding the plane display stating MIA as one of the two airport codes....MIA is the IATA 3-letter code for Miami, not Manchester, whose code is MAN.

BHM is the CRS code for Birmingham New Street
MIA is the CRS code for Manchester Airport

They aren't using the IATA codes because they aren't talking about the airports, it's each end of the train service

CRS (Computer Reservation System)

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

They aren't using the IATA codes because they aren't talking about the airports, it's each end of the train service

CRS (Computer Reservation System)

Since the proposed rail journey is to Manchester Airport and not to Manchester Piccadilly railway station and the 3-letter codes are shown on the wing display of a plane, they certainly are talking about airports.

 

[Stossgebet]

Yes.
Looks like it has been made by railway 'professionals' that think they are being clever. Whereas any international transport enthusiast (trains and planes) would have been fully aware, and it would not have been done like that. I guess they didn't consult any enthusiast colleagues that would have prevented this faux pas. I guess it's the silo mentality working inside an individual business unit, rather than the usual silos we have of the different businesses within the industry as a whole.

In their defence. They didn't realise the error, and most railway passengers won't either. Those aware enough to spot the mistake are also aware enough to know why it happened and just giggle about it.

 

[LowLevel]

Yes.
Looks like it has been made by railway 'professionals' that think they are being clever. Whereas any international transport enthusiast (trains and planes) would have been fully aware, and it would not have been done like that. I guess they didn't consult any enthusiast colleagues that would have prevented this faux pas. I guess it's the silo mentality working inside an individual business unit, rather than the usual silos we have of the different businesses within the industry as a whole.

In their defence. They didn't realise the error, and most railway passengers won't either. Those aware enough to spot the mistake are also aware enough to know why it happened and just giggle about it.

I think, in fairness, given they've used the relevant railway ticketing codes to refer to a rail service between two railway stations, most railway colleagues whether enthusiasts or not, and indeed most regular passengers would just be laughing at you, rather than the people in the photo, for taking it that seriously.

It's only an error in your mind. I look at it straight away and think "Oh, they're running a train between Manchester Airport and Birmingham stations and trying to convince people as to why it's worth using it to go to Manchester Airport rather than Brum International".

 

[Zomboid]

I think, in fairness, given they've used the relevant railway ticketing codes to refer to a rail service between two railway stations, most railway colleagues whether enthusiasts or not, and indeed most regular passengers would just be laughing at you, rather than the people in the photo, for taking it that seriously.

It's only an error in your mind. I look at it straight away and think "Oh, they're running a train between Manchester Airport and Birmingham stations and trying to convince people as to why it's worth using it to go to Manchester Airport rather than Brum International".

If they'd used MAN, then that would have been misleading as it's not going to Piccadilly.

Given it's a train service, the railway codes are the appropriate ones to use.

 

[Stossgebet]

This is a railway forum, i bet it looks silly on a aviation forum.
When dealing with 2 different modes of transport and trying to integrate them in a advert. Be neutral, rather than 'clever'. If that makes people laugh at me... i am not the one that first raised it as a point. Which means that there must be an element of ambiguity about it, from more than just me!

 

[SCDR_WMR]

I think, in fairness, given they've used the relevant railway ticketing codes to refer to a rail service between two railway stations, most railway colleagues whether enthusiasts or not, and indeed most regular passengers would just be laughing at you, rather than the people in the photo, for taking it that seriously.

It's only an error in your mind. I look at it straight away and think "Oh, they're running a train between Manchester Airport and Birmingham stations and trying to convince people as to why it's worth using it to go to Manchester Airport rather than Brum International".

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this.

Only on a railway forum could people try and find fault with using the train station codes for the start and end points of the journey. To think that railway staff recognise and use on a daily basis and have no issues with it, yet people on here are laughing at a supposed error that doesn't even exist.

 

[jfollows]

Nobody should use these codes without explaining them first, this is a condition of this forum that everyone signs up to. I don’t care whether Birmingham New Street is BNS or BHM, I just care that anyone using these codes explains them first.
On the airline side, yes, it’s also silly to get it wrong in a press release.

 

[Stossgebet]

Going to an airport, by definition, isn't the "end of a journey". I have just looked at the LNR website, and this is clearly marketed to flying passengers.

No one is actually laughing at the faux pas, or at anyone. But someone here swems to want people to laugh at those whom noticed it!

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Going to an airport, by definition, isn't the "end of a journey". I have just looked at the LNR website, and this is clearly marketed to flying passengers.

No one is actually laughing at the faux pas, or at anyone. But someone here swems to want people to laugh at those whom noticed it!

Right, but the issue is supposedly that an incorrect code has been used when neither code refers to an airport.

That the station is at the airport makes no difference, the station is named so as it serves the airport. It is not, in itself, the airport. So MIA IS the correct code for the station, as is BHM for Birmingham New Street. Of course it's marketed towards flying passengers, that would clearly be the looks share going there.

The use of the wings could be considered a faux pas, sure. But unless I've misread the last page or so, it's the codes that are being discussed. It is marketing a train journey between 2 station codes after all.

 

[cle]

Nobody should use these codes without explaining them first, this is a condition of this forum that everyone signs up to. I don’t care whether Birmingham New Street is BNS or BHM, I just care that anyone using these codes explains them first.
On the airline side, yes, it’s also silly to get it wrong in a press release.

Airport codes are far better known than the CRS codes by ‘regular people’.

I used them to refer specifically to airports earlier, spelling out city names for the railway equivalent or if talking about the place.

Two letter airline codes - gets a little gnarly too. And we were moving between all of these earlier! I accept it’s a little frenetic. BA, AA, AF - fine and logical. KLM - easy enough to spell in full! VS, EI, B6, EK - does need some explaining.

 

[jfollows]

Maybe I should refer to my local airport as EGCC.
It’s all about communication, and using abbreviations or codes without explaining them isn’t communication, at best it’s lazy.

 

[317 forever]

It took me a while to realise that just because Bristol Airport has the code BRI, this is not the code used for Bristol Temple Meads.

 

[Bishops]

Going to an airport, by definition, isn't the "end of a journey"

It is if you work there

 

[Zomboid]

Manchester airport is a major transport hub, there will be many people using the station who have no business with the airport.

It provides a convenient terminus for trains that come through central Manchester, in the same way that Geneva Airport station is used by a lot of trains that really serve Cornavin station but need somewhere out of the way to turn round rather than blocking platforms in the city centre.

 

[etr221]

BHM is the CRS code for Birmingham New Street
MIA is the CRS code for Manchester Airport

They aren't using the IATA codes because they aren't talking about the airports, it's each end of the train service

CRS (Computer Reservation System)

In railway terms (so CRS codes ) the new service is BHM to MIA

In IATA speak, it's QQN to MAN (yes, according to Wikipedia, some Railway Stations have IATA codes - QQN is Birmingham New Street)
QQM on the other hand is Manchester Piccadilly, whence if you are flying from Birmingham International, you could take a train (IATA code for which is TRN) to BHX.

One of my frustrations is that IATA only make their complete lists of codes (for airports and other locations, and everything else) available at great cost, and that I have not managed to find a complete, reasonably trustworthy, copy available for free...

 

[Stossgebet]

It is if you work there

Well that's obvious. However the promo and launch is targetting airline passengers.

 

[43096]

It took me a while to realise that just because Bristol Airport has the code BRI, this is not the code used for Bristol Temple Meads.

Bristol Airport has IATA code BRS

 

[Bishops]

Well that's obvious. However the promo and launch is targetting airline passengers.

I was just answering your post

 

[Class15]

Very few people know the CRS codes. Most know the IATA code.

This should have said BHM - MAN (if really necessary, add an aircraft emoji or something after the MAN!).

 

[AlterEgo]

Maybe I should refer to my local airport as EGCC.
It’s all about communication, and using abbreviations or codes without explaining them isn’t communication, at best it’s lazy.

No it isn't, if the abbreviation is well known. MIA is very well known even amongst some "normals"; American airport codes are part of the language over there. Nobody seeing a plane with the letters MIA on it would think it was referring to the CRS code for Manchester Airport unless the context was explained. Which in fairness it was, in the piece!

 

[SargeNpton]

As an aside, the original BR computer reservation system was a buy-in from an American airline. Hence the use of 3-alpha codes in the rail industry today.

That any rail location can have up to five different codes to identify it in different systems is a long story.

 

[stuu]

Very few people know the CRS codes. Most know the IATA code.

This should have said BHM - MAN (if really necessary, add an aircraft emoji or something after the MAN!).

I would like a source for that. I bet the vast majority of people know neither

 

[Tetchytyke]

I would like a source for that. I bet the vast majority of people know neither

Depends on the IATA code, I suppose. I reckon most people would know some IATA codes, LAX springs to mind as one that is in pretty common usage.

 

[8ace]

Very few people know the CRS codes. Most know the IATA code.

This should have said BHM - MAN (if really necessary, add an aircraft emoji or something after the MAN!).

I think more people know them now than in days of yore as they are very pronounced on etickets. A young lady friend of mine, who could be politely described as a bit dizzy, regularly reels them off much to my surprise!

 

[Falcon1200]

I would like a source for that.

Same here! As an ex-railway employee I know plenty of CRS codes (and, sadly, some TOPS ones too) but hardly any IATA codes.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Same here! As an ex-railway employee I know plenty of CRS codes (and, sadly, some TOPS ones too) but hardly any IATA codes.

As an airline geek that lived in the USA for 25 years and flew 2.5 million miles I am extremely familiar with IATA codes - and am just about starting to learn CRS codes.

(OT but I still think of of Tinsley as 41A not TI)