Quick! What city do you live in? Okay. Now, this might be tougher: Do you know the three-letter airport code printed on tickets and luggage tags that identifies your city to pilots and other airport workers? For example, Los Angeles’ three-letter identifier is LAX. Dallas’ is DFW and Tulsa’s is TUL.
If you live in Sioux City, Iowa then the question is a no-brainer. Sioux Gateway Airport’s infamous three-letter identifier—SUX— has been in and out of the headlines for years, and now city leaders are trying to put a new spin on the unflattering code.
For more than a decade Sioux City officials have petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration to change the code. At one point, the FAA offered the city leaders five alternatives — GWU, GYO, GYT, SGV and GAY — but airport trustees nixed all of the alternatives.
Now, in what can only be described as a light bulb moment, the city has decided to scrap plans to do away with SUX and instead, have agreed to embrace the controversial code.
An astute airport board member recently proposed using SUX to the city’s advantage by making it the centerpiece of the airport’s new marketing campaign. Lo and behold he was able to convince other board members to make the best of the unfortunate code and turn the situation into a positive.
The brain child behind the new marketing campaign noted that the country has many airports four to five times larger than Sioux City’s, but most travelers could never identify those airports’ three-letter codes.
“I’ve got buddies that I went to college with in different cities that can’t even remember their own birthdays, but they all know the Sioux City designator — SUX,” he said.
The new marketing campaign officially kicks off next week. That’s when travelers will be able to purchase T-shirts and caps sporting the airport’s new slogan, “FLY SUX.” (Hey, it’s better than “SUX to be Sioux City” or “Sioux City SUX”) In addition, the airport has changed its website address to: www.flysux.com.
Even Sioux City’s mayor (the same guy who in 2002 described SUX as an “embarrassment” to the city) is supporting the new marketing campaign. He recently told news reporters that he views the new slogan as a “cute little way” to make light of the situation.
Personally, I think it’s a brilliant idea, but I have to ask: What took them so long to think of it?
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