What does the F stand for in QF?

[Warragul]

+1 for it representing flight. The IATA code for commercial code (081 is an accounting code) so its relatively easy for passengers to aassociate QF with Qantas Flight. The A in QFA could be Australia too. Maybe Qantas decision makers back in the day didn't put too much thought into any requests they may have made and hindsight has created a bit of guesswork.

Did TN stand for anything with TAA? My internal source from back in the day (father) said no that's what they were given and didn't object. Well thats he was told when he started, so could be a red herring.

 

[TheRealTMA]

+1 for it representing flight. The IATA code for commercial code (081 is an accounting code) so its relatively easy for passengers to aassociate QF with Qantas Flight. The A in QFA could be Australia too. Maybe Qantas decision makers back in the day didn't put too much thought into any requests they may have made and hindsight has created a bit of guesswork.

Did TN stand for anything with TAA? My internal source from back in the day (father) said no that's what they were given and didn't object. Well thats he was told when he started, so could be a red herring.

TAA was defined as Trans Australia Airlines in my memory. So TN indicated Trans National?

 

[justinbrett]

+1 for it representing flight. The IATA code for commercial code (081 is an accounting code) so its relatively easy for passengers to aassociate QF with Qantas Flight. The A in QFA could be Australia too. Maybe Qantas decision makers back in the day didn't put too much thought into any requests they may have made and hindsight has created a bit of guesswork.

Did TN stand for anything with TAA? My internal source from back in the day (father) said no that's what they were given and didn't object. Well thats he was told when he started, so could be a red herring.

Problem with that, is for every time someone says "Qantas Flight 123", there's another 99 who say "Flight QF123", so then you're in the same position as ATM Machine or PIN Number.

I mean, it's not a boat or a train, most other airlines don't feel the need to include the fact it's a flight in their numbers.

I'll believe that nobody knows until someone has definitive proof.

The bigger question - why do our ICAO codes start with Y? We used to use A back in the day, but ceded it to PNG & Solomon Islands.

 

[Mr H]

Problem with that, is for every time someone says "Qantas Flight 123", there's another 99 who say "Flight QF123", so then you're in the same position as ATM Machine or PIN Number.

And there’s bound to be someone who says Qantas Airways.

 

[Warragul]

I'll believe that nobody knows until someone has definitive proof.

The bigger question - why do our ICAO codes start with Y? We used to use A back in the day, but ceded it to PNG & Solomon Islands.

Agreed.

I suppose Australia became its own 'zone' and it was either take a new letter or the remainder - 'South West Pacific' - get the new letter.

 

[Capt Cowley]

Out of interest, why is the IATA designator for Qantas marked as 'QF'? What does the 'F' stand for in it?

The question stems from a lounge agents question (in a Menzies run lounge which serves all airlines at that airport). She had to manually key in the FF membership details from the boarding pass and select which airline's program I belong to. She said that she often confuses Qatar and Qantas and had to confirm which one it was.

Qatar has QR which sounds pretty logical. But how come Qantas has QF? Or is that just a random lucky price in an IATA code raffle?

As former staff - QF simply means Qantas Flight

 

[Flyfrequently]

As former staff - QF simply means Qantas Flight

Welcome to AFF @Capt Cowley