TRAVELERS’ CHECK: XNA best for airport at ’98 open

LITTLE ROCK — Only a few airports can claim a catchy three-letter identifier.

Say LAX and DFW and it’s a good bet that the person listening knows those refer to Los Angeles International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

So what’s with the XNA, which identifies Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport? Springdale resident J.D.

Vanhook wants to know why XNA and LAX were picked.

The Guru, of course, has a thrilling answer.

LAX was just LA when airports had two-letter codes. In the 1930s, threeletter codes began, creating 17,576 possible letter combinations. The Guru couldn’t figure out why LA stuck the X on the end.

In 1998, the Federal Aviation Administration offered 228 options when Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport was nearing its opening. As reporter Greg Harton (who’s now the Northwest Arkansas Times editor) told it in a 1998 article, the choices included DIP, GYM and OOO.

NWA, which would have been the first choice, wasn’t on the list, said Scott Van Laningham, who’s XNA’s chief executive officer. Airport planners, including Van Laningham, talked about calling it SAM to honor Wal-Mart Stores founder Sam Walton, but that belongs to an airport in Salamo, Papua New Guinea.

So they spotted XNA with its hint of Northwest Arkansas and went with it.

SMARTE CARTE

There’s a law of physics that says “for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction,” but it could just as easily apply to money.

If John makes a dollar, Mary must pay a dollar.

So it made sense that Smarte Carte, the Minnesota-based company that rents out carts to help passengers move luggage at XNA, isn’t making nearly as much these days.

After seeing stories about Smarte Carte making less at a few airports, The Guru asked how well Smarte Carte is doing at XNA.

Short answer? Not good.

Smarte Carte must pay 15 percent of its revenue to XNA, which totaled $1,062 in 2009. It fell to $721 last year.

It’s worse this year. Airport records show Smarte Carte paid $221 during the first three months of last year, but just $90 during the same three months this year.

Arthur Spring, a Smarte Carte executive vice president, said revenue fell 30 percent after airlines started charging for the first checked bag in spring 2008.

Because passengers are checking fewer bags to avoid the fee, passenger aren’t as likely to need a Smarte Carte’s help.

Robert J. Smith’s column about people on the move in Northwest Arkansas appears each Monday. He can be reached at [email protected].