London has six airports. Can you name their codes?

London is served by six airports, and their codes are a classic quiz trap because most start with L. Here they are, with a way to remember each.

• LHR Heathrow: L for London, HR for Heathrow. The big one, in west London.
• LGW Gatwick: L for London, GW for Gatwick. South of London, in West Sussex.
• STN Stansted: the letters come straight from STaNsted. North-east of London, in Essex.
• LTN Luton: LuToN. North of London, in Bedfordshire.
• LCY London City: London CitY. The closest to central London, in the Docklands.
• SEN Southend: SouthENd, out east in Essex.

What does LON mean?

LON isn't an airport. It's a city code that covers all of London's airports, so booking sites can search them all at once. Other big cities have one too: NYC for New York, PAR for Paris and TYO for Tokyo.

The usual mix-ups

People most often confuse LGW and LHR, because both start with L and end with a consonant pair. Remember that Gatwick has the G. The other trap is LCY: the Y comes from the end of "City".