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Co-terminal airports are one of those nerdy terms you’ll hear tossed around in the aviation circle. This is especially true during times of irregular operations (IRROPs).
But what does it mean? And how can you use it to your advantage? Find answers to all your questions here and if you still have any, drop a comment below!
Co-Terminal = Same Location
Co-terminal airports are treated as if they are the same location for the purpose of issuing a flight ticket. You might have even seen this already when searching for award flights. Some programs, like Aeroplan, will flag airport changes in the search results.
If you have a flight connecting in Toronto, you could fly into Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and out of Billy Bishop (YTZ). This would still be a valid one-way ticket. On a round-trip, you could land in New York (EWR) and depart from New York LaGuardia (LGA). Airlines would consider this a valid round-trip ticket (not an open-jaw).
In fact, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has codes that serve entire metropolitan areas. Searching with that code will automatically include all the co-terminal airports in that city. Toronto’s IATA code is YTO, and searching for “YTO” will return results for both Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Billy Bishop (YTZ). Similarly, “NYC” will show results for Newark (EWR), LaGuardia (LGA), and John F. Kennedy (JFK).
Note that not every city has one, and not every airline offers this option either. Even if there is one, the airline may not recognize it and you’ll have to search each airport separately. It should still be possible to stitch a ticket together, treating co-terminal airports as the same location.
Which Airports are Co-Terminal?
It’s impossible to provide an exhaustive list because airlines create their own co-terminal airport lists based on where they operate. For example, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and Bangkok Don Mueang (DMK) are not co-terminal airports because different airlines serve them. Low-cost carriers operate out of DMK, and Thai Airways does not sell combined tickets with Thai AirAsia.
By contrast, ANA operates flights to Osaka Itami (ITM), Kansai (KIX), and Kobe (UKB), so it considers all three airports co-terminal. The IATA code “OSA” will search all these airports at once.
Use Co-Terminal Airports to Your Advantage
Award availability is tough to come by these days and expanding the list of airports you can fly to can greatly increase your odds. On top of that, some airports are closer to the city centre and can be more convenient for your travels.
More Airports = More Award Space
As an example of the former, I once booked an Aeroplan ticket Singapore-Osaka-Tokyo (stopover)-Chicago-Toronto for 92,500 points in business class. I would’ve preferred a flight directly from Singapore to Tokyo, but award space was only available to Osaka.
I ran into another availability hurdle when both Itami (ITM) and Kansai (KIX) had no availability to Tokyo on ANA. Luckily, I was able to find a spot on the Kobe (UKB)-Tokyo route. This did not work online, so I had to call in to the Aeroplan call centre. The final result was Singapore (SIN)-Kansai (KIX) (23h layover)/Kobe (UKB)-Tokyo (5 day stopover)-Chicago-Toronto.
Fly in to KIX and out of UKB
Closer to the City = Convenient for City Exploration
Often, international flights serve only the main airport, but smaller airports are served by regional carriers on shorter flights. Back in 2024, I booked an award flight Doha-Milan (22h)-London-New York. I had a two-day stopover in Milan, so I would definitely be heading into the city.
Qatar Airways only flies to Malpensa (MXP), while British Airways operates flights to both MXP and Milan Linate (LIN). I therefore decided to book the Milan-London leg departing from LIN, as it is much closer to the city and easier to reach by metro.
Fly in to MXP and out of LIN
Rebooking During Irregular Operations
You can use co-terminal airports to offer additional flight options during irregular operations. If Air Canada delays or cancels your Toronto-Newark (EWR) flight, you can ask them to rebook you to LaGuardia (LGA) instead.
If your Montreal (YUL) to Toronto Pearson (YYZ) flight has a 10-minute change in the flight schedule, you can leverage that to rebook to Billy Bishop (YTZ) instead and vice versa.
Note that airlines typically will not automatically rebook you to a different flight. Most likely, you will need to request this specifically. You might have to hang up and call again (HUCA).
Takeaway
Co-terminal airports are airports within a single metropolitan area that are treated as a single entity when airlines issue flight tickets.
There are a few ways you can use this to your advantage. Searching more airports gives you more options for locating award space. Choose an airport closer to the city centre to maximize a short layover or simply make your transportation more convenient.
When you encounter IRROPs, consider rebooking to another airport. You can also leverage your schedule change to fly to a different airport than the one originally booked.
