hazel1

I know this is probably a dumb question, but here goes: my airline tickets say that I'm flying into Peretola airport in Florence, but I've seen numerous references to the airport in Florence being named Amerigo Vespucchi. Are these different airports or one in the same?

Eloise

It's the same airport.

Just as Pisa is officially Galileo Galilei and Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci...

Eloise

And Venice is Marco Polo...

hazel1

So, by that logic, does that mean Peretola is the name of the city Amerigo Vespucchi Airport is located in, i.e. it's a suburb of Florence? It's the "Peretola" that has me confused, not that the airport has the name of Amerigo Vespucchi.

ira

Hi hazel,

Florence's airport, FLR, was called Peretola until 1990, when it became A. Vespucci.

A similar thing happened in Atlanta when ATL was renamed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International.

hazel1

Thanks, Ira, you've clarified the mystery, but now it makes me wonder why Air France uses an aiport designation that hasn't been valid for the past 15 years!

ThinGorjus

Nobody calls Florence's airport Amerigo Vespucchi. It has always been Peretola. How many people do you know who call Newark Airport, Liberty Airport? Nobody. Even the code for Newark is EWR.

Margaretlb

Hey, ThinGorjus, I always refer to EWR as Newark Liberty. It's my home airport and has been for 50 years and I've had no problem using it's new and improved name. The renaming after 9-11 is meaningful to me.

Patrick

No but recently I heard someone say he was flying into Idlewild in New York. I spit coffee all over myself.

ira

>...makes me wonder why Air France uses an aiport designation that hasn't been valid for the past 15 years!<

If God had meant for it to be called Vespucci, she wouldn't have named it Peretola.

billy_boy

Other than the one person in this thread, nobody, and I mean NOBODY else has referred to Newark Airport as Newark Liberty.