IATA Cargo Introductory Course - Unit 3 World Geography PDF

# UNIT 3 WORLD GEOGRAPHY ## Overview Upon completing this unit, the student will be able to use the appropriate reference materials in order to name and locate countries and principal cities worldwide; identify IATA areas and sub-areas; calculate time differences and transportation times between a...

# UNIT 3 WORLD GEOGRAPHY ## Overview Upon completing this unit, the student will be able to use the appropriate reference materials in order to name and locate countries and principal cities worldwide; identify IATA areas and sub-areas; calculate time differences and transportation times between any given points and apply correct IATA 3-letter city and airport codes. The student will be able to discuss the history and importance of city codes, and will be able to code and de-code city and airport codes. ## Introduction A thorough knowledge of world geography is essential for the efficient handling of international air cargo. The more familiar the student is with the subject, the easier, more effective and interesting the work will become. The unit is an introduction to world geography. It covers the most important countries and cities and its purpose is to give the student the basic knowledge indispensable to the exercising of his profession. The World Geography unit is designed to meet the specific needs of cargo agents and therefore provides the student with information on world-wide geography based on the use of various sources of reference (maps, TACT and OAG Guides) which would normally be used in daily work. It includes the following sections: - Section 1: Geography and IATA 3-letter codes - Section 2: IATA Areas and sub-areas - Section 3: Time differences - Section 4: Calculation of transportation time A map of the world is supplied with the training course documentation. ## Section 1 Geography and IATA 3-letter codes This section contains lists of countries and principal cities of the world in the following order: - North America - Central America - South America - Europe - Africa - Middle East - Asia - Australia and the Pacific These lists indicate the IATA 3-letter codes for major cities and their airports. The codes are in current use by airlines and cargo agents and most of them can be memorized easily. They are established by IATA and are listed in most carriers' publications. Most cities included in this list have what is known as a Customs Airport i.e. an airport with customs clearance facilities. These are not all listed here. Only major cities are shown. Additional Customs Airports are listed in TACT Rules, Section 7, Information by countries, under the appropriate country heading. Airport names are given only in the case of cities which have several major airports. **NOTE** The country names are followed by the ISO Country codes (International Standards Organisation). For the following countries only, the names of the State/Provinces (with their ISO 2-letter codes) are shown after the cities: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada and the USA. Reference is made to TACT Rules, Section 1.3.1. Other countries may also have state/provinces but they are not listed in the TACT Rules. ## Three-letter city codes Three-letter city codes have existed for many years. They were developed in response to a need by travel (and cargo) sales professionals to have a shorthand way to refer to cities and airports in those cities. As the use of systems and technology developed, the need for a code system increased. When cargo agents take notes, fill out forms, utilise computer reservations systems and reconcile administration of bookings, they use these codes. As you develop skills as a cargo agent and cargo seller you will use three-letter city codes often. Use of these codes will save you time and enable you to more quickly navigate via computer, phone, and fax. When you learn to utilise a computer reservations system and write a cargo Air Waybill, you will use the three-letter city codes to indicate the destinations to which your customer's goods will be travelling. The complete listing of three-letter city codes can be found in TACT and OAG. ## Coding and de-coding three-letter city and airport codes Coding and de-coding three-letter city codes is easy. Each city has at least one airport and some have more than one. For cities that have more than one airport or major transport hub, there will be more than one three-letter city code. These codes are also used on the Air Waybill, Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods, etc. What is the difference between a city and an airport code? Some cities have more than one airport, so each airport gets a code, and the city itself gets a code too. For example, LON is the city code for London, whereas LHR is the airport code for London Heathrow, and LGW is the airport code for London Gatwick. Often the three-letter city code is the same for the airport and the city. In the largest cities, the city code is the same for the main international airport with a few exceptions. ## Section 2 IATA Areas and Sub-areas IATA areas have been further divided into smaller sub-areas or regions: ### IATA AREA 1 SUB-AREAS - Caribbean (Islands), Mexico, Long haul, South America For definitions of these sub-areas refer to TACT Rules, Section 1.2.2. ### IATA AREA 2 SUB-AREAS - Europe, Africa, Middle East For definitions of these sub-areas refer to TACT Rules, Section 1.2.2. ### IATA AREA 3 SUB-AREAS - South Asian subcontinent, South East Asia, South West Pacific, Japan/Korea For definitions of these sub-areas refer to TACT Rules, Section 1.2.2. These sub-areas, in the IATA context, may have a different meaning from that generally implied by the geographical term. ## Section 3 Time Differences ### Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time With the objective of standardizing the manner in which each country's local time is expressed, the world has been divided into 24 time zones, each of 15° Longitude. The time difference between one zone and the next is exactly one hour. The time zone that serves as the point of reference or origin of this system is situated between 7° 30' longitude west and 7° 30' longitude east of the Greenwich meridian (longitude 0°). The time in this zone is called Greenwich Mean Time, or simply GMT. In some publications you may find a new abbreviation replacing GMT: "UTC - Universal Time Coordinated". The time in all other zones can thus be expressed by referring to Greenwich Mean Time or Universal Time Coordinated. ### Example: - GMT + 1 hour or UTC + 1 hour (1 hour ahead of GMT/UTC) - GMT - 1 hour or UTC - 1 hour (1 hour behind GMT/UTC) up to GMT/UTC + 12 and GMT/UTC - 12. Each of the blocks represents one hour. When trying to work out the difference between two points on the scale, count the number of hours between them. This theoretical system has had to be adapted, in certain cases, in order to maintain the same local time within national boundaries or groups of islands. Such local time, fixed by law, is called "Standard Clock Time" or "Standard Time". Certain countries modify their standard time during the summer by advancing it an hour or a fraction of an hour. This temporary change is called "Daylight Saving Time" or "DST". Airline company timetables are generally based on the 24-hour clock. Certain countries, however, such as the USA, use another method. This consists of dividing the day into two 12-hour periods, in which case the carriers' time-tables are based on this system. It is essential, therefore, to know how to convert times from one system to the other before attempting to deal with the question of time differences. The following table compares the two systems. In the 24-hour clock system, times are expressed from 0001 to 2400, while the 12-hour periods are expressed in "before noon" times (abbreviated "a.m." from the Latin "ante meridiem") and "after noon" times (abbreviated "p.m." from the Latin "post meridiem"). | | 24-hour clock | 12-hour clock | |---|---|---| | MIDNIGHT | 2400/00.00 or 12:00 a.m. | 1200 or 12:00 p.m. or 12:00 noon | | + 1 minute | 0001 or 12:01 a.m. | 1201 or 12.01 p.m. | | + 30 minutes | 0030 or 12:30 a.m. | 1230 or 12.30 p.m. | | + 1 hour | 0100 or 1:00 a.m. | 1300 or 1:00 p.m. | ## The International Time Charts Time Charts are published in all major Airline Guides. Reproduced below is an extract from the OAG flight guide (World-wide Edition). These charts contain a list of countries with an indication against each country of its standard time in relation to GMT/UTC. In countries where the "Daylight Saving Time" (DST) applies during certain periods of the year, such time is specified, together with the periods during which it applies. Standard Time is expressed in hours ahead of (+) or behind (-) GMT/UTC. The International Time Charts reproduced on the following pages have been extracted from the OAG Guide, the use of which will be explained in detail in Unit 4 of this training course. All examples and exercises in this unit are based on the OAG International Time Calculator. Reference will always be made to GMT instead of GMT and UTC. ## Section 4 Calculation of Transportation Time The transport time is the number of hours and minutes from the time of departure at the airport of origin until the time of arrival at the airport of final destination. This includes eventual transit and/or transfer times. In airline timetables, departure and arrival times are always expressed in local time. Time differences must, therefore, always be taken into account when calculating the total transport time. ### Example 1 Flight AF 033 leaves Paris at 12:30 on Tuesday, 12th December and arrives in Montreal at 13:55 on the same day. What is the total transport time? Montreal is situated in the Eastern Time Zone of Canada. The calculation is made as follows: #### First step: Ascertain the local time applicable at departure and arrival cities. - PAR = GMT + 1 (Standard Clock Time) - YMQ = GMT-5 (Standard Clock Time) #### Second step: Convert arrival and departure times to GMT. To convert departure and arrival times to GMT: - deduct the number of hours from the local time when it is ahead of GMT (+) - add the number of hours to the local time when it is behind GMT (-) - PAR 12:30 Tuesday at GMT + 1 = 11:30 GMT Tuesday - YMQ 13:55 Tuesday at GMT -5 = 18:55 GMT Tuesday #### Third step: Now that a common denominator has been found, namely GMT, calculate the difference between the departure and arrival times. The result will give the total transport time, that is, 7 hours 25 minutes. ### Example 2 What is the total transport time for a journey leaving Lusaka (Zambia) at 0910 on Friday, 6th January, and arriving Hong Kong on Saturday, 7th January, at 1450? This trip includes several connections. The method of calculation used in the first example can also be applied to this one, as follows: #### First step: Determine the local time at departure and arrival points: - LUN = GMT + 2 - HKG = GMT + 8 #### Second step: Convert the departure and arrival times to GMT: - LUN 09:10 Friday = 07:10 GMT Friday - HKG 14:50 Saturday = 06:50 GMT Saturday #### Third step: Calculate the difference: from | to | Total time ---|---|---| 07:10 GMT Friday | 06:50 GMT Saturday | 23 hours 40 minutes ## UNIT REVIEW EXERCISE ### A. Give the IATA 3-letter codes of the following cities and specify in which country they are situated without using any reference material: | City | 3-letter code | Country | |---|---|---| | Brussels | BRU | Belgium | | Nairobi | NBO | Kenya | | Melbourne | MEL | Australia | | Vancouver | YVR | Canada | | Caracas | CCS | Venezuela | | Beijing | PEK | China | | Miami | MIA | USA | | Dakar | DKR| Senegal | | Delhi | DEL | India | | Port Moresby | POM | Papua New Guinea | | Oslo | OSL | Norway | | Santiago | SCL | Chile | ### B. Decode the following city codes and state in which country these cities are situated without using any separate reference material: | 3-Letter code | City | Country | |---|---|---| | KRT | Khartoum | Sudan | | HEL | Helsinki | Finland | | JKT | Jakarta | Indonesia | | BAH | Manama | Bahrain | | KUL | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | | SJU | San Juan | Puerto Rico | | TUN | Tunis | Tunisia | | JNB | Johannesburg | South Africa | | AKL | Auckland | New Zealand | | ACC | Accra | Ghana | | SAO | Sao Paulo | Brazil | | BKK | Bangkok | Thailand | ### C. Convert the following a.m./p.m. times into 24-hour clock times: | Time | 24-hour clock | |---|---| | 1:30 p.m. | 1330 | | 8:20 p.m. | 2020 | | 11:45 p.m. | 2345 | | 12:10 a.m. | 0010 | | 12:40 p.m. | 1240 | ### D. Convert the following 24-hour clock times into a.m./p.m. times: | 24-hour clock | Time | |---|---| | 0815 | 8:15 a.m. | | 0050 | 12.50 a.m.| | 1205 | 12:05 p.m.| | 1535 | 3:35 p.m. | | 0105 | 1:05 a.m. | ### E. Refer to the OAG International Time Calculator provided at the end of this exercise and determine the time difference between the following cities. The date is 10th July: | | Time difference | |---|---| | Caracas, Venezuela (CCS) and New York, NY, United States (NYC) (Eastern Time) | 4 hours | | London, United Kingdom (LON) and Buenos Aires, Argentina (BUE) | 5 hours | | Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) and Singapore (SIN) | 7 hours | ### F. Refer to the OAG International Time Calculator provided at the end of this exercise and determine the time difference between the following cities. The date is 24th March: | | Time difference | |---|---| | Minneapolis, MN, United States (MSP) (Central Time) and Dublin, Ireland (DUB) | 6 hours | | Bamako, Mali (BKO) and Cairo, Egypt (CAI) | 1 hour | | Brisbane, QL, Australia (BNE) (Queensland) and Delhi, India (DEL) | 4 hours 30 minutes| ### G. Refer to the OAG International Time Calculator provided at the end of this exercise and answer the following questions: The date is 5th February: | If the time is: | What time is it in: | Answer (Time + Date) | |---|---|---| | 1300 in Lisbon, Portugal (LIS) | Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) (General time) | 10:00 p.m. 5th February | | 9:00 p.m. in Prague, Czech Republic (PRG) | Mumbai, India (BOM) | 1:30 a.m. 6th February | | 8:00 a.m. in Nadi, Fiji (NAN) | Papeete, French Polynesia (PPT) | 9:00 p.m. 5th February | ### H. Refer to the OAG International Time Calculator provided at the end of this exercise and answer the following questions: The date is 9th September: | If the time is: | What time is it in: | Answer (Time + Date) | |---|---|---| | 1500 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (DAR) | Manchester, United Kingdom (MAN) | 8:00 a.m. 9th September | | 7:00 p.m. in Atlanta, GA United States (ATL) (Eastern time) | Shanghai, China (SHA) | 10:00 a.m. 10th September | | 0920 in Dusseldorf, Germany (DUS) | Quito, Ecuador (UIO) | 2:20 a.m. 9th September | ### I. Refer to the OAG International Time Calculator provided at the end of this exercise and determine in hours and minutes the total transportation time for the following flights: 1. Flight JL 428 (Japan Airlines) Departure from: | Arrival in: | Total transportation time | ---|---|---| Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH) | Tokyo, Japan (TYO) | 11 hours | 2. Flight QF 11 (Qantas Airways) Departure from: | Arrival in: | Total transportation time | ---|---|---| Melbourne, VI, Australia (MEL) | San Francisco, CA, USA (SFO) | 10 hours 40 minutes | 3. Flight BA 36 (British Airways) Departure from: | Arrival in: | Total transportation time | ---|---|---| Hong Kong (HKG) | London, United Kingdom (LON) | 11 hours 55 minutes | 4. Flight FM 37 (Federal Express) Departure from: | Arrival in: | Total transportation time | ---|---|---| Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) | Los Angeles, CA, USA (LAX) | 11 hours 59 minutes | Answers to this exercise can be found in the answer sheets at the end of this textbook. ## 3.2 International Date Line Crossing the International Date Line makes matters more complicated because travellers and cargo either gain or lose a day during the process. When a client's cargo crosses the International Date Line travelling west, the day changes to the following day-Wednesday would immediately become Thursday. Travelling the opposite direction has the opposite effect. So cargo crossing the International Date Line travelling east gains a day - in other words, Thursday becomes Wednesday. It should be noted that the time of day (except at midnight) means nothing. A client could cross the date line at 3 p.m. or 2 a.m. and it has no effect on time of day. The only difference is the date the hour remains the same. The International Date Line is an imaginary north-south line through the Pacific Ocean, east and west of which the date differs (east being one day earlier). The International Date Line must be considered as a wall which cannot be crossed when calculating time differences. All calculation must always be done by using the GMT/UTC time zone as the reference. The following example should help clarify matters. If your cargo departs on Tuesday morning and travels from Honolulu to Tokyo, it would arrive after a nine-hour flight. But it would be Wednesday in Tokyo because the cargo crossed the International Date Line. Conversely, if the cargo leaves Tokyo on Sunday morning and returns to Honolulu, it will arrive on Saturday because now it crossed the date line travelling west to east. However, if the cargo departs later in the day and crosses the date line, matters can be trickier. For example if the cargo leaves Honolulu at 11 p.m. for Tokyo on Thursday it becomes Friday one hour after departure, and the cargo has not even crossed the date line yet. Later on Friday, it crosses the date line and instantaneously it becomes Saturday! So the cargo that left mid-week arrives on the weekend after a 9-hour flight. These types of time change considerations are particularly important to the businesses when perishable cargo is involved or when time sensitive cargo is involved. Although these types of calculations can be complicated, most airline schedules give arrival times that are already adjusted for time-zone crossings and gained or lost days. Also a cargo agent's computer reservations system will list the elapsed flying times of scheduled flights. Read the following examples. They will give you a better understanding of calculating time differences involving the International Date Line. ### Example 1 The distance between Nadi, Fiji (NAN) and Apia, Samoa (APW) is only 1,225 km, but when it is Monday in Nadi, it is Sunday in Apia. The time difference between these two islands is 23 hours. - NAN - GMT + 12 - APW - GMT -11 The local time in Nadi is 23 hours ahead of Apia. When the local time in Nadi is 1:00 hours on Monday, the local time in Apia is 2:00 on the previous day, that is, Sunday. Nadi and Apia are separated by the International Date Line. When calculating the time difference between these two cities, the International Date Line cannot be crossed. The calculation must be done using GMT/UTC. When the date line is crossed eastbound, for example from Nadi to Apia on Monday, a day is "gained" as the arrival in Apia will take place on Sunday. Thus aircraft crossing the International Date Line while flying eastbound over the Pacific Ocean could reach their destination on the day before their departure: For example flight Air Pacific FJ 252 has an effective flying time of 2 hours 55 minutes with a departure from Nadi (NAN), Fiji on Monday at 15:05 hours, which produces an arrival in Apia (APW), Samoa on Sunday at 19:00 hours. Trans-Pacific flights leaving Japan or New Zealand in the evening arrive on the West Coast of the United States on the afternoon of the same day: For example, flight Japan Airlines JL 064 on 21st May has an effective flying time of 9 hours 45 minutes with a departure from Tokyo (NRT), Japan on Thursday at 21:30 hours, which produces an arrival in Los Angeles (LAX), USA on Thursday at 15:15 hours. ### Example 2 Although Papeete (PPT), Tahiti is not very far from Auckland (AKL), New Zealand, there is a time difference of 22 hours, in July for example: - PPT - GMT -10 - AKL - GMT + 12 (Standard Time) As the local time is ahead of the GMT (GMT +) at one point and behind GMT (GMT - ) at the other, we add both figures together. - PPT - GMT -10 - AKL - GMT + 12 When the local time in Papeete is 10:00 hours on Monday; the local time in Aukland is 08:00 hours on Tuesday. When the International Date Line is crossed westbound, for example from Papeete to Auckland on Monday, a day is "lost" as the arrival date in New Zealand will be on Tuesday: The flight Air New Zealand NZ 005 on 17th July (effective flying time 5 hours 45 minutes) departs from Papeete (PPT), Tahiti on Tuesday at 02:30 hours and arrives Auckland (AKL), New Zealand on Wednesday at 06:15 hours. The fact that a flight arrives at its destination on the day before or after is highlighted in airline timetables by means of a special sign printed next to the time of arrival at destination.