I blogged recently about airlines communicating with each other about pricing through the media, since anti-trust rules preclude them from discussing their pricing directly.

Airlines also communicate with each other through arcane ‘fare basis codes’. Every airfare carries with it a several letter code which is used to identify the rules and restrictions associated with the ticket.

On Friday Delta loaded a fare of ~ $98 between Chicago and New York … no advance purchase or Saturday stay required. The fare basis was UA0TN. Get it… UA, for United Airlines, which is headquartered in Chicago?

So sometime on Saturday United loaded a fare of ~ $98 between New York and both Cincinnati and Atlanta, Delta’s two East Coast hubs. Delta sent United a message, and United sent one back.

United’s fare basis is TNMX. The first two letters are “TN” and the last two letters of Delta’s message fare end in “TN.” I am wracking my brain over whether TN could have some meaning. Kinda like the famous fares ending in “FU” …

It all kind of reminds me of the early 1980s when State Department-issued license plates for Soviet diplomats all began with “FC” for F…. Commies.