FWIW, there's no such airport code as 'JWA'. That airport is SNA, a.k.a. Santa Ana.
JWA might sound intimidating to some because at one time it was THE busiest in the nation...
I seriously doubt SNA was at any time in its existence the 'busiest' airport in the nation. Busier than LAX with four runways? Busier than ATL? LAX? ORD? DFW? JFK? DEN? SFO?
Hardly. It's a busy little airport, but hardly the busiest in the U.S.A. (See: List of the busiest airports in the United States)
SNA is definitely the airport “designation” but who refers to the airport as SNA - I’m going to the SNA airport???? The name of the airport is John Wayne Airport and referred to as such by the County while pilots and airliners in the air and on the ground use the correct designation SNA.
When we arrived there in the early ‘70’s, it was just plain old OC airport with a shack for a passenger terminal. We were there for the controversy over renaming it JWA and for the controversy naming the terminal after Tom Riley.
I misspoke about the busiest airport in the nation - in terms of passenger load, I believe it was 2nd in the L. A. Basin.... Old tales like old rumors never die and that’s what that was at one time...Been a long time since those days. ALL good!