Definition
A short alphanumeric code used by ATC and pilots to refer to a specific Tower En Route Control (TEC) route between two airports, in place of reading out the full routing. The code typically combines letters indicating the geographic area or city pair with a number identifying the specific route, and altitude category.
Plain English
A short code that stands for a pre-planned route between two airports. Instead of saying every fix and airway, you just give the code and everyone knows the full route it refers to.
Context Anchor
Seen in Tower En Route Control route descriptions, usually when selecting or filing a short IFR route between nearby airports in busy terminal areas.
Derivation
"Coded" because the route has been reduced to a short label, and "identifier" because that label is what identifies which route is being used. The point is to replace a long routing description with one compact tag.
Why Pilots Care
Using the identifier reduces radio time and the chance of missing a fix when flying busy terminal airspace.
Analogy
It is like using a saved contact name instead of typing out the full phone number every time. The short label points to the full information behind it.
Intuition Check
Do not read coded as secret or encrypted. Here it means shortened into an official route label.
Example Sentence 1
She looked up the coded route identifier for the Burbank-to-San Diego TEC route and entered it on the flight plan instead of typing out every fix.
Example Sentence 2
The pilot filed the coded route identifier instead of typing every waypoint into the flight plan.