> Does the starts-with() function convert the strings to codepoints and then
checks that codepoint[i] in the <name> string equals codepoint[i] in the
<Airport_Name> string?
>

No, it doesn't.

Like everything else in XSLT, it operates on the XDM data model. (Surely as an
experienced XSLT developer you know that?) In the XDM data model, all entity
and character references have been expanded long before XSLT gets to see
them.

Michael Kay
Saxonica