Originally Posted by
Dr. HFH
Yeah, I don't know when airlines started with this nonsense, but in my book, the fact that a pair of connecting flights share a single flight number doesn't make them direct. IMO, "direct" means one plane with stops.
IATA also agrees with you
Direct Flight: Definition: A flight that stops at another airport, but passengers do not change planes.
An example of a direct flight is a passenger taking a direct flight from Boston to Dublin. The flight first stops at Shannon Airport and then continues to Dublin, with the passengers traveling to Dublin staying on the same plane.