Originally Posted by
cova
I think the FAA should make a rule, that for direct flights - if the originating flight is late, then the change of aircraft flight must be held. Otherwise the airline would be heavily fined.
I think that's absurd. The flight number is a technical detail, not a contract.
Originally Posted by
cova
Bottom line - airlines should not be allowed to have marketed - direct flights.
For an airline as large as United it becomes a matter of conserving flight numbers due to ranges used for codeshares/etc. Thus some of the goofy post-merger "direct" flights that are well out of the way, like SFO-ORD-SNA or EWR-PHX-ORD.
Originally Posted by
cova
But if the same aircraft were used for the first segment - then it would be delayed and all the other passengers would be delayed anyway.
Most direct flights aren't the same aircraft or even aircraft type.