Flight number confusion: KL682 or KL214?
Apr 24, 2014, 5:38 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: YVR
Posts: 1,465
Flight number confusion: KL682 or KL214?
I am trying to follow YVR-AMS today, and getting a strange discrepancy. KLM website says YVR-AMS is KL682 operated by PH-AOI. However, tracking websites cannot display any live tracking info for that flight. Instead, the websites say YVR-AMS is KL214 operated by PH-AKE. Example. Why? What is the real flight number?
Apr 25, 2014, 3:40 am
#3
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 128
Recently I asked the same sort of question about the IAD flight somewhere else, since on the ticket it says kl651, but air traffic control calls it klm18 (if I recall correctly). Apparently, some flights use a different number because there already is a flight with a similar number flying at the time of arrival/departure. Doesn't have to be a KLM flight, could be a LH, in your case LH682 for example. To reduce the chance for confusion, the KLM flight is named different.
As a further example, I've been told the klm1888 arrived pretty much at the same time as the klm888. That can cause problems with one aircraft following order meant for the other.
As a further example, I've been told the klm1888 arrived pretty much at the same time as the klm888. That can cause problems with one aircraft following order meant for the other.
Apr 25, 2014, 6:54 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: CGN
Programs: KL FlyingBlue Gold, AY+, MM FTL, TK*G
Posts: 348
Recently I asked the same sort of question about the IAD flight somewhere else, since on the ticket it says kl651, but air traffic control calls it klm18 (if I recall correctly). Apparently, some flights use a different number because there already is a flight with a similar number flying at the time of arrival/departure. Doesn't have to be a KLM flight, could be a LH, in your case LH682 for example. To reduce the chance for confusion, the KLM flight is named different.
As a further example, I've been told the klm1888 arrived pretty much at the same time as the klm888. That can cause problems with one aircraft following order meant for the other.
As a further example, I've been told the klm1888 arrived pretty much at the same time as the klm888. That can cause problems with one aircraft following order meant for the other.
Apr 26, 2014, 8:55 am
#5
Moderator: Aegean Miles+Bonus
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: AMS / ATH
Programs: AFKL Plat, A3 Gold
Posts: 7,352
Flightnumbers and callsigns are indeed unrelated. Yes, sometimes the flightnumber *is* used as a callsign, but that is not required.
For example, BA does not use the flight number at all as a callsign, but rather 'Speedbird' with a prefix.
Regarding KL214 and KL682 - it seems that these are simply two different flights that were scheduled. Departure times are different as well. However one of the two, KL214, seems to never have taken off. Could have been that the aircraft went tech, or, that it was KL682 from the day before that went tech - and therefore renamed with a new flight number in order to avoid confusion.
For example, BA does not use the flight number at all as a callsign, but rather 'Speedbird' with a prefix.
Regarding KL214 and KL682 - it seems that these are simply two different flights that were scheduled. Departure times are different as well. However one of the two, KL214, seems to never have taken off. Could have been that the aircraft went tech, or, that it was KL682 from the day before that went tech - and therefore renamed with a new flight number in order to avoid confusion.