Why not one flight number for the entire day?
Jan 3, 2011 | 2:11 pm
#16
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The few times that I used FlightCaster for WN flight information it did have the inbound aircraft flight number.
Jan 3, 2011 | 2:56 pm
#17
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There are quite a few things to consider when assigning flight numbers. For instance, another carrier might have a similar flight number at the same time period. A lot of airlines us "711" for LAS flights, and you can't have two airlines operating with the same flight number in the same airspace. Also, it messes things up if you try to have one flight number operate through the same city pairs during one routing. ATC computers don't know which flight is which, and it would also cause confusion when booking a reservation. Our Schedulers like Bill Owen look at the lines of flight which have the aircraft routings, the flight numbers are filled in later.
Jan 4, 2011 | 12:22 am
#18
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Just today, I flew MHT-BWI, and the inbound aircraft had come from BWI (following previous segments from Florida). So the same flight number can't have multiple arrivals at the same airport on the same day, or have an arrival after a departure from the same airport.
With MHT being in the corner of their network, the situation has been that flights never continued past there, and the next segment was something they wouldn't expect anyone to take, so why waste their breath giving instructions to thru pax; I'm not sure if they do list some thru flights now.
With MHT being in the corner of their network, the situation has been that flights never continued past there, and the next segment was something they wouldn't expect anyone to take, so why waste their breath giving instructions to thru pax; I'm not sure if they do list some thru flights now.
Such situations (ala flying BWI-MHT-MDW) are probably extremely rare, but especially in irrops or holiday schedules, they're probably common enough that any employee can expect them.
Jan 4, 2011 | 4:22 pm
#19
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Thanks Brian. I had not thought about the issue of two flight numbers on different airlines with the same flight number. And, I would imagine that is true even not only in an area, such as Las Vegas, but if SWAxxx is talking to one "center" and UAxxx (where xxx is the same for both) enters that same center's control area. Back in my UA flying days, I'd hear one center warn two aircraft when they had similar sounding numbers under a single controller.
The flight caster web site really does the trick. A very handy web site that I will be adding to my cell phone.
The flight caster web site really does the trick. A very handy web site that I will be adding to my cell phone.
Jan 5, 2011 | 7:50 am
#20
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IIRC (and I may not be), Southwest has had some planes fly the same route twice in the same day (a possible example: DAL-HOU-HRL-HOU-DAL-HOU... - the first and last legs are identical). In a case such as this you may not want the same flight number representing two identical flights on the same day.
With the repeal of the portion of the Wright Amendment now allowing flight numbers to continue from DAL to outside the Wright perimeter, this probably doesn't happen as much anymore.
With the repeal of the portion of the Wright Amendment now allowing flight numbers to continue from DAL to outside the Wright perimeter, this probably doesn't happen as much anymore.
Last edited by SWABrian; Jan 5, 2011 at 7:51 am Reason: dupe
Jan 5, 2011 | 7:53 am
#21
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Thanks Brian. I had not thought about the issue of two flight numbers on different airlines with the same flight number. And, I would imagine that is true even not only in an area, such as Las Vegas, but if SWAxxx is talking to one "center" and UAxxx (where xxx is the same for both) enters that same center's control area. Back in my UA flying days, I'd hear one center warn two aircraft when they had similar sounding numbers under a single controller.
The flight caster web site really does the trick. A very handy web site that I will be adding to my cell phone.
The flight caster web site really does the trick. A very handy web site that I will be adding to my cell phone.
Jan 5, 2011 | 12:13 pm
#22
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Jan 8, 2011 | 1:41 pm
#24
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Airline flight numbers get transmitted to the FAA, so I think it is a matter of the FAA bouncing them back when there is a conflict. I think the carrier using the number longest gets priority. Maybee OPNLGuyY or Bill Owen can weigh in.