Multiple segments with same flight number
 

My wife is returning from a trip to LGA and I checked her flight (441) on flightaware and was surprised to learn that this 737 uses one flight number for this entire trip:

Rochester, NY (ROC) - Chicago, IL (ORD) - Houston, TX (IAH) - Denver, CO - San Francisco, CA (SFO)

I would expect UA to switch the flight number at IAH (i.e. ROC-ORD-IAH on one flight number and IAH-DEN-SFO on another). Are they short of flight numbers? Why else would you use one number for this entire 3282 mile run?

Can anybody else find a similar mainline UA routing? I know this is more common on UEX flights.

Strange as it sounds, I would imagine they are. There is a method to UA's "flight numbering" madness...for example, flights to Europe are in the 900s, where as flights to Asia are 800s. Then there are transcon and HI flights which are from 1-99; etc. etc.

Do the math...UA has about 2000 flights a day...but they only number into the 1000s. ;)

2 round trips from SNA to SFO each day are the same flight numbers going and coming.

Thank god it still counts as two different segments.
When I first found that out, I was concerned that they will give me no flight credit because it's SFO-SFO. :D :D

I wonder how many miles they would give you for flying ROC-SFO on flight 441 -- probably not 4 segments and 3282 miles.

Interestingly enough, they will sell you a ticket on .bomb ROC-SFO with "3 stops" on this flight.

I also discovered that United flight 1209 does a similar routing ROC-ORD-DFW-DEN-SFO leaving 2 hours later than 441.

What is it about the ROC-Texas-SFO market? Strange....

Actually, having more flight numbers cost money. In addition, there is a marketing benefit to having direct-same-flight-number flights as they surface to the top of agency screens.

But hopefully the agent is smart enough to steer the customer to a single connection between ROC and SFO. Unless of course the customer happens to be a FlyerTalker. Then the routing would be fine. Booked as individual segments for extra credit though.

:D

But likely not as wise or experienced as you my friend.
Your Texas contact.
LWW

With single flt. # itineraries that have layovers and continue onwards to a final destination, you will only get mileage credit from your point of origin to your destination as opposed to the distance from each layover city combined.
I found this out once on a trip where I had expected to make a status level on the outbound trip , thus enabling me better to get seating on the return trip, but it did not work out that way.