Have you ever wondered how airlines pick flight numbers? Okay, maybe you haven’t… after all, why would you? In this post, I did want to address a fun aspect of this, as airlines sometimes have more fun than you realize with picking flight numbers.
In this post:
How airlines decide on flight numbers
When the average traveler looks at their boarding pass, they probably don’t think much about the flight number. Each airline has a two character code, and then the flight number is usually anywhere from one to four numbers. To most people this probably seems random… but is it?
If you’re curious how airlines generate flight numbers, it’s a combination of an automated and manual process. Airlines have tools that they use that automatically generate flight numbers from those that are still available and not currently in use. After all, two different flights can’t use the same flight number at the same time (since these numbers are also used with air traffic control).
However, for many airlines, the allocation of flight numbers isn’t totally random, and there’s some rhyme and reason to it. For example:
- Airlines often use the flight number 1 or 2 for a “flagship” route, or a route that has some historical or other significance; for example, for Starlux Airlines, flights 1 and 2 are the route between Taipei and Los Angeles, which was the carrier’s first long haul route
- Airlines often use even flight numbers for one direction of travel, and odd flight numbers for another direction, just to keep things consistent; for example, American generally uses even flight numbers for flights headed east or north, and odd flight numbers for flights headed west or south
- Airlines often try to sequence flight numbers so that there’s some consistency in markets, but that’s not always the case; for example, SWISS’ flights from Zurich to Geneva have the flight numbers 2802, 2804, 2806, 2608, etc.
- Airlines often have flight number ranges for specific markets; for example, Lufthansa flights to & from North America are in the 400s, while most flights to & from Asia are in the 700s
- Airlines will often use higher flight numbers for services operated by regional airlines; for example, Delta Connection flights generally have flight numbers in the 4000s
- On a darker note, airlines will typically drop a flight number after a major accident, and generally won’t use the flight number 666, though there are exceptions
Some cool flight numbers are deliberate
As you can see above, quite a bit goes into the process of picking flight numbers. However, in some cases airlines break the above rules to have some fun. If you’ve ever found yourself boarding a flight where the flight number seems mighty fitting for the destination, it’s probably not a coincidence.
Looking at the “big three” US carriers, here are some the most obvious flight numbers that stand out:
- At American, flight 777 is to and from Las Vegas (LAS), flight 1492 is to and from Columbus, Ohio (CMH), and flight 1776 is from Philadelphia (PHL)
- At Delta, flight 777 is to and from Las Vegas (LAS)
- At United, flight 777 is to Las Vegas (LAS), flight 1776 is from Philadelphia (PHL), and flight 888 is to Beijing (PEK)
However, they’re hardly alone in picking interesting flight numbers, and there are also some less obvious flight numbers that are intentional. To give some extra examples:
- At Aeromexico, JetBlue, and Qatar Airways, flight 7 is to London (LHR), a reference to “007”
- At Alaska, flight 305 is to Miami (MIA), reflecting the area code in Miami
- At EL AL, flight 971 is to Dubai (DXB), reflecting the country code for the UAE
- At JetBlue, flight 1407 is to Paris (CDG), reflecting Bastille Day, which is July 14
- At Lufthansa, flight 2222 is to Toulouse (TLS), reflecting “flight two two two two to two-lose”
- At United, flight 747 is from Seattle (SEA) to Chicago (ORD), also often referred to as the Boeing shuttle
- At United, flight 500 is from Indianapolis (IND) to San Francisco (SFO), referring to the Indy 500
I imagine there are many more interesting flight numbers I’m missing, so feel free to share any you can think of in the comments section. I’ve gotta say, I think Lufthansa flight 2222 might just be the most subtle and hilarious flight number of all. Just go to the gate area for this flight, and enjoy hearing a word that sounds like “two” six times in a row.
Bottom line
Generally only aviation geeks put any thought into flight numbers, but there’s quite a bit that goes into the selection process for airlines. If you find yourself on flight 777 to Las Vegas, or flight 1492 to Columbus, or flight 1776 to Philadelphia, know that it’s not a coincidence.
What’s your take on how airlines select flight numbers? Any other fun flight numbers I’m missing?
I used to fly United 911 from Washington DC to Paris.
Last superbowl, AA added extra sections from MCI. Flight 15 and 87 for Mahomes and Kelsey’s jersey numbers.
So the AA FLL-PHL 7am flight has been AA444 for years. As an Asian American of Chinese descent, I can say that 4 means death. 444 = Triple Death. AA would not dare number a flight to a place with a higher % Asian population (Philly doesn't have a sizable Asian population). Some folks might be spooked by flying a "triple death" flight! I sure would! Few months ago, AA renumbered this flight to AA1292. Maybe an AA employee finally told AA HQ in DFW this LOL.
The population of folks of Asian descent has popped up significantly in the last 20 years or so in Philly, particularly from the arrival of Vietnamese folks, and Koreans (Olney). Little Saigon in Philly is one of the biggest in the States, though I never even knew about it growing up; Philly has one of the most underrated Chinatowns (IMHO anyway), too, but it hasn't grown much since I was a kid in the 80s-90s....
The population of folks of Asian descent has popped up significantly in the last 20 years or so in Philly, particularly from the arrival of Vietnamese folks, and Koreans (Olney). Little Saigon in Philly is one of the biggest in the States, though I never even knew about it growing up; Philly has one of the most underrated Chinatowns (IMHO anyway), too, but it hasn't grown much since I was a kid in the 80s-90s. Philly isn't anything like the cities on the West Coast or NYC re: Asian populations, but it has changed significantly over the last few decades - visit (though not on AA444)!
Interesting article. Thanks. I guess I've been wrong all these years, I thought the FAA and their foreign equivalents required unique flight numbers for all routes, just to avoid confusion.
American 420 to Denver as well!!
@Ben, TLV-DXB is LY 971, DXB-TLV is LY 972. Both flight numbers are destination country codes.
Many AA flights from DFW-SEA are Boeing aircraft types as the number. AA717,767,757...
AA 1776 isn't just any flight out of Philadelphia; it's a flight to Boston, the other most important city of the American Revolution. I flew it back in August.
Actually, AA used 1776 for the BOS-PHL flight a few week ago, then switched back to PHL-BOS. And they use 4000 range flight numbers for both directions of their shuttle flights. For example, AA 4503 is a JFK-BOS-JFK flight.
AS's SEA-IND and IND-SEA flights are very appropriately designated AS500 .
I find it very odd that AA uses the same flight number for JFK-SNA and SNA-JFK. I can't think of any other airline that does this. Not sure if AA does this on other routes as this is the only one I can think of.
it is not uncommon. with the volume of flights airlines have, flight numbers may be used for multiple flights. Usually they are out and backs to avoid conflicts with ATC
There are several AA MIA-MCO-MIA out and backs that carry the same flight number.
Everybody in HKG wants a phone number, license-plate number, Bank account number..etc; with the number '8'. I think one of the most expensive car License-plate was '28', costing about US$ 2.5M. (Because the number sounds like "Easy to Prosper" in Chinese) Conversely, the number '4' is considered bad luck. (Sounding like "Die"!) Most airlines, even Western airlines flying into HKG, lean heavily with '8' in their flight numbers
I once flew Delta flight 504. However, it was BOS-ATL and not JFK-LAX...
Someone should remind Asian airlines not to use 88 on any flights that go to Western countries, specifically Germany or Austria. In the Latin alphabet, H is the eighth letter, therefore 88 means HH. It's a very popular greeting in German speaking countries, due to it's history. As a matter of fact, European sports teams are prohibited from using 88 on any shirts due to that very specific pro-nazi concept. I always try to explain...
Someone should remind Asian airlines not to use 88 on any flights that go to Western countries, specifically Germany or Austria. In the Latin alphabet, H is the eighth letter, therefore 88 means HH. It's a very popular greeting in German speaking countries, due to it's history. As a matter of fact, European sports teams are prohibited from using 88 on any shirts due to that very specific pro-nazi concept. I always try to explain it to Asians around here, but they not very bright or open-minded to understand.
That's because the world doesn't revolve around your feelings. In Chinese culture, the number 8 is auspicious; therefore there are cultural references to that all over the place. As for being bright - or open-minded - it seems that you are neither, since you demand for everyone to accommodate your personal view points.
All I'm trying to say is that everyone should be in their own comfort zone. Orientals in orient, and Europeans in Europe. And let's respect each other's cultural and traditional heritage.
It all sounds like superstition, like Unoted not having a row 13 on its airplanes. They're just numbers, people.
Asians not being bright? I disagree, but still, my heart goes out to you, to help you change your incorrect statement.
Thank you, Moishe and Aaron. I was actually sticking up for your kind. How about this, keep 88 in China, and HH in Western Europe.
LMFAO East Asians have the highest average IQ of any group in the world. Very well documented in study after study.
We’re not talking about IQ of Indians. I’m simply trying to show that Chinese find it very difficult to leave their oriental comfort zone that revolves around 8. Nobody in the civilized West is interested in their silly superstitions.
LMFAO, when one talks about "East Asians" IQ and replies back with "IQ of Indians"
Pretty much sums it all up.
Nobody in the civilized East is interested in your Reich paranoid either.
Swastika was used in the East thousands of years before you're paranoid.
I’m simply trying to show that Anglo-Saxons find it very difficult to leave their European comfort zone that revolves around a few symbols.
#hypocrites
Speaking of flight numbers, apparently JL 516 which was the A350 accident in Haneda is still in use. I thought it'd be retired by now. For comparison, KE 631 has been retired which was Korean's latest write-off in Cebu.
Have always loved Hawaiian flight 50 HNL - JFK, named for the TV classic Hawaii 5-0
Unfortunately Alaska didn’t keep flight 5-0. It’s now Alaska 830.
AF338 CDG-SEA 338 is the initial heading leaving Paris heading for Seattle.
I keep experiencing flights from CLT to non-hub domestic destinations that use the same flight number on both the outbound and return flights. In every case I experienced, the same aircraft was used for both flights.
Given that you're flying from CLT I'm assuming this is AA. While I assume that DL and UA are in a similar position, I can say that AA is certainly stretched for flight numbers. While it is possible to use the same number twice in a day, you can't have two flights in the air at the same time with the same number (it may be slightly more nuanced than that, but that's the gist)....
Given that you're flying from CLT I'm assuming this is AA. While I assume that DL and UA are in a similar position, I can say that AA is certainly stretched for flight numbers. While it is possible to use the same number twice in a day, you can't have two flights in the air at the same time with the same number (it may be slightly more nuanced than that, but that's the gist). If a flight is ever delayed 24 hours and would be in the air at the same time as the same flight the next day they tack on an extra character (usually a letter? someone can correct me if I'm wrong) to differentiate the two. That said, if you know you need to use the same number multiple times then assigning them to an out-and-back is by far the safest way to do it. If the outbound is delayed within the same day (which is going to cover the vast majority of delays) the inbound will be delayed too so you're still guaranteed not to have multiple flights with the same number in the air at the same time. It's a pretty smart use of an increasingly-scarce resource (for the biggest airlines, at least).
you are 100% correct. ATC will even notify an airline if they have a callsign conflicting with another airline with a similar flight number. a letter will be appended to the callsign until network planning reassigns a new flight number
Sorry, I should have mentioned that these were AA flights.
And Etihad 888 from Abu Dhabi to Beijing! 888 is a lucky number in China.
Love all these avgeek/light hearted post, Ben! I was going to say that despite that I’m sure there are going to be ridiculous comments forming issues out of thin air. But looks like I got beaten and there’s already one. Classic.
SETTLE DOWN, "GUEST"!!!
Waste of a comment!
QANTAS's flights from DFW are numbered after famous Dallas Cowboys players. DFW to SYD is QF8 after Troy Aikman, the Cowboys quarterback who wore number 8 while DFW to MEL is QF22 after Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys running back who wore number 22.
I’ve gotta say, I think Lufthansa flight 2222 might just be the most subtle and hilarious flight number of all.
Hilarious yes, subtle no.
Auf Deutsch, das ist Lufthansa zwei, zwei, zwei, zwei nach Tulouse.
Exactly. And in French it's not homonymic either.
A few airlines are running out of numbers and use the same flight numbers for a flight to remote station and back.
In the 1970's and 80"s every common to have change of gauge, like a 727 to JFK and then 747 to Europe, all with the same flight number
In 2017 I flew AY666 to HEL.
From CPH. I think they discontinued that flight number later that year as Flight Aware shows it last operating in Oct 2017
I've always thought it would be cool if Finnair used AY666 for their flights from Singapore. You would be going from SIN to HEL(L) on 666
I flew that too. October 13. Row 13
AA did not retire flight 1 despite a fatal 707 crash after takeoff from JFK enroute to LAX back in 1962.
Avianca still uses 52 on a LIM-BOG flight.
Thanks Ben, light-hearted and informative post to start the week! Unfortunately flight AY666 (CPH-HEL) was retired (banished?) some years back https://yle.fi/a/3-9883118 although ANA still appears to have a flight 666 to Nagasaki.
How about a sequel post on "offensive/embarrassing" three-letter IATA airport codes https://onemileatatime.com/news/india-gay-airport/ and city pairs? Another AY offender sadly no longer with us: FUK-HEL)
Incidentally, GAY was one of the alternatives that were offered to Sioux City when it wanted to change its airport code -- which (is) SUX.
@Segio GAY is now assigned to Gaya in India and the local politicians apparently took issue with that and demanded change but the Union government declined to do anything.
So I guess some religion would promote a particular flight, GAY-HEL.
Spirit has, and had in the past under prior heads of network planning, many flight numbers that were area codes of the cities.... like NK305 to South Florida (I believe it's EWR-MIA right now). 954 to FLL from LAS (and 777 was the reverse of that flight). 202 to BWI. 312 to ORD. 404 was FLL-ATL for a decade or more.
Also a few others that were "vanity" flight numbers... the person who did...
Spirit has, and had in the past under prior heads of network planning, many flight numbers that were area codes of the cities.... like NK305 to South Florida (I believe it's EWR-MIA right now). 954 to FLL from LAS (and 777 was the reverse of that flight). 202 to BWI. 312 to ORD. 404 was FLL-ATL for a decade or more.
Also a few others that were "vanity" flight numbers... the person who did the flight numbers put 1776 on Niagara Falls... reference to Rush and YYZ. I had my birthday as flight number from where I managed to my birthplace.
AA 420 from DEN to DFW always cracks me up!
Fake. Not a real flight number. The DEN-DFWs are numbered 1730-1744 (even for Arrivals to DEN / odd fro Departures). do BETTER please
Fake - Today and many other days there are two AA 420 flights one from DFW to DEN and the return flight from DEN to DFW. Do better please
I know the number of flights has expanded.
But is not using the same flight number for more than 1 flight on a day asking for trouble?
do BETTER please.
Yes, please do!
AA420 has been operating DFW-DEN for years
Totally false, Mitchell!
Totally, false Eskimo!
A flight to Chicago should be 2564 referencing the band Chicago hit song 25 or 6 to 4.
WN DL and AA have flights 2564 but none are to/from Chicago
I was flying ATL-LAS on Delta a noticed my flight number was 711. No, I didn't crap out.
airlines pretend there is a system. Lower numbers for prestige. Higher numbers for, I dont know, chaos. Odd numbers one direction, even numbers the other. Bull. As if anyone is actually following those rules. Whp cares? I swear they just grab a bingo ball, squint at it, and go, “Yes, this feels like the spiritual essence of a route to Omaha.” Crap.
And do not get me started on the flights that share numbers across...
airlines pretend there is a system. Lower numbers for prestige. Higher numbers for, I dont know, chaos. Odd numbers one direction, even numbers the other. Bull. As if anyone is actually following those rules. Whp cares? I swear they just grab a bingo ball, squint at it, and go, “Yes, this feels like the spiritual essence of a route to Omaha.” Crap.
And do not get me started on the flights that share numbers across different airlines as if they are trying to summon confusion like a ritual. A flight from Tokyo and a flight from Boise both labeled 214, and everyone acts like this is perfectly fine. I imagine the universe groaning every time it happens, like it is being forced to alphabetize socks.
Great talk.
CX uses flight numbers that start with "8" for its transpacific routes to North America primarily due to the number's cultural significance and to help with geographic organization within the airline's internal systems. In many Asian cultures, the number 8 is considered a very lucky number, associated with prosperity and good fortune. By using "8" in flight numbers for key international routes, especially those connecting to North America, the airline leverages this cultural belief, which...
CX uses flight numbers that start with "8" for its transpacific routes to North America primarily due to the number's cultural significance and to help with geographic organization within the airline's internal systems. In many Asian cultures, the number 8 is considered a very lucky number, associated with prosperity and good fortune. By using "8" in flight numbers for key international routes, especially those connecting to North America, the airline leverages this cultural belief, which is likely intended to be auspicious for both the airline and its passengers.
Same reason that KL uses flight number 888 for HKG-AMS.
Aa lax-mia flight is 787 ....but operated with a 777-200er. If you really wanted to make sense they should have put a 787 on the route.
777 was taken; so were the 787s