Airlines assign flight numbers based on internal methodology and agreed-upon parameters to avoid confusion at flight control towers. They also assign numbers based on the direction of the flight and the type of passengers it will carry. Airlines can also choose significant or extravagant numbers, as long as they don’t violate IATA regulations. Flight numbers can be changed if they become controversial.
While many flight numbers may seem random, there’s definitely a method behind the madness. Individual airlines create their own numbers based on internal methodology, but must coordinate their efforts with other airlines to avoid confusion at flight control towers. United Airlines and American Airlines, for example, cannot both have two incoming planes with similar flight numbers arriving at the same time. Airlines are governed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and it is often up to IATA to approve these designations before they can be implemented by an airline.
Many flight numbers are assigned based on the general direction of the flight. Eastbound or northbound aircraft are usually assigned even numbers, while westbound or southbound aircraft are assigned odd numbers. Return flights are often assigned those that are one number higher than the departure flight, so passengers can easily remember which return flight to take. For example, the fictitious WiseGEEK Airlines might have a flight from New York to Las Vegas departing at noon. Since traveling west, it could be designated Flight 711. WiseGEEK Airlines flight from Las Vegas to New York would most likely be designated Flight 712. Both flight numbers would have to be approved by IATA, in case there was to be a United Airlines Flight 712 also arriving in New York at the time.
Airlines also assign flight numbers based on a set of agreed upon parameters. A major airline may agree to limit its possible choices to 1-499. Another airline, perhaps a smaller carrier that works with the major airline, might have 500-749s. Another major airline may have numbers from 750 to 1000 and so on. Through a practice called code sharing, smaller regional airlines partnering with major airlines coordinate their numbers to avoid confusion and designate the flight as a joint effort. Some airlines also designate flight numbers according to the destination of the aircraft or the type of passengers it will carry. Domestic flights, for example, can have two-digit numbers while international flights can have three digits. This practice varies from airline to airline, but they are usually consistent. Charter flights may have special numbers that allow airline employees to recognize them immediately.
However, assigning flight numbers is not all business. Airlines are allowed, within reason, to designate aircraft with significant or extravagant numbers. A flight to San Francisco, for example, might receive one such as 49 or 1849 as an homage to the famous 1849 Gold Rush. An airline providing service to Philadelphia might select 1776 or 76, reflecting the historical role of that city in the formation of the United States. Some flights to casino cities like Las Vegas or Reno, Nevada may have numbers with 7 and 11 for luck. As long as the airline does not violate IATA regulations regarding flight numbers, it can dial numbers for its own reasons. These numbers can also be changed if they become controversial, as was the case with American Airlines Flight 11, which crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. When commercial flying privileges were restored, the airline changed the flight 11 with flight 25.
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