What Happens To Flight Numbers Of Crashed Flights? — Civil Aviation Forum

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What Happens To Flight Numbers Of Crashed Flights?

YYZatcboy From Canada, joined Apr 2005, 403 posts, RR: 1
Posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1481 times:

I was Just wondering what happens to flight no.s of crashed flights. Do the airlines never use them again out of respect to the people on board or could we ( not anymore but before they were sold) find a swissair 111 ( which crashed off the Nova Scotia coast)?

Just curious
Joe

13 replies: All unread, jump to last

Danialanwar From Switzerland, joined Mar 2001, 421 posts, RR: 3
Reply 1, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 1466 times:

Most (if not all) airlines do not use those numbers again until the incident is all but forgotten (a few decades later!). I dont think they do it to respect the victims but rather for PR reasons (who would want to sit on SR111 that crashed yesterday ...)

Swissair did change the flight number SR110/111 immediately (cant recall to what though), as did Singapore Airlines (SQ5/6 to SQ29/30)

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FoxBravo From United States, joined Nov 2003, 2514 posts, RR: 4
Reply 2, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 1397 times:

Yes, they are almost always retired shortly thereafter, especially in cases where the media seizes on the number of the ill-fated flight: PA103, UA232, TW800, UA93, etc. I can't think of a case where such a well-known number has been reintroduced, even years after the crash.

Common sense is not so common. -Voltaire

Navairjax From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 3, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 1347 times:

I think the practice started back in the late 60s or early 70s. AA1 is still used today despite that same flight # plunging into Jamaica Bay back in the early 60s.

777STL From United States, joined Dec 2004, 2044 posts, RR: 6
Reply 4, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1234 times:

TWA 800 became TWA 801 I believe.

FoxBravo From United States, joined Nov 2003, 2514 posts, RR: 4
Reply 5, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1211 times:

Quoting 777STL (Reply 4):
TWA 800 became TWA 801 I believe.

Flight 801 was the return flight CDG-JFK. After the crash, both were changed--I believe they became 924 and 925.

Common sense is not so common. -Voltaire

777STL From United States, joined Dec 2004, 2044 posts, RR: 6
Reply 6, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1180 times:

Quoting FoxBravo (Reply 5):
Flight 801 was the return flight CDG-JFK. After the crash, both were changed--I believe they became 924 and 925.

Ahh really, okay.

Andz From South Africa, joined Feb 2004, 6522 posts, RR: 8
Reply 7, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1133 times:

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DeltaMIA From United States, joined Feb 2004, 1657 posts, RR: 15
Reply 8, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1114 times:

I don't know if this is factual as airlines use it nowadays, but after DL191 all the airlines in operation changed their flight numbers of 191. Of course it may not hold true as most airlines use it now except DL and AA of course.

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Nwajetset From United States, joined Nov 2004, 139 posts, RR: 2
Reply 9, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 887 times:

When a crash with fatallities occurrs, that said airline retires that number (so to speak) permanently. It is only removed from use by the carrier of the incident. All other carriers would still use these numbers.

RCS763AV From Colombia, joined Jun 2004, 3116 posts, RR: 9
Reply 10, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 756 times:

Yes, AV052/053 has been AV020/021 since the crash of the 707.

LongHauler From Canada, joined Mar 2004, 1457 posts, RR: 11
Reply 11, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day ago) and read 693 times:

Air Canada still operates flight AC621, albeit not on the same route.

[Edited 2005-04-22 13:39:37]

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SK A340 From Sweden, joined Mar 2000, 835 posts, RR: 2
Reply 12, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day ago) and read 663 times:

SK 751 is still used to WAW, but now from CPH instead of ARN. Although there were no casualties in the Gottröra incident.

/SK A340

Next flight: ARN-SVO with SU

RootsAir From Costa Rica, joined Feb 2005, 4085 posts, RR: 41
Reply 13, posted (3 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day ago) and read 635 times:

Quoting Danialanwar (Reply 1):

Swissair did change the flight number SR110/111 immediately (cant recall to what though), as did Singapore Airlines (SQ5/6 to SQ29/30)

The flights numbers were changed to 114 and 115. The worst about these numbers is the fact that their sum, 229 is exactly the amount of victims of the SR 111 crash !

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