AFKL From Netherlands, joined Feb 2008, 219 posts, RR: 0 Posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 1581 times:
When and if an aircaft diverts from it's original destination as a result of a medical emergency, weather, or mechanical issue, and eventually departs again from the diversion airport to continue it's flight to the original destination, is the original flight number (e.g. XX001) kept, or does it have to be changed?
DingDong From United States of America, joined Jan 2007, 661 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1572 times:
It depends... if another plane (using the scheduled flight number, e.g. for a continuation leg) will be in the air at the same time, the diversion flight would likely be assigned a new flight number.
In other words, you can't have, say, original flight 8443 and previously scheduled subsequent flight 8443 in the air at the same time without causing massive confusion.
JayDub From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1544 times:
Quoting DingDong (Reply 1): if another plane (using the scheduled flight number, e.g. for a continuation leg) will be in the air at the same time, the diversion flight would likely be assigned a new flight number.
At my airline, we call this a "Stub Amend". Typically, we will just take the last 2 numbers of the original flight number and add a letter. For the letter, I personally use the Captain's last initial. For example, if flight 123 diverts and will become a callsign conflict...and the captain's last name is Johnson...the ATC flight number would become "23J".
Even without a divert, this is something we have to watch out for if, for a myriad of operational reasons, a "through flight" has to be "broken-up" onto separate aircraft.
Soxfan From United States of America, joined Mar 2008, 854 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1521 times:
Does this apply if the original flight is simply in the air, and not necessarily diverted, when the second leg is scheduled to depart? Say, for example, that flight 123 is flying LAX-DTW, is delayed a couple hours, and then hits strong headwinds on its flight. It doesn't have to divert, but it's path is slowed and flight time increased. Meanwhile, its continuation, flight 123 from DTW-LGA, is scheduled for an on-time departure with a different aircraft, and no connecting passengers (this is a hypothetical, remember). What would happen, if anything?
Pilot: "Request push, which way should we face?" JFK Ground: "You better face the front, sir, or you'll scare the pax!"
DingDong From United States of America, joined Jan 2007, 661 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1492 times:
Quoting Soxfan (Reply 4): Does this apply if the original flight is simply in the air, and not necessarily diverted, when the second leg is scheduled to depart? Say, for example, that flight 123 is flying LAX-DTW, is delayed a couple hours, and then hits strong headwinds on its flight. It doesn't have to divert, but it's path is slowed and flight time increased. Meanwhile, its continuation, flight 123 from DTW-LGA, is scheduled for an on-time departure with a different aircraft, and no connecting passengers (this is a hypothetical, remember). What would happen, if anything?
In that situation, the original (delayed) flight would be renumbered, according to:
Quoting JayDub (Reply 2): Even without a divert, this is something we have to watch out for if, for a myriad of operational reasons, a "through flight" has to be "broken-up" onto separate aircraft.
That's what he meant by '...for a myriad of operational reasons', BTW.
For example, flight 8443 FRA-IAD might be a B772 then 8443 IAD-SAN might be a A319. So, two different aircraft. Obviously, you can only have one 8443 'in the system' at one time.
So if the FRA-IAD 8443 is going to overlap with the IAD-SAN 8443 due to FRA-IAD delay or other operational issues, the FRA-IAD 8443 is going to be renumbered, while IAD-SAN 8443 keeps its number.
Quoting DingDong (Reply 1):
if another plane (using the scheduled flight number, e.g. for a continuation leg) will be in the air at the same time, the diversion flight would likely be assigned a new flight number.
At my airline, we call this a "Stub Amend". Typically, we will just take the last 2 numbers of the original flight number and add a letter. For the letter, I personally use the Captain's last initial. For example, if flight 123 diverts and will become a callsign conflict...and the captain's last name is Johnson...the ATC flight number would become "23J".
Even without a divert, this is something we have to watch out for if, for a myriad of operational reasons, a "through flight" has to be "broken-up" onto separate aircraft.
Soxfan From United States of America, joined Mar 2008, 854 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 1411 times:
Quoting DingDong (Reply 6): the FRA-IAD 8443 is going to be renumbered, while IAD-SAN 8443 keeps its number.
Got it. Thanks! I'm sure this is probably easier for the IAD-SAN passengers as well, who might get confused if they see their flight number magically changed in the airport.
Pilot: "Request push, which way should we face?" JFK Ground: "You better face the front, sir, or you'll scare the pax!"
JayDub From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 10, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 1356 times:
Quoting Soxfan (Reply 9): Got it. Thanks! I'm sure this is probably easier for the IAD-SAN passengers as well, who might get confused if they see their flight number magically changed in the airport.
Actually, these flight number changes are strictly on the ATC callsign side of things. There would be no change to a flight number in the eyes of the passengers.
I'm tracking a flight right now that is marketed as flight 4820...but it's callsign is 46U. This was likely done well in advance at the request of ATC due to similar sounding callsigns departing the hub at the same time.
Soxfan From United States of America, joined Mar 2008, 854 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 1309 times:
Quoting JayDub (Reply 10):
Actually, these flight number changes are strictly on the ATC callsign side of things.
Shows how much I know apart from being a passenger. At least now I'm a bit more informed when I listen to UA's channel 9. Thanks
Pilot: "Request push, which way should we face?" JFK Ground: "You better face the front, sir, or you'll scare the pax!"
OPNLguy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 12, posted (4 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 1258 times:
Quoting JayDub (Reply 10): Actually, these flight number changes are strictly on the ATC callsign side of things. There would be no change to a flight number in the eyes of the passengers.
Bingo!
Most diversions will carry the same flight number from the alternate airport back to the intended destination airport, i.e. Flight 123 AAA-BBB that diverts to XXX will still be Flight 123 XXX-BBB. If BBB is a hub, or someplace where there was a scheduled crewchange, and there was another aircraft available, both could utilized to operate BBB-CCC (as a different flight number, transparent to the pax) on schedule, while Flight 123 AAA-BBB was still on the ground at XXX. That's to avoid having two flights with the same ATC callsign in the air at the same time.
Sponsor Message: 
From Netherlands, joined Feb 2008, 219 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Jan 2007, 661 posts, 
From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2008, 491 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
