Back in December 2018, I flew Southwest back from Orlando to St. Louis. The aircraft was supposed to be a 737-800 but was subbed out to a MAX 8 a few hours before boarding. I was elated as this would be my first time on the MAX. The aircraft was N8710M.

Fast forward to February 2022. Again I was in Orlando, flying back to St. Louis. Again the aircraft was scheduled to be a 737-800 but was subbed out to a MAX 8 within a few hours of boarding. So you can imagine my surprise when I once again walked onboard N8710M for the flight up to St. Louis, over three years later.

Getting the same aircraft on a smaller airline with a smaller route network (say, Cape Air) might be fairly easy, but the probability is incredibly slim on an airline that has the breadth and diverse route structure of Southwest. So have any of you ever had an experience like this?

Yep. SP-LPC , ORD-KRK twice (2003 and 2006) and SP-LPA, KRK-ORD twice (2004, 2006). Actually LO used to have only 6 widebodies in that years so chance to fly on the same route and the same equipment was relatively high.

Given I flew BNE<->ROK twice daily for 2 years, it's almost guaranteed.

I've done it a few times; I flew a PSA CRJ900 N561NN IAD-CLT 8 days apart back in 2017; I also flew another PSA CRJ900 N597NN IAD-CLT about a year apart in 2016 / 2017. The winner was an AA MD-83 N9405T which I've flown IAD-DFW 3 times between 2014-2016.

TAT, WDL, Contiflug, OLT, Germania, all operated only 1 or 2 dedicated aircraft between XFW and TLS. So most of the flights on that route that I had during 35 years will have been on the same aircraft again and again. Only during the times of Lufthansa CL, Titan and Hifly different aircraft of their fleets were used. Otherwise I have no idea, I don't log A/C numbers.

Gruß, masi1157

I suspect anyone who's flown FI a decent amount will have had that experience. It's obviously not like getting the same frame on a carrier the size of WN, but I had the venerable TF-FII on IAD-KEF more than once (and actually the reverse as well).

I've flown most (if not all) of Alaska Airlines fleet of -700's at one point or another between Anchorage and Nome.

Lots of times - flown on the exact same WestJet, Canadian North, Air North 737s between YEG and YFI several times. Flown on a few of KLM's MD11 (same reg) between YVR and AMS numerous times. There's been other examples as well, Eurowings ATR 42/72s between DUS and AMS, Lufthansa A320/A321s between DUS and FRA. Same route, same airline, same aircraft, same reg.

Flew D-AIGF out and back, PHL-FRA and FRA-PHL, but never the same one-way route.

Same route, but in the opposite direction.

I had booked a city trip to Pisa for a couple of days. Those Ryanair flights cost almost nothing, so why not? Anyway, I showed up at Eindhoven and the aircraft for that flight was EI-DCY, a 737-800. Nothing special about that, those Ryanair aircraft are all the same. I found my seat (a window seat) and noticed a small patch of the wall panel was scratched. Nothing to worry about.

Anyway, after enjoying Pisa for a few days it was time to get back. I boarded the aircraft and took my assigned seat, this time I was randomly assigned an aisle seat. The same row as on the flight before, but not the same seat. Anyway, I got to my seat and noticed a small scratched piece of the wall panel exactly like I had seen before. I looked up the registration of the aircraft, it was EI-DCY.

So there I was, sitting in the same row on the same aircraft twice within 3 days. Pure coincidence, I didn't plan anything. It just turned out that way. Only like I said, the route was opposite. First time was EIN-PSA, second time was PSA-EIN.

Like with the above post, same route, but opposite direction.

In June 2008 I had to fly SMF-SEA for work. About a month later I had to fly up there again, and on the flight home I noticed I got the same aircraft -- N975AS, an Alaska Airlines MD-83. This was right before the last of the MD-80s were retired from the AS fleet, I think they had maybe six left at that point, and SMF was one of the few airports to still see the type. So the chances were actually fairly high that I would get the same aircraft.

A similar thing happened in 2006. I flew IAH-EWR on a CO 767-200 as one leg of a trip to Germany. On my return flight I flew the same route in the opposite direction. Years later I was looking up past flights on bts.gov to fill in missing registration numbers in my flight log, and only then did I realize both the outbound and return flights were on the same aircraft, N76153.

G-AWNF JFK-LHR on BA all the friggin time as a kid....

I flew RegionalCargo´s only 737F registered XA.RCB many times on the same route, for example on the circuit: QRO-MEX-MTY-MID-CUN and back.

Just one such case, twice on PenAir's Saab 340B N406XJ on BOS-PBG in February and March 2014, both times flight KS265. If reverse routings were included, would be more.

Multiple times on different routings:

FRA-NUE
3x Lufthansa B737-300 D-ABEH
3x Lufthansa A319-100 D-AILL
2x Lufthansa A319-100 D-AILC
2x LH Cityline CRJ900 D-ACNH
2x LH Cityline CRJ900 D-ACNC

NUE-MUC
3x LH Cityline CRJ900 D-ACKF
2x LH Cityline CRJ900 D-ACNK

MUC-NUE
2x LH Cityline CRJ900 D-ACNQ

FRA-KWI
2x Lufthansa A330-300 D-AIKI

NUE-ZRH
2x Austrian DHC8-Q400 OE-LGR

On some of those flights I even sat in the same seat.

Same route, different directions:

N792UA SFO-NGO/NGO-SFO
N797UA SFO-KIX/KIX-SFO
JA708A SFO-NRT/NRT-SFO

IADCA wrote:

I suspect anyone who's flown FI a decent amount will have had that experience. It's obviously not like getting the same frame on a carrier the size of WN, but I had the venerable TF-FII on IAD-KEF more than once (and actually the reverse as well).

Allow me to introduce myself

TF-CSF (Landsflug Do228)
2x Reykjavik (RKV) - Bildudalur (BIU)

TF-FIA (Icelandair 757-200)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Boston (BOS)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Frankfurt (FRA)

TF-FID (Icelandair 737-400)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Frankfurt (FRA)

TF-FIJ (Icelandair 757-200)
2x Copenhagen (CPH) - Keflavik (KEF)
2x Frankfurt (FRA) - Keflavik (KEF)
2x London Heathrow (LHR) - Keflavik (KEF)

TF-FIN (Icelandair 757-200)
6x Keflavik (KEF) - Frankfurt (FRA)
4x Baltimore/Washington (BWI) - Keflavik (KEF)
3x Keflavik (KEF) - Boston (BOS)
3x Keflavik (KEF) - London Heathrow (LHR)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Baltimore/Washington (BWI)
2x Orlando (MCO) - Keflavik (KEF)

TF-FIO (Icelandair 757-200)
3x Frankfurt (FRA) - Keflavik (KEF)
3x Keflavik (KEF) - Baltimore/Washington (BWI)
2x Baltimore/Washington (BWI) - Keflavik (KEF)
2x Boston (BOS) - Keflavik (KEF)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Copenhagen (CPH)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - London Heathrow (LHR)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - New York (JFK)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Orlando Sanford (SFB)
2x New York (JFK) - Keflavik (KEF)
2x Orlando (MCO) - Keflavik (KEF)

TF-FIP (Icelandair 757-200)
2x Baltimore/Washington (BWI) - Keflavik (KEF)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Baltimore/Washington (BWI)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - London Heathrow (LHR)

TF-FIU (Icelandair 757-200)
3x Keflavik (KEF) - Boston (BOS)

TF-FIV (Icelandair 757-200)
2x Helsinki (HEL) - Keflavik (KEF)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Denver (DEN)

TF-FIX (Icelandair 757-300)
8x London Heathrow (LHR) - Keflavik (KEF)
4x Keflavik (KEF) - Copenhagen (CPH)
4x Keflavik (KEF) - London Heathrow (LHR)
2x Boston (BOS) - Keflavik (KEF)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - New York (JFK)
2x Oslo (OSL) - Keflavik (KEF)
2x Zurich (ZRH) - Keflavik (KEF)

TF-FIY (Icelandair 757-200)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Washington Dulles (IAD)

TF-FXA (Air Iceland DHC-8 Q400)
5x Reykjavik (RKV) - Akureyri (AEY)
4x Akureyri (AEY) - Reykjavik (RKV)

TF-FXB (Air Iceland DHC-8 Q400)
2x Akureyri (AEY) - Reykjavik (RKV)
2x Reykjavik (RKV) - Akureyri (AEY)

TF-FXI (Air Iceland DHC-8 Q400)
3x Akureyri (AEY) - Reykjavik (RKV)

TF-ICC (Icelandair 737-9 MAX)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - London Heathrow (LHR)

TF-ICO (Icelandair 737-8 MAX)
2x Frankfurt (FRA) - Keflavik (KEF)

TF-ISF (Icelandair 757-200)
2x Copenhagen (CPH) - Keflavik (KEF)

TF-ISK (Icelandair 757-200)
2x London Heathrow (LHR) - Keflavik (KEF)

TF-ISN (Icelandair 767-300ER)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Boston (BOS)

TF-ISO (Icelandair 767-300ER)
2x New York (JFK) - Keflavik (KEF)

TF-ISP (Icelandair 767-300ER)
3x Keflavik (KEF) - London Heathrow (LHR)
2x Amsterdam (AMS) - Keflavik (KEF)

TF-ISV (Icelandair 757-200)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Amsterdam (AMS)

TF-ISW (Icelandair 767-300ER)
2x Keflavik (KEF) - Paris (CDG)
2x London Heathrow (LHR) - Keflavik (KEF)

TF-JMG -> TF-FXG (Air Iceland DHC-8 Q200)
3x Reykjavik (RKV) - Akureyri (AEY)

TF-JMK -> TF-FXK (Air Iceland DHC-8 Q200)
2x Akureyri (AEY) - Reykjavik (RKV)
2x Reykjavik (RKV) - Akureyri (AEY)

TF-JMM (Air Iceland F50)
2x Akureyri (AEY) - Reykjavik (RKV)

TF-JMN (Air Iceland F50)
2x Reykjavik (RKV) - Akureyri (AEY)

TF-JMS (Air Iceland F50)
2x Akureyri (AEY) - Reykjavik (RKV)

TF-JMT (Air Iceland F50)
2x Akureyri (AEY) - Reykjavik (RKV)

TF-NLB (Norlandair B200 King Air)
2x Akureyri (AEY) - Vopnafjordur (VPN) - Thorshofn (THO) - Akureyri (AEY) triangle

TF-ORD (Eagle Air Iceland BAe J31)
2x Vestmannaeyjar (VEY) - Reykjavik (RKV)

TF-ORI (Eagle Air Iceland Do328-100)
2x Reykjavik (RKV) - Vestmannaeyjar (VEY)

The weirdly uni-directional 753 numbers on CPH/LHR are explained by it regularly being on the morning flight to CPH and evening flight from LHR through the years, while I usually took the opposing flight on a 752/763 and later MAX in the other direction.

For opposite directions, along with a ton of more Icelandair ones I also have BOS-SRQ-BOS on B6 A320 N580JB, SVO-VOG-SVO on SU A321 VP-BFQ, PRG-SVO-PRG on OK A319 OK-REQ and CPH-FCO-CPH on SQ A359 9V-SMI.

exactly same route

LHR-MAN: BA G-BIKC


the same route in opposite direction


SIN-BKK/BKK-SIN Finnair OH_LGA and OH-LGD

SIN-DPS/DPS-SIN Australian Airlines VH-OGK

HKG-BKK/BKK-HKG

Air India OK-YAD
China Airlines B-18315
Orient Thai HS-UTW

HKG-HND/HND-HKG Japan Airlines JA618J

HKG-NAN/NAN-HKG Fiji Airways DJ-FJU

HKG-TPE/TPE-HKG China Airlines B-18210

TSA-KNH/KNH-TSA Far Eastern Transport B-18021

ZRH-LUG-ZRH Austrian Airlines OE-LJR

Happening twice to me now - granted I haven't kept a reg log up until the last few years, but can't imagine it's happened much beforehand...

Flew LBA-ACE on Ryanair EI-EKT and would have prefered the newer cabin for the 4 hour trip. Was strange to be on the same bird as Ryanair seem to shift their planes between bases queit frequently.

I also caught G-EZRZ twice on GLA-BHX with easyJet who do seem to schedule the same planes on the same routes quiet frequently (or at least they did during the plague)

Numerous times with Air Southwest - they only had 5 aircraft after all and I flew with them hundreds of times

Similarly I have flown some Air Nostrum CRJs several times on the same MAH-PMI and v.v routes, and there are a few easyJet duplications on LGW-MAH and v.v too.

Twice on TC-JJJ (TK 77W) between old IST and ABD. I've also only been on four TK 77W flights, all being on TC-JJJ coincidentally. The other two were IST-MNL and NRT-IST.

I’ve flown SEA-LGW and return two times on Norwegian. Three of those four segments were operated by the same 787, two of them I was in the same seat.

And awhile back, had the same 735 three times over two years on UA OKC-DEN.

I’ve flown the same aircraft with different operators a couple of times, but those served routes didn’t overlap.

SLC-RDM 2007 and 2008 both on N457SW CRJ-200
SLC-PDX 2008 and 2009 both on N368CA CRJ-700
SLC-ORD 2010, 8 days apart. Both on N805SK CRJ-900
SLC-YVR 2007, 1 day apart. Both on N905DA MD-90
SLC-PDX 2007 and 2008. Both on N901DA MD-90
SLC-PDX 2009 and 2010. Both on N3750D 737-800
PDX-LAS 2013 and 2014. Over NYE. Same trip. Both on N528NK A319

From BRE to FRA or to MUC, I don’t recall it exactly. But it was the then oldest aircraft from Lufty, LH: D-AIPA

I met her frequently on the same route. Always with a smile. I’m sure others thought: what a weirdo.

She’s now a Coke can and I have a piece of her as a tag on my keys.

1977: BOM-MRU-BOM: VT-DPM outbound and VT-DNY inbound, both AI B-707s
1979: exactly same as above

1980: BOM-JFK-BOM, VT-EGA outbound and VT-EGC inbound, both AI B-742s
1983: exactly same as above

HS-TGG THAI Airways Boeing 747-400 BKK-SYD x 4
VH-VQH Jetstar Airways Airbus A320 SYD-OOL x 3
I have too many same route frame double-ups to list, but most of my double ups were on Thai 744's, Thai A346's, Jetstar A321's, Jetstar's A320's, Malaysia 772's, United 744's, Virgin Australia 738's, Emirates 773's, Air China 332's, Air China 77W's and EVA Air 77W's...

LHR-MAD G-BNWZ x5 (x6 both ways)
LHR-ZRH HB-IOK x4
LHR-MAD G-BNWA x4
LHR-DXB VH-OQJ x3
MUC-LHR D-AILX x3
DXB-LHR VH-OQA x3
DXB-SYD VH-OQJ x2
DXB-SYD VH-OQK x2
SIN-LHR VH-OQG x2
LHR-ATH SX-BEI x2
LHR-CDG F-HRBA x2
CDG-LHR F-GRHR x2
LHR-VIE G-EUUO x2 (3 both ways)
LHR-DXB VH-OQI x2 (x3 both ways)
LHR-TXL G-MIDO x2 (x3 both ways)
LHR-ZRH HB-IOD x2
LHR-VIE G-EUUZ x2
MAD-LHR EC-JPU x2
TXL-LHR G-MEDU x2
SIN-LHR VH-OQE x2
LHR-TXL G-EUUL x2
TXL-LHR G-EUPB x2
SYD-DXB VH-OQA x2
MAD-LHR G-BZHA x2 (x3 both ways)

Both ways
SYD-DXB-SYD VH-OQI x2
LHR-WAW-LHR G-EUUH x2
LHR-TXL-LHR G-EUUM x2
LHR-BIO-LHR G-EUPT x2
LHR-TXL-LHR G-EUXI x2
LHR-EDI-LHR G-BMAC x2
LHR-TXL-LHR G-EUXH x2
LHR-HAJ-LHR G-MIDS x2
TXL-FRA-TXL D-ABVP x2
TXL-FRA-TXL D-ABVX x2
LHR-FRA-LHR D-AINB x2
LHR-FRA-LHR D-AINF x2
LHR-DUB-LHR EI-BXB x2
LHR-TXL-LHR G-EUYJ x2
LHR-CPH-LHR G-TTOB x2
ZRH-HAJ-ZRH HB-JNA x2
LHR-ATH-LHR SX-BEB x2

In the 90s, I used to always get VT-EHD when I booked Indian Airlines on DEL-BOM and DEL/BOM-CCU or BLKR-BOM! IC had 15 A300s including 4 B4s in the 90s.

Routes done on VT-EHD-
DEL BOM & vv - Dozens of flights.
BLR-BOM & vv - 3/4
BOM-MAA-SIN - 1x



The only other IC A300 i have flown on is VT-EDY on BOM-CCU-GAU.

On Jet Airways, it was VT-JGC. 9W had 2 non-ER -900s configured with a whopping 32 J Class seats (reduced to 28 in 2008 - still a large number). JGC and JGD were exclusively deployed on the hourly DEL-BOM shuttles where i used to be a regular. Surprising that I NEVER got on JGD! It was always JGC.

N939WN - sticks out because I flew it from LGA to MDW Thanksgiving eve on the 9pm-ish departure out of LGA into MDW.

Then a month later had the same plane at the same time for Christmas.

*AND*

not only was it the same plane, but the same flight crew in the cabin.

Iv flown VH-EBQ between Perth & Sydney 3 times, twice in 2015 and once in 2022.

I've also flown EBB, EBC, EBF, EBG, EBP, EBR & VH-XZP twice on the SYD-PER route each.

Plenty of times on AA when they used the 762 on the LAX-JFK flights. This was around the time when transcon flights were super cheap and I was using them for MR's for status. I also experienced this on AA's ORD-FRA flights as well.

Back in the early 80’s when my mother worked for EA…we used to go to the Caribbean regularly on passes. Ended up on L-1011 N329EA at least three times on the BDL-BOS-SJU run.

I don't have a complete flight history with all registrations but for what I have:

G-DOCY on LGW-JER x 4 (BA 737-400)
G-DOCW on LGW-JER x 2 (BA 737-400)
G-DOCX on JER-LGW x 2 (BA 737-400)
G-VIIG on LHR-IAD x 2 (BA 777-200)
G-VIIN on IAD-LHR x 2 (BA 777-200)
G-YMMK on JFK-LHR x 2 (BA 777-200)
N710UW on CLT -RIC x 2 (AA A319)
N714US on CLT-RIC x 2 (AA A319)
N840AW on RIC-CLT x 2 (AA A319)
N951NN on JFK-CLT x 2 (AA 737-800)

BA A319s:
G-DBCF on JER-LGW x 4 - 2 of those flights were in the same seat, 2A
G-DBCF on LGW-JER x 2 - Both flights were in the same seat, 2F
G-DBCD on JER-LGW x 2
G-DBCE on JER-LGW x 2
G-DBCE on LGW-JER x 2
G-DBCI on LGW-JER x 2
G-DBCJ on LGW-JER x 2
G-EUPC on LGW-JER x 2


BA 747s:
G-BNLN on LHR-IAD x 2
G-BYGD on IAD-LHR x 2
G-CIVG on LHR-JFK x 2, plus flew the same aircraft on JFK-LHR
G-CIVX on LHR-JFK x 2
G-CIVY on JFK-LHR x 2

SFO-MFR x 3 on N223SW
MFR-SFO x 2 on N223SW

SFO-MRY on N223SW
MRY-SFO on N223SW

LAX-MRY on N223SW

PDX-MFR on N223SW
MFR-PDX on N223SW

BA JFK-MAN numerous times. I believe they ran the same 767 for 15 years - "Chatham Historic Dockyard"

DFW to HNL on Braniff’s 747 N601BN numerous times. Braniff only had one 747 for many years.

Not counting flying round-trip between a city pair on the same tail number on consecutive flights of which I have a fair number of these out-and-backs.

F9 N214FR PHX-DEN x2
F9 N235FR DEN-PHX x2
AS N478AS SEA-ANC x2
NK N612NK DEN-PHX x2
F9 N705FR PHX-DEN x2
F9 N708FR PHX-DEN x2
F9 N709FR PHX-DEN x2
F9 N710FR DEN-PHX x2
F9 N711FR DEN-PHX x3
F9 N711FR PHX-DEN x2
F9 N712FR PHX-DEN x2
AS N762AS ANC-SCC-BRW x2.

I have flown Delta, NW abs KL between MSP & AMS many times. Pre pandemic KL.was sending the same exact A332 daily. I've flown PH-AON 5 times between the two city pairs.

Adding to my list, I flew from Brisbane to Longreach and back over the weekend with the same QantasLink Dash 8, VH-LQG taking me each way

Yes, EWR-HKG (N79011) and HKG-EWR (N76021) and a bonus I flew N199UA (744) ORD-HKG and then a week later flew the same aircraft HKG-ORD.

A couple times!

British Airways 777-236ER G-YMMB
LHR-DEN 2x (Also 1 DEN-LHR leg)

United Airlines 737-924ER N69819
BOS-DEN 2x

As someone with only 243 flights to his name (school teachers don't ever get to fly as part of their job unless they are VERY lucky!), I don't have any exact matches to same-plane-same-route; however, I do have it on record that in the randomness of my travels, I have been on the same plane twice:

#1: N640A, American Airlines 757-223, ATL-DFW in 2002 and SAN-DFW in 2014:



#2: N934FR, Frontier Airlines A319, MSP-DEN in 2006, and SAN-DEN in 2012. Both of these trips were SAN-DEN-MSP-DEN-SAN to visit family:



I've got a LOT of sequential airplanes, though - maybe I should start a thread about that...

Does it count if I flew on the same plane on both outbound & inbound flights?

Happened to me 10 years ago on my trip to LAX, flew on 9M-MRM on the outbound flight, and after 5 days in LA went back on the exact same aircraft and the exact same cabin crew!