How Airlines Decide On Flight Numbers, And Have Fun While They’re At It

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.

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?