Flight numbers?

[lazyace75]

I've got a question coming from a corporate guy.....I keep hearing UAL#123A or SWA#123C on the radio.

What are the reasons/meanings behind the letters that follow your flight number? Is that because there is a duplicate flight number in the system?

If that's the case, what's the reasoning behind the letter that follows? I heard UAL#123C today....why not just use "A"?

I can't seem to find any info on this anywhere and I'm just curious.

 

[lumax]

I believe that is used if a flight with multiple legs is running late. For example, flight 123 from DCA - ORD - SFO. The DCA - ORD leg is late so the airline sends the ORD- SFO leg with a new crew and a/c. To differentiate the 2 flights, the ORD - SFO leg becomes 123A.

 

[FR8dognit]

Correct...happened to us yesterday...never knew what it was either until then.

 

[717capt]

since we're on the topic, I found out a few weeks ago that if center or approach for that matter gives you a new transponder code, the reason is that someone else has the same code somewhere at least 2 centers away.

 

[Flys4Fun]

Yea sometimes we "A-section" flights meaning we have 2 flights up with the same number at once.....one is AWE2, the other is AWE2A.

How BA gets "Speedbird 28 Foxtrot" is beyond me...must be some crazy brit thing

 

[ERJpusher]

since we're on the topic, I found out a few weeks ago that if center or approach for that matter gives you a new transponder code, the reason is that someone else has the same code somewhere at least 2 centers away.

That may be true, but my (unnamed) friend in ATC also told me that part of the reason is that traffic passing through a particular center is tracked by transponder codes. If you fly into their region with one transponder code, then switch to a new transponder code, than it appears that 2 aircraft were there instead of one. Since money for each center is based on volume, they try to show an increase in traffic, generating an increase in $$$. Crazy.