Weird Airline Flight Number ???

Schinpop

Schinpop

Well-Known Member
The other day, I was listening to the stream of Boston tower, and I heard a flight "United 981 Lima". Huh? I've heard "heavy" before (I even know what it means), but not Lima. FlightAware says UAL981L is an A319 going from Logan to Dulles. What does Lima mean? Did United just need more numbers?
 
I think you just answered your own question...

United 981 Lima=UAL981L

Do you know your aviation alphabet?
 
Schinpop said:
The other day, I was listening to the stream of Boston tower, and I heard a flight "United 981 Lima". Huh? I've heard "heavy" before (I even know what it means), but not Lima. FlightAware says UAL981L is an A319 going from Logan to Dulles. What does Lima mean? Did United just need more numbers?
Click to expand...

We had a similar situation yesterday with a NWA 744 coming into PHX with a #9871 flt no.#. Lastly a A319 is not a "heavy" designated airplane. I think to get the "heavy" designator you have to be above/at 200,000-250,000 lbs.
 
Kristie said:
I think you just answered your own question...

United 981 Lima=UAL981L

Do you know your aviation alphabet?
Click to expand...

Im sure he does (right?), but Ive never heard of a letter at the end of a flight number before...Maybe we should ask the A.net people.

"oh yes, that was N235UA, C/N 3246574, which was delivered to United on 6/1999. That usually operates the BOS-LAX route, and noticed it was 1.23 minutes late after checking Flightaware and my secret sources. I find it funny how they haven't changed to the new CS yet, because United will save so much more money with the white paint. Also, anyone notice that paint chunk missing by the tail near the APU? Take care of your planes United! I once flew on that plane years ago, and was so excited once we reached V1...or was that V2"

Something like that ;)
 
I don't think he was questioning whether or not the LittleBus was a heavy or not. He was comparing the -lima to the addition of a "heavy" tag. I'm not sure where the addition of the lima comes from. The only thing I can think of is that either it was a repo flight and they were actually refering to it by it's tail number instead of flight number. Not sure how UAL does things, but when we move an aircraft, even if it is a part 91 repo we still have a flight number assigned. Example, all of our "normal flights operate in the 2xxx range. A repo or MX flight will be a 99XX or 8XXX flight. The other possibility is that it was flight 981 and it was a Lifeguard (critical medical stuff on board, either people or parts of people) flight. However, I think that gets tagged in front of the call sign like "Lifeguard United 981". This is similar to air taxi services that don't have their own call sign using Tango November XXXX.
 
The way I understand things.....If an airline has a flight with similar callsigns or overlapping flight schedules, they will add a letter to the flight number. In Europe however, it seems the majority of airline flight are distinguished with a letter...
 
I was flying Sunday and heard a united flight where the flight number was followed by a kilo (I think or maybe it was this very same lima flight since I was in Dulles at the time?). I was wondering the exact same thing as I've never heard that either.
 
alphaone said:
The way I understand things.....If an airline has a flight with similar callsigns or overlapping flight schedules, they will add a letter to the flight number.
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That would make sense. Last month I got confused as heck going out of PHL because we were cleared to position and hold on 9L and then about 10 seconds later were were cleared to land on 17. Turns out the first leg of the flight number was late in arriving and was landing just as we were taking on on the second leg. The letters would clear stuff up a little bit.
 
alphaone said:
The way I understand things.....If an airline has a flight with similar callsigns or overlapping flight schedules, they will add a letter to the flight number. In Europe however, it seems the majority of airline flight are distinguished with a letter...
Click to expand...

That is the correct answer. With connecting hubs a flight number often covers two or more segments. If the inbound segment is late and they decide to originate the outbound segment with a different airplane they must use a different flight number for ATC purposes.

At my old carrier we would used 9000 flight numbers for all such operations. But most other carriers just add a letter. I know for American it was always Alpha.
 
I also heard a number followed by a letter. It was an American Airlines 757 the other day here at KLAS, American 832 Papa.
 
SkyWest does that too. "SkyWest 84C" is a common one. It's most common when the SFO operation falls apart and two flights with the same number would be in the air at the same time.
 
I did Nole :) for a second I thought you accually took that quote off Anet. Im sure that thread would last all day if someone asked them.
 
We were "Bluestreak 2533 Alpha" the other day because we were super late and the continuation of our flight was already in flight.

Ehtan, your dispatcher should have gotten in touch and straightened things out.
 
i heard United XXX foxtrot the other day.....after about 3 transmissions, atc said, "ya, this is getting old, you are officially informed that your callsign is now United xxx"
 
SeanD said:
I also heard a number followed by a letter. It was an American Airlines 757 the other day here at KLAS, American 832 Papa.
Click to expand...

You're right, they do use papa. Memory is going. Or gone.
 
I've heard some flight numbers with letters. A couple of Skywest flights, some Americans, some NWA's.

I've done some 9000-series flight numbers and the flight plan said something like "EQPT STUB". I don't know what it means, but if flight 123 becomes flight 9781, it's flight 9781 and I don't waste precious brain time trying to figure it out.
 
We (CMR) actually ran out of ferry flight numbers a month or so back and had letters as part of the flight #. Problem comes when our computers (older than I am) dont like numbers with letters in them. Not too bad for a ferry. Then the ferry flight becomes a revenue flight, then ... well we put 50 people on a flight BGR-JAX at 700 at night. It was kinda a fustercluck. Yes, Delta ran out of 9999 flight numbers with nothing to give this flight....Not good. We had to print all of the tickets to paper (from the old PNRs) and do a manual flight manifest, dispatch faxed the release etc. Try running a flight with no computer at the station.

This was the day Washington all the way up to Boston was shut down
 
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