Uniqueness of flights by date, carrier, flight number, and origin airport

In US domestic air travel, do single airlines (= single carrier) ever have more than one "physical flight" scheduled to leave the same airport, on the same day, with the same flight number? If so, can two flights with the same number of the same carrier be scheduled to leave at the same time?

Notes:

I don't mean rescheduling of the same flight as the result of a delay.
I don't mean technical problems causing the same physical flight to be displayed twice on a list of departures.
By "physical flight" I mean one single unique physical airplane with its crew passengers and cargo.

Best Answer

I can't answer for all airlines, but for the airline I work for (one of the US big 3), the answer is No. We regularly use the same flight number for multiple flights in a day but when that happens they are guaranteed to be departing from different airports at different times. Sometimes we use the same equipment, but sometimes the same flight number can hop to a different aircraft. It seems like a reasonable guess that other major airlines would take the same approach, if for no other reason than having multiple flights with the same number leaving from the same airport in a day would make crunching the numbers (i.e. looking at revenue, number of pax, etc) much harder after the fact.

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Are flight numbers unique?

All commercial airlines have a unique identifier code assigned to them by the International Air Transport Association. For most airlines, the code serves as a short abbreviation for the company's full name. For example, American Airlines uses \u201cAA\u201d and United Airlines uses \u201cUA.\u201d

How can I tell where a flight originates from?

Using FlightAware to check inbound flight status FlightAware is a flight tracking website, and it will also show you where your plane is coming from. Just enter the flight number for your journey.

Why do two flights have the same number?

The same number only refers to the route and may not only change the aircraft, but also the airline operating the flight (leg).

Where is the flight number mentioned?

You can find the number of your flight on the flight ticket. You will need it at the airport to find check-in points and gates, or when you pick up your family and friends and want to check if their plane is getting close.

Analysis Airline Airport Flight Schedules Using BTS Data: Part1 BTS AOTP Data

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Images: LT Chan, Darli Donizete, Kelly L, Ahmed Muntasir