# Do airlines retire "infamous" flight numbers?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-airlines-retire-infamous-flight-numbers/84511>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 29, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-airlines-retire-infamous-flight-numbers/84511 "2001-09-29T19:50:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Miss\_Gretchen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Miss\_Gretchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gretchen)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-airlines-retire-infamous-flight-numbers/84511/1 "2001-09-29T19:50:16Z")

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Would you feel great about getting on a United flight 93, for example? Do they change flight numbers on a regular basis, as they redo schedules, etc?

Just wondering.

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**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-airlines-retire-infamous-flight-numbers/84511/2 "2001-09-29T19:56:32Z")

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Yes, they do discontinue the use of infamous flight numbers. AA announced their 2 flight #s were retired, I assume United did the same, but I’ve heard no announcements.

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**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-airlines-retire-infamous-flight-numbers/84511/3 "2001-09-29T23:50:06Z")

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They don’t have to retire the numbers, but as a matter of course most airline companies do.  
You won’t find a Korea flight 007 anymore.  
An uncle flew for American for many years. He once told me a lot of people are nervous enough about flying. Retiring bad numbers were in the same league as some hotels not having a 13th floor.

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**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-airlines-retire-infamous-flight-numbers/84511/4 "2001-09-30T01:59:32Z")

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TWA retired flight 800 as well…

Zev Steinhardt

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**Author:** ![WEW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@WEW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WEW)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-airlines-retire-infamous-flight-numbers/84511/5 "2001-09-30T02:15:02Z")

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Back in 1987 or 88, a Delta flight crashed on approach to DFW airport. The next day, I picked up my father at DFW, he was flying Delta on the same flight #.

I knew the odds of the same thing happening again were too small to measure, but it was kinda weird.

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**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-airlines-retire-infamous-flight-numbers/84511/6 "2001-09-30T02:21:18Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Doug Bowe \*  
> \*\* He once told me a lot of people are nervous enough about flying. Retiring bad numbers were in the same league as some hotels not having a 13th floor. \*\*

IIRC the Airport terminal I worked at had no gate 13. Some of the people I worked with would tell people to look for the restroom near gate 13