It won't be a problem soon as airlines worldwide will obviously be scaling back flights due to climate change, right? ;)
/s (just in case)
Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers
291–300 of 461 posts
Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers
#292> Here’s the full answer, along with how they triage the problem – for instance by assigning the same flight number to more than one flight a day (although that means they need for it to be flights that would never both be in the air at the same time, such as where the same plane is used and can’t reasonably be substituted) This sounds like it's calling for trouble! Whenever I hear that any IDs could be "recycled", I…
I'm certain each flight has its own completely unique ID buried somewhere in a database. But, shorter codes can be spoken into a radio faster and with lower probability of misinterpretation - both critical features for air traffic control. Those shorter codes will necessarily be reused, it's just a question of the time interval between re-uses of any particular code. I faintly recall seeing two Southwest flights from…
> I'm certain each flight has its own completely unique ID buried somewhere in a database
There is. It's called the Globally Unique Flight Identifier (GUFI), and it's essentially a UUIDv4[1].
[1]: https://docs.fixm.aero/#/general-guidance/flight_identificat...
Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers
#293Earlier quoted context omitted.
Any well-written article should anticipate, ask, and answer the obvious questions. For example: Why not use alphanumeric characters? And if the answer isn't known by the sources the writer quotes, the writer should say so.
>Why not use alphanumeric characters? Someone hardcoded that field 50 years ago and it's impossible to change the type. It would be easier to just abandon planes altogether, and set up a parallel transportation system.
I understand that database conversions (especially industry-wide) are hard, but:
> It would be easier to just abandon planes altogether, and set up a parallel transportation system.
Yeah, that might be overdoing it just a bit.
Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers
#294Earlier quoted context omitted.
My solution: Stop codesharing with marketing flight numbers that are useless. Airlines do perfectly fine selling tickets without having the flight marketed by themselves and they can handle inter-airline agreements without it.
Customer behavior is key here. There’s perceived risk with the dreaded “Multiple airlines” option when booking tickets, especially for international flights. No-one wants to find out the hard way that there weren’t agreements or reciprocal status or matching luggage allowances, etc. The code-share is shorthand for “we’re responsible”.
It's also shorthand for "yes, you'll get miles in our plan for this flight".
Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers
#295Earlier quoted context omitted.
> although that means they need for it to be flights that would never both be in the air at the same time It's interesting that this is called out, because there are frequently at multiple flights in the air with the same flight number QF1 / QF2 is now over 24 hours, and has daily flights. It seems pretty feasible to have the SIN-LHR leg be delayed just enough so there's two SIN-LHR QF1s in the air at the same time.…
I think you do not need 24 hour flights for that. Some flight numbers are used multiple times throughout the day. If one gets delayed too much, then two planes can be in the sky at the same time with the same flight number.
It’s gotta be a big YMMV thing. I wonder if US airlines might do that domestically only but not for international.
Air Canada will renumber a daily flight if the delay goes past midnight (to avoid having two departures with the same number on the same day). I doubt it’s just a courtesy, but an incompatibility with their (or enough airports’ systems).
Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers
#296Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because of NAT, it’s actually “IP + Port#” that is globally unique, and ultimately associated with a single physical network interface on a device (e.g an ethernet port on a PC). There’s exceptions like broadcast IPs, but the point is that it is a system for uniquely locating devices and listening OS processes with IDs routinely shifting around.
> it’s actually “IP + Port#” that is globally unique So which globally unique box is 192.168.1.1:443? Can you point to exactly one device out there with that IP:PORT combo? There's probably hundreds of millions of that IP:Port combination currently running and listening. Which globally unique box is 8.8.8.8:53? You think there's seriously just one network adapter listening for traffic at 1.1.1.1:53? These aren't "bro…
Well the 192 case would probably have an external IP + Port uniquely mapped to it in the router’s NAT table. I think you’re missing the larger point though. No one said IPs are exclusively used as GUIDs. Just that they are used as GUIDs, which they are in the majority of cases, and those GUIDs are re-assigned over time.
My Macbook Pro currently has unique IP + Port, associated with a single process listening to it over NAT and packets you send are routed to its network interface. Next week, someone else’s laptop could have that same IP + Port. That’s the main idea here, not these exceptions.
Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers
#297Time for hexadecimal.
Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers
#298Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel the real reason is also why badge engineered cars also exist: market capture.
I mean sure, but all that branding will fall apart once you board the plane and the livery, and everything else is branded by the operating airline anyways.
An application for AR goggles, perhaps.
Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers
#299Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers
#300Using Hexadecimal instead gives over 6.5 times as many possibilities in the same 4 characters - should be more than adequate.
I know airline systems have a lot of legacy code so it might be difficult, but at least logistically (having adequate space to print / display them), and for humans to deal with it's not too difficult.