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Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers

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Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers

#21

Post by gruez »

growse wrote: post #20
gruez wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Is annihilation of the air transport sector really your bar as to whether or not HSR is good enough? "good enough" with respect to "Air travel should be for medical emergencies only"? Yes. >When the government taxes all other transport fuels except jet fuel, it sure looks like a subsidy. Of course, fuel duty policy is not the only way in which a state can choose to support a private industry. high speed trains in ch…

> good enough" with respect to "Air travel should be for medical emergencies only"? Yes. Seems a little extreme to me, but fine. > high speed trains in china run on electricity. I'm not sure how fuel duties are relevant here. Because to highlight how HSR "runs at a loss" without mentioning the enormous state subsidies that go to the aviation sector, without which air travel would also run at a loss, is a little selec…

>Seems a little extreme to me, but fine.

Blame thanatos519, which made the claim and caused me to reply, not me.

>Because to highlight how HSR "runs at a loss" without mentioning the enormous state subsidies that go to the aviation sector

Again, I'm not disagreeing with this line of reasoning, only pointing out that it's incomplete. High speed trains most definitely received subsidies in the form of government financing, and not having to turn a profit. Your response to that is... airlines might be getting subsidies too but you you can't really point out what they are? Or are you claiming that the fact that other fuels are subject to duties, jet fuel isn't, then airlines are getting "subsidies", even if HSRs aren't taxed in the same way (ie. for electricity)?

>But, as you say, this is China. I think "profit and loss" mean slightly different things there.

???

Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers

#22

Post by poikroequ »

MeteorMarc wrote: post #3

Give the flights a 128 bit number, so we can give each grain of sand on Earth its own flight number.

I'm pretty sure they want to keep flight numbers short because that's how passengers identify their flight. As a passenger, you wouldn't want to be reading signs with 40 digit flight numbers.

Attention passengers, flight 3467548742468759027225995322800483168368 to Dallas is now boarding.

Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers

#23

Post by maxsilver »

Wouldn't the easy solution be to use two sets of letters for IATA coded flights for the same airline?

Something like "DL1234" and "DZ1234" for Delta?

I know a lot of the two-letter codes are claimed too, and I'm sure there must be some reason this wouldn't work OK, but it would seem like they they would each have at least one code left over from the various airlines they've acquired over the years?

If an American Airlines regional flight started with "TW1234" again, for example, I don't think it would break the world.

Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers

#24

Post by readyman »

dataflow wrote: post #4
thanatos519 wrote: post #2

[flagged]

> Easy solution: Pivot your entire business to high speed rail so we can continue to live on this planet. > Air travel should be for medical emergencies only. Some nuance would be nice here. Although high-speed rail from Hawaii to Australia would be a blast.

[dead]

Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers

#25

Post by 1970-01-01 »

maxsilver wrote: post #23

Wouldn't the easy solution be to use two sets of letters for IATA coded flights for the same airline? Something like "DL1234" and "DZ1234" for Delta? I know a lot of the two-letter codes are claimed too, and I'm sure there must be some reason this wouldn't work OK, but it would seem like they they would each have at least one code left over from the various airlines they've acquired over the years? If an American Air…

This solution is so simple it's what they will do. But only after spending millions researching every other solution.

Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers

#26

Post by toomuchtodo »

tengbretson wrote: post #15
Havoc wrote: post #11

The entire aviation industry feels like it is in need of a tech stack 100% rebuild. Systems like Sabre are 60+ years old.

I don't disagree, but in 2024 where on earth could you staff large enough team to do such a task with developers that are self-disciplined enough to do it safely?

A collaboration between the US Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy. Lots of solid engineering out of Oak Ridge, Argonne, Sandia Labs. Make it a system owned and operated by the FAA.

Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers

#27

Post by lolive »

gjsman-1000 wrote: post #19
tengbretson wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree, but in 2024 where on earth could you staff large enough team to do such a task with developers that are self-disciplined enough to do it safely?

Heck, where do you get developers who aren’t convinced it should be rewritten in JavaScript?

In LLM.

Re: Airlines are running out of 4-digit flight numbers

#30

Post by anonfordays »

gruez wrote: post #10
anonfordays wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is the concept of NIMBY even possible in China considering the state owns the land?

NIMBY literally means "not in my backyard". Ownership has little to do with it. If you don't want a homeless shelter built next to where you rent, you're still a NIMBY, even if you don't own anything. Owning something might make you more inclined to object to developments, it's not a necessary factor.

Guess I wasn't clear. Yes ownership isn't essential but does make you more inclined to object to perceived negatives. In China the state owns the land, not the municipalities, nor private parties, so even if you live there you don't have much of a say. The state makes plans at such a large scale. This is why the Chinese are so efficient at building high speed rail, there aren't smaller municipalities, property owners, etc. that can object.
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