BA Flight Numbers

[alpha69]

Is there any reason for this hang over from the BOAC/BEA days? Long Haul Flight numbers are Odd out of London and Even returning. Short haul are Even out of London, Odd returning. (At least the galleys on Short Haul aircraft are no longer called pantries!!)

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

BOAC flight numbers

Well there has been a partial change because BOAC's method was EveN. (Even numbers eastbound and northbound.)

[TartinTon]

That'll be the Planning guys....they don't like change.....

[xtypeman]

And it is also tied to the runway slot......... Especially when you have historic slots.......

[ETOPS]

An old BOAC colleague of mine used to joke (note carefully the word joke ) it was that way round as it was "odd" to leave the UK...

[Jn14:6]

I always thought that it was ICAO standard to do so!

[Skipness One Echo]

It was (universal?) for Westbound long haul to be odd with the return even when I was younger(er), I think the first one I ever noticed to break ranks was Canada 3000 in 1990, which also arrived late in the day, arriving in the UK about 7pm rather than early like the competition.
Air France switched their odd and evens East and West soon afterwards.