Flight numbers

[tubthumper]

The nature of flight numbers confuses me. How do operators decide on flight numbers for a given route? I ask, because here at Tubthumper Tower a resident operator has two flights planned out at the same time, whose flight numbers differ by only one digit. Needless to say, the potential for c:mad: ck-up is huge, and although I haven't fallen foul of it personally (yet), one only has to read the incident digests to see what can, and does, happen as a result of callsign confusion.

So, enlighten me. Is it just random, or is there method to the madness?

[Hunter58]

There is methods and there is madness and there is chaos, depending on the operator.

Now some have changed to a system where the commercial flight number (the one on the ticket) is nowwhere near the one on the OFP, others distribute the OFP flight numbers by randon.

In certain cases you must use the same flight number in the OFP than in the commercial, since the traffic rights demand this.

Generally carriers divide their flight numbers into traffic zones, e.g. flight to North America are in the 100-199, flight to south america 200-299 etc etc etc.

Every carrier has his own system, and some simply have no system.