• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » United Airlines » United Mistakenly Reinstates 9/11 Flight Numbers
United Airlines

United Mistakenly Reinstates 9/11 Flight Numbers

Matthew Klint Posted onMay 19, 2011 1 Comment

An insensitive and inexcusable mistake or an honest oversight that was quickly corrected?

As United and Continental merge into a single entity, they continue to take steps to align the operations of the two airlines. UA and CO recently merged flight numbers such that any overlap was expunged. Somehow in this process, United flights 93 and 175 were re-introduced.

Flight 175 originated at Boston’s Logan International Airport and was headed for Los Angeles International Airport before being hijacked and flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York on 9/11. Flight 93 took off from Newark’s Liberty International Airport and crashed in a Pennsylvania field near Shanksville after a heroic attempt by passengers to wrest control of the plane from the hijackers.

Continental still used flights 93 and 175 and someone forgot to take these flight numbers out when the United and Continental flight numbers were recalibrated. Frequent flyers quickly took note and UA was bombarded with outrage. Posting on their Facebook page, UA issued this response:

We discovered that flight numbers 93 and 175 were inadvertently reinstated in our future schedule. We regret the error, apologize and are taking immediate steps to remove the numbers from our system.

Listening to Master Executive Council Chairman Wendy Morse (representing United for the Air Line Pilot’s Association and a lady I have flown with before), you would think that UA perpetrated the 9/11 attacks themselves:

Their insensitivity and unconscionable disrespect of these sacred flight numbers and their meaning to the employees of United Airlines and the families of those who lost their lives nearly 10 years ago are not only alarming, but reprehensible.

“How could these flight numbers have been ‘inadvertently reinstated’ as the company indicates? The pilots of United Airlines expect accountability of how these flight numbers were considered in the first place.

She further alleged that United’s actions "demonstrates a severe disconnect from right and wrong."

Some argue that 9/11 happened nearly a decade ago and it is time that UA brings back those flight numbers. I disagree. Not to compare 9/11 to professional sports, but numbers are retired out of respect for what they represent. In the case of basketball, the Chicago Bulls retired #23 out of respect for Michael Jordan, perhaps the great basketball player of all time. Similarly, I think it was right and proper for UA to retire flight numbers 93 and 175 out of respect for the passengers and crew onboard and what those flights represented.

But I think Captain Morse is overacting. There is no question that UA should have been more careful: its actions were sloppy and they should be criticized for what happened. But I have to believe their mistake was an honest one and a mistake that was quickly acknowledged and corrected. What more do the pilots want?

And I just cannot in good conscience label a flight number "sacred."

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article Continental/United (Partially) Align Standby Policy
Next Article Do the TSA Pokey Pokey (Video)

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • United Airlines Sting Chicago

    United Employee Caught in Predator Sting At O’Hare Airport

    July 5, 2025
  • United Airlines Mango Lassi

    United Airlines Rolls Out Aperol Spritz, Mango Lassi, And New Hawaii Menus

    July 4, 2025
  • hot airplane cabin toddler

    “United Airlines Tried to Cook My Toddler!” Overdramatic Dad Upset About Hot Cabin Temperature

    July 3, 2025

1 Comment

  1. Nick Reply
    May 20, 2011 at 3:31 am

    I have a feeling that the person who was assigning numbers came from Continental, and so did not think about September 11th when assigning the numbers. The APA is just posturing, and so I take their statement with a grain of salt.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for July

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Ritz-carlton yacht collection ilma
    Questions (And Answers) About Ritz-Carlton Yachts “Struggles” July 6, 2025
  • Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun
    Days After Hyatt Bought Playa Resorts It Sold The Properties July 6, 2025
  • Spirit foam incident detroit courtesy of Airline.net
    Spirit Airlines Foam Incident In Detroit Will Cost It Dearly July 6, 2025
  • United Airlines Sting Chicago
    United Employee Caught in Predator Sting At O’Hare Airport July 5, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Qatar Airways Economy Class Breakfast
    Economy Class Breakfast On Qatar Airways June 7, 2025
  • Favorite Airline Commercials
    My 10 Favorite Airline Commercials June 15, 2025
  • a blue passport on a black surface
    All The Patriotic Quotes In Your U.S. Passport July 4, 2025
  • Qantas Lounge Review Hong Kong
    Review: Qantas Lounge Hong Kong (HKG) June 14, 2025

Archives

July 2025
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
« Jun    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.