• 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."

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

  • Will United Airlines Add First Class Seats To A320?

    June 3, 2023
  • United Airlines Worldwide Devaluation

    United Airlines MileagePlus Devaluation Spreads Worldwide

    June 2, 2023
  • United Miles LGBTQ+

    Earn Up To 10 United Miles Per Dollar By Donating To LGBTQ+ Charities

    June 1, 2023

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 June

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 60,000 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

  • Will United Airlines Add First Class Seats To A320? June 3, 2023
  • Delta 97 Diversion
    Delta Air Lines A330-300 Diverts After Violent Passenger Breaks Free Of Restraints June 3, 2023
  • Spirit Airlines Feisty Senior Citizen
    Feisty Senior Citizen Puts Drunk Spirit Airlines Passenger In Her Place June 2, 2023
  • British Airways Fine
    Justified: British Airways Slapped With $1.1 Million Fine From US Government June 2, 2023

Categories

Popular Posts

  • American Airlines Pins Cockpit Door
    American Airlines First Class Passenger So Angry Over Meal Choices He Pins Flight Attendant To Cockpit Door May 11, 2023
  • Cursing Fight United Airlines
    “Don’t You Ever Tell Me To Speak English!” (Fight Breaks Out On My United Airlines Flight) May 17, 2023
  • Missed VDB United Airlines
    My Foolish $1,000 Airport Lounge Visit May 16, 2023
  • Spirit Airlines Flight Leaves Early
    Spirit Airlines Passengers Enraged After Flight Leaves Early May 8, 2023

Archives

June 2023
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
« May    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

A lovely stay at the @fsdoha, one of the best hote A lovely stay at the @fsdoha, one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in.
A fabulous flight onboard @qatarairways on the A35 A fabulous flight onboard @qatarairways on the A350-1000 in Qsuite Business Class from DFW-DOH. Qatar offers the best all-around business class product in the world with a spacious suite, plenty of privacy, excellent service, and superb cuisine.
The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Load More... Follow on Instagram
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.