US Airways Question

[ChipnDaleRule]

These flight prices MAN PHL MCO are looking the most favourable at the moment for August,but im a little confused,its the same flight number for both outward legs with a 2hr 9min stop over,but its saying that its the same plane.Does that mean we get off,do immigration,collect bags,check in & drop bags again then get on the same plane?

TIA

 

[penlanspice]

We had that when we booked a few years ago, I don't remember which airline it was but it was an internal flight (I think it was delta) it was Vegas to Orlando and we had to change somewhere but had the same flight number but we definitely changed planes, we thought it was kind of strange why we would be staying on the plane for 2 hours but we did change planes.

 

[wayneg]

USairways have always done this for some reason.
Once you have booked, possibly nearer the time they will give you an internal flight number.
No different to any other indirect flight, you do immigration, collect luggage, re-check and board another flight (smaller plane)

 

[chmurf]

the route is flown under the same number. no other flight number will be issued, but there will be 2 different planes flying under the same flight number

you'll need to go through immigration, collect bags, go tgrough customs, drop bags and go through security (standard us entry procedure)

this is rather common practice with us airways
man-phl-mco or mco-phl-cdg are 2 of those routes who are ''direct'' (hence the same flight number) but with a stop/plane change

 

[dixonsontour]

Yes we've done that route twice and I do recall it having the same number.

BUT you do change planes.

So the usual immigration, collect bags, customs, drop bags, security then onto the smaller plane.

No complaints at all- would use again if price is right

 

[wayneg]

the route is flown under the same number. no other flight number will be issued, but there will be 2 different planes flying under the same flight number

My mistake, looks like 735 does have the same flight number thru to MCO checked back in my flight history and it was an American Airlines flight we were once issued a number all the way thru but then nearer the time re-issued a different internal flight number, the original number was then used for a Vegas flight so maybe just a one off operational change.

 

[chmurf]

my guess is that those flights (735 and 754 for the 2 flights I remember on top of my head because I've flown on them) are meant to be "direct" flights with a refueling stop.
But due to the post 9/11 procedures, there is now a requirement to clear customs and immigration at the port of entry.
So it's probably more cost efficient for US Airways to have a 757 do the second leg instead of refueling an A330 for just a short hop down to MCO, since all passengers have to get off the plane and reboard.

I also remember a "fake direct" flight with United, CDG-EWR-MCO that bore the same flight number, and United broke that flight into 2 seperate flights a couple of months before our departure (which led to a nightmare with the TA who refused to understand that the EWR-MCO leg no longer existed, when in fact it was the same plane but under another flight number ... took me weeks to have them change my tickets ...)

I try to see those flights as a train, like Eurostar for example.
If you take the train in London, it still has the same number wether you get off in Lille or in Paris. There is not a different train number between each train station

well, I guess it doesn't matter anyway

 

[ChipnDaleRule]

Thanks for clearing that up for me.This indirect business is a little scary for us first timersIm sure between now August i'll have a zillion other questions