United Reinstates, Quickly Withdraws, 9/11 Flight Numbers

An oversight by someone at United Airlines ruffled more than a few feathers this morning when it looked like the carrier was set to reinstate flight numbers UA093 and UA175, both of which had been out of use since jets associated with those flights were used in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

This morning, after news about the reinstated numbers got out, the Association of Flight Attendants issued a statement asking the airline to rethink its decision: “Out of respect for those who lost their lives and those who will always remember our heroes, United Airlines must do what should have already been done – immediately and permanently retire these flight numbers.”

United quickly responded to by pulling the numbers and releasing this statement:

We regret that these flight numbers were inadvertently reinstated in our system. We are taking immediate steps to remove them and apologize for the error.

On 9/11/01, UA093 left Newark International Airport en route to San Francisco before terrorists took control of the plane. Passengers attempted to regain control of the jet before it ultimately crashed in Somerset County, PA.

UA175 left Boston en route to Los Angeles that morning. It was subsequently hijacked and crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center.

Flight Number Flub: United/Continental Accidentally Reinstates Flights 93 and 175 [Time.com]

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