The flight number must be on your mind if you wish to have a smooth sailing journey to your destination. Regardless of the airline and the destination, air flights always come with a unique identification number. The airline’s website offers the “track my flight” option, which utilizes this unique identification number for various purposes. Flights to India from Canada also come with unique numbers. But how and where to look for this flight number?
What exactly is a flight number?
A flight number comes with a combination of numbers and codes. The airline’s two-character IATA code followed by 1-4 numbers combine to form a numbers. The International Air Transport Association sanctions and approves it. Two characters, both written in Uppercase letters, compose it. For example, AC for Air Canada and AA for American Airlines are the IATA code for the said airlines. 1-4 digit numbers represent the flight route. For instance, Air India uses the flight number AI 188 for flights from Toronto to Delhi.
The flight number helps Air Traffic Control to organize and track the flights up in the air. Flight numbers identify each flight that operates on a specific route and date.
IATA codes are rarely difficult to comprehend but the numbers on them can really give a headache. The rule book of the organization has assigned even numbers for flights flying to the East and North, while flights flying to the West and South have odd numbers. The rule is also applicable for state outbound and inbound flights. For example, AI 186 is the ticket number printed on the flight tickets to Delhi from Vancouver while it is AI 185 for the return flight from Delhi to Vancouver, in syn with the rulebook.
The flight numbers can signify a lot more than probably you can think. Air carriers’ flagship connections have lower value numbers. The flight number is between 3000 and 5999 for domestic flights. The shared flights often have code numbers over 6000. The number of the charter flights starts with 8. Here take a look at some of the flight numbers
- AC 47 for Air Canada flights from Mumbai to Toronto
- AI 186 for Air India flight from Delhi to Vancouver
- Lufthansa’s flight from Mumbai to Toronto has two stopovers. The flight codes for the same are LH 6570, LH 6794, and LH 757.
The IATA flight search can be used to find the numbers for different airlines and flights. more than one number is there for certain flights with connecting cities. Please read carefully to determine which flight number is for your current leg of the journey.
IATA
The full form of IATA is the international air transport association which is a travel and tourism organization. The liaisoning among airlines is promoted by IATA. rhere are a total of 280 airlines as its members. IATA sets regulations and policies for airlines to ensure all operations are up to standard. IATA also ensures the safety of aircraft and air travelers as well.
There is a need for uniformity in information as well on different platforms, so it is the responsibility of IATA to make sure uniformity in information. If you look closely at your tickets for flights to India from Canada you will notice the information provided is similar regardless of the website you are using for bookings.
Popular airline codes
There are plenty of flights that operate flights to India from Canada. Here is a list of some of the popular airlines together with their codes
- Air India- AI
- Air Canada-AC
- Alaskan airlines-AS
- American airlines-AA
- Emirates-EK
- United airlines-UA
- British Airlines-BA
- Air France-AF
- Tiger Air-TR
- West Jet-WJ
A series of numbers will follow these codes to indicate the destinations. Just a glance at your flight number will arm you with information like airline name, destination, and direction.
How to find the flight number?
One can find their flight number on their boarding pass and a flight ticket. The airlines usually send a confirmation message that contains the flight number after you book flight tickets from Canada to India. For example, your Air India ticket confirmation message will include your flight number, PNR number, destination and origin information, flight date and time, and other relevant information. You need to look for IA followed by a series of numbers on your ticket to find the number. Simple as that.
Why is there a need for your flight ticket number?
Though there is very little chance of you boarding the wrong flight, knowing your flight ticket number is essential when you are traveling because finding the correct flight can be a hassle without the details.
There are different types of airports in the world, some large some small. Some are busy, some not so busy. For the smaller domestic airports, there are less number of flights so not knowing the flight number will not lead to any hassle, you will easily glide through the boarding process. But on larger airports where there are busy terminals, it comes as important and handy to remember the ticket number to glide through the boarding process in a hassle-free manner. Larger airports have different flights flying to the same destinations at the same time, so it becomes confusing at times to look for the correct flight. If you have memorized the number, it can get really quick and easy to identify your flight.
You also need the ticket number if you are looking for an E-ticket lookup. In case of lost ticket, you can use the combination of flight number and PNR number to get the information you need. In case of flight ticket confirmation inquiry also, the ticket number needs to be quoted.
How and who decides the flight number?
There is a complex algorithm put in place for airlines to get the flight number. The airlines have to gather the past as well as the present flight numbers of every airline. There are a set of simple rules that organizations follow to certify flight numbers. One key rule as we have already mentioned is flights heading east and north have even numbers while flights heading to the west and south gave odd numbers.
Please bear in mind that airlines and organizations avoid certain numbers due to the negative connotations associated with them. Some examples include
- Number 13 and 666 due to misbeliefs and superstition
- AA11 of American airlines was discarded after the 9/11 attacks.
- MH 370 was also discarded after the mysterious disappearance of the flight
- The numbers that are used to name aircraft are also not used such as 777 or 757 to avoid confusion.
The information on flight numbers is easily available online. During the booking process, the system also shows the details. If you have booked with a travel website or airline’s website then you can find the details under the “check my air ticket” option.
FAQs
Where exactly on the ticket is the flight number located?
It all boils down to airlines and ticket format. In most cases, the ticket’s number appears on the top left side or the bottom left side of the ticket. You should look for the IATA code followed by some numbers to find it. The flight ticket number is clearly mentioned. Once you know the format of the numbers of flight, you will easily locate them on the ticket. For your next international adventures check-out flyopedia.com
How to find the flight number for Air India?
You can find the flight number for Air India by looking at the booking details. You should use the IATA website for further information.
Are flight numbers and PNR numbers the same thing?
Flight numbers and PNR numbers are different codes. The airline assigns fixed numbers to particular flights regardless of the day and time of the trip.The system assigns a unique code, known as a Passenger Name Record (PNR), to each individual journey. PNR is an autogenerated code during the time of the booking. You use PNRs to fetch details about your trip. You can find the PNR number on the top left corner of an air ticket.
What type of other information is included in the flight tickets?
The most prominent details on the flight ticket are the departure date and time, passenger name, date of issuing the ticket, address of the issuing agency, ticket number, origin and destination details, status of the ticket, validity of the ticket, payment method, breakdown cost, policies regarding flight cancellation, baggage allowance, and tax breakup.
So that was all about the conundrum considering the flight number on your tickets.
