Have the 9 11 flight numbers been retired?

The four flight numbers involved in the Sept. 11 attacks—United Flights 93 and 175 and American Airlines Flights 11 and 77—are all permanently retired.



Yes, as of 2026, the four specific flight numbers involved in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks remain permanently retired by American Airlines and United Airlines. These numbers are American Airlines Flight 11 (Boston to LA), United Airlines Flight 175 (Boston to LA), American Airlines Flight 77 (Dulles to LA), and United Airlines Flight 93 (Newark to San Francisco). This practice is a long-standing aviation tradition out of respect for the victims and their families. While most airlines change flight numbers after any fatal crash to avoid negative associations, the 9/11 retirements are unique in their global recognition and permanence. In 2026, if you search for these routes, you will see entirely different numerical designations. For example, the Boston-to-LA morning route that was once AA11 is now served by various other numbers like AA25 or AA198. This policy ensures that the specific identifiers of that day are preserved solely in historical records and memorials rather than on modern departure boards.

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Yes. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the flight numbers of the jetliners that crashed in New York, Washington, D.C. and rural Pennsylvania were retired.

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United Continental Holdings said the company would permanently retire flight numbers 93 and 175, the designations of the United flights hijacked in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, after they reappeared in a computer reservation system.

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The hijackers inside the cockpit are heard yelling No! over the sound of breaking glass. The final spoken words on the recorder were a calm voice in English instructing, Pull it up. The plane then crashed into an empty field in Stonycreek, Pennsylvania, about 20 minutes' flying time from Washington, D.C.

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The impact killed hundreds, including everyone on the plane and many more inside the South Tower. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 people survived the crash, but were trapped by the catastrophic damage done to the skyscraper as well as the heat, fire, and smoke filling its upper levels.

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For example, flight number MH370 was retired as a mark of respect for the passengers and crew. And out of interest, is there any case where an airline company reused a retired number for any reason or in certain circumstances?

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Countless lives were spared thanks to their heroic actions, but all on board Flight 93 were lost. A common field was transformed into a field of honor.

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Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian has been flying planes since 1929 and never once had a fatal accident, making it, if our stats stand up, the longest functioning carrier to have never lost a passenger. It may have suffered two bankruptcies (1993 and 2003) but it has not compromised on safety.

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Airlines can schedule multiple flights with the same flight number on the same day (sometimes on the same route and sometimes on different flight segments). This varies by carrier.

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Yet such disappearances are not that uncommon: according to records assembled by the Aviation Safety Network, 100 aircraft have gone missing in flight and never been recovered since 1948.

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What objects were found among the wreckage? Primarily airplane wreckage, some personal effects, and a very small amount of unidentified human remains were found.

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Some 83 aircraft have been declared “missing” since 1948, according to data compiled by the Aviation Safety Network. The list includes planes capable of carrying more than 14 passengers and where no trace — bodies or debris — has ever been found. Related Graphic: Where Could Flight 370 Be? >>

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Many aircraft accidents are associated with 191, and so many airlines stopped operating flights 191 just out of skepticism and fear. This accident is similar to a horror story of Finnair flight 666, which is haunted and departed from Copenhagen for Helsinki for the last time on 27 October.

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Message left by Lauren Grandcolas from United 93. Grandcolas's name and her unborn child are memorialized on Panel S-68 of the South Pool of the National September 11 Memorial.

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Any plane debris there was mixed with hundreds of floors of concrete and steel, office furnishings and materials, and bodies — all of which complicated the case, investigators have said. Flight 93 wasn't lost to the crash. It was just buried, McCall said.

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