Root cause:
> American assigns the same flight number to the outbound and return services, with the same aircraft typically operating both legs.
Other airlines don’t do this, and instead assign a different flight number to the return flight.
> American assigns the same flight number to the outbound and return services, with the same aircraft typically operating both legs.
Other airlines don’t do this, and instead assign a different flight number to the return flight.
You often get flights sharing the same flight numbers such as JFK-SLC and SLC-SFO being the same flight number, even if it's a completely different plane doing the route!
Also super confusing when trying to search for your (or a loved one's) flight online as you'll get multiple matches.
American exceptionalism at its finest.