Originally Posted by
MARK9263
Air France began using flight numbers on 19 January 1971 (approx)
Absolutely not so. AFR radio c/s that I know were being used in the '60s included AF050 L1049F KJFK to LFPO & Boeing 707 003/004 LAX, 031 CYUL, 015, 017 & 077 KJFK. I have radio logs from the '60s with these call signs. We used to lie on our backs trying to read the Regs off from under the wings of the Connies (because their r/t call sign was the flight number), & we used to write off to AF Ops to get the regs of the 707s (because the a/c used a Flight No. as the radio c/s).
I absolutely KNOW that this was the case. I would not have been confusing this with the early '70s as I had stopped a/c spotting in '68.
Although, I do have a memory of AF Viscounts on the Paris to Brest route using their registrations. Maybe there was a selective use of registrations on some routes & flight numbers on others. Certainly, those jet flights over the Channel Islands in the '60s used flight numbers.