Easyjet Flight Numbers

[Jamie-Southend]

Can anyone help with this one?

I was waiting for someone arriving at LTN on an Easyjet flight from Faro. When some Easyjet flights called up rarther than using the callsign EZY1234, they used something like Easyjet 7PA or something else that does not correspond with its flight number.

Is there anyway to cross check these, and why is it done?

[boredcounter]

Many carriers started to adopt alpha-numeric ATC callsigns about ten years ago or there abouts. The reason is callsign confliction. As air traffic mushroomed, the chances of two (or three) flights with the same flight number, being on the same frequencey increased greatly. Also used to avoid flight numbers that can be easily confused with flight levels or headings.
However, you do mention the flight had 'P' in the flight number. There are also standard flight number suffix letters in use every day. 'P' is used to denote a positioning flight, 'T' training etc.
Hope that helps you out,
Bored
BTW, hopefully, the alpha-numerics are kept 100% random and not coded by city pair, so someone from Easy would have to let you know the list in use.

[Charley B]

Hi Jamie,
Alittle book called Flight Routings 2006 is very useful for this purpose--geebee airways and ba ones are in the book as well!
Hope this is helpful
CB:) :)

[Kestrel_909]

You can check them on trackaflight.com by typing in EZY7PA.

I came across two real mouthfuls lastnight, Ryanair Prestwick-Grenoble, outbound is 7KL2 and the return is 7BUG.:eek:

[boredcounter]

You are not far wrong there, I thought the boys and girls aloft and on the ground would struggle with some of ours in days gone by. I thought 'Flyduo ait-niner tango romeo' was bad enough, 'Ryanair seven bravo uniform golf' must get the award :)
(Sorry to hijack Jamie) Out of interest, any ATCers out there. 1/ Would you 2/ may you abbreviate this to 'Ryanair uniform golf' assuming the usual no conflict.
RYR7BUG has gotta be just one away from filing as Regn with RMK/Comm flt no. RYR***** to keep the slot co-ordinators happy.
Bored

[boredcounter]

Sorry, just found this a couple of threads down in 'ground movement callsigns' and advert for using alpha-numerics.......


'I'm sure Apron try their best to confuse controllers and pilots alike. You can be sure that AZA209 will always park on stand 209, and EY303 on 303! S'pose it makes it easier in a way as there's only one number for the pilots to remember (you'd think that was easy wouldn't you !)

Earlier this week SAS515 was followed in trail by SAS1515 down the approach. This stuff happens all the time.

Cheers!'

Bored

[BOAC]

Jamie- all airlines do their own thing on callsigns. It is POSSIBLE that '7PA' was a Palma flight? BA sometimes used to use, and may well still, the last 2 letters of the ICAO for the field - LEPA.

Used to make for amusement on the Vienna (LOWW) schedule out of LGW - callsign 82WW, to which Maastricht were know to respond '82 Double Scotch':)

[Jamie-Southend]

Thanks for all the replies, just for the record i run a Private Hire business, taking PAX normally too LHR, LGW & LTN, Its always nice to here the flight i am meeting call up on the scanner, so i know at least my customers are on the ground. But of course with the confusion over flight numbers, thats not always the case.

Thanks

Jamie


Ex - British Air Ferries - Engineer
Heralds & Viscounts

[Skipness One Echo]

Ryanair use flight numbers as the default callsign but if there is a conflict with a similar callsign then out come the silly callsigns. The RYR7852 Prestiwck-Krakow recently became RYR7PB2. Actually the pilot used RYR7BP2 all the way to FL310 and Scottish and Prestwick never corrected him once which is VERY unusual as these guys are usually pin sharp.
The good news is that they get to fly back as RYR7853 which is much easier.
Only a matter of time before we hear the likes of "Speedbird Jerusalem Beefeater Buckingham Palace" followed by "Globespan Shortbread Tartan Biscuit Tin" as letters and numbers just aren't enough any more....

[Gary Lager]

boredcounter. It is not permitted to abbreviate commercial callsigns like the example you mention.

You may find folks use slightly non-standard RT if it avoids confusion or ambiguity, eg using double-oh instead of zero-zero.