Similar Callsigns

[mad_jock]

Hello just a wee question.

We have an issue with similar callsigns which I am trying to get sorted.

Problem is that commercial are saying that they won't change the flight numbers because it will mean that the airport departure and arrival boards will show the changed callsign and not the Flight number as per the booking system.

I know that EZY and other companys manage to get the airport displays with the commercial flight numbers and use different callsigns for the flight plans.

I have asked the ground handlers if they do a manual change in the airport but they say they don't do anything.

How do they do it?

[Mr.Kite]

The callsign shouldn't make any difference to the airport arrival/departure boards - on all the airport systems I have used they take the feed from the commercial flight number. Normally you have several coloums on the airport system - one of which will show the commercial flight number and the another that will show the atc callsign.

The runway slots are applied for using the commercial flight number (which is what shows on the airport system) then the airline publishes a list of ATC callsigns which the handling agent or airfield operations will need to input into the airport system - can be a hassle when the seasons change but once they in they only need to be altered if the callsigns change.

With the airlines I work with it is getting rarer and rarer that the commercial flight number and ATC callsigns match!

[mad_jock]

That was my understanding as well.

The time I was working in ops they hadn't quite got round to tackling similar callsigns and also the places we were flying it wasn't an issue.

I suspected our poor lass was getting the run around by someone in airfield ops. I will have a chat with the SATCO and see if their boot getting added into the fray will get things moving.

Thanks for the reply.

[ATCast]

Good job on getting that similar call sign sorted mad_jock.

Here is a chilling example (http://www.pprune.org/atc-issues/512187-callsign-confusion-tcas-ra.html#post7784823) of close call caused by call sign confusion.

[mad_jock]

Its a pain for crew and a pain for ATC.

It would have helped matters to be honest if ATC had filed on us.

Sometimes that's the only way that the Flight crew v commercial v ops bun fight can be nipped in the bud and getting a solution prioritised.

So file away please.