Airtours callsign change - why?

[Localiser Green]

When I was but a young lad (early 90s) I got a scanner for my Birthday. With it was a book about UK airband frequencies / callsigns etc..

In the callsign section, it said Airtours International Airways was "Kestrel". However all the Airtours flights I heard in those days used "Tourjet" as the callsign. This continued until the late 1990s (1997 at least). The callsign then was "Kestrel" again...

Why did the airline go from using "Kestrel" to "Tourjet", then back to "Kestrel" again?

One of those things that I always wondered, but never asked! Thanks for any response. :D

[Jet A1]

Think it was something to do with some American bloke who had a few bizjets or alike and had that callsign, alike having a wesite domain thingy. Anyways dont think he was to please to hear them over US airspace using 'HIS' callsign so to prevent a bun-fight that changed -- At least that is what I was told !

[justforfun]

Did they not use them both for a while? one for long haul ops and the other for short-medium haul, or was it the MD83's were Kestrel and the rest were tourjet?..... can't quite remember but they did use both for a period as I recall..... :p

[Localiser Green]

So "Kestrel" was already in use in the US, and they had to change to Tourjet temporarily?

I didn't think any two airlines / operators could have the same callsign - don't ICAO have to approve these sort of things?

Anyway I rather liked Tourjet, quite appropriate I thought...

[starship]

If I remember correctly, at that time the 757/767 fleet were using the 'Tourjet' callsign, and TIH flight number prefixes.

The MD83 was using 'Kestrel' with AIH flight number prefixes.

Before the MyTravel rebranding all fleets were using 'Kestrel' with AIH 3 letter and VZ 2 letter prefixes to flight numbers.

I am unsure whether TIH was exclusive to long haul or not, however.

Cheers,

starship :cool:

[Scallywag]

LG, when I joined we were Tourjet, and the reason I heard for change to Kestrel was that some company from former USSR was called "turjet" (not sure of spelling) and that they were registered with ICAO before us and due to similarity of callsigns we had to change. Don't know if it's factual, but that was the story at the time.

[Localiser Green]

Scallywag,

But the book that came with my scanner listed the callsign as "Kestrel", many years before the change? I will track the book down at my parents house but I'm thinking mid 90s publication.

The AIH callsign definately stayed as "Tourjet" for years afterwards. That's what made me think they went from Kestrel to Tourjet then back to Kestrel....

The MD-83 story is interesting though, perhaps the book listed that "fleet" callsign whilst the 757/767 fleet still used Tourjet, then evetually the MD-83 was retired but for some reason around 1998-ish Kestrel was re-adopted across the board...

Interesting stories so far though... keep em comin'!

[justforfun]

Starship

Yep, thats the one I was thinking of - couldn't remember the TIH prefix, but yes B757/767 was the TIH - Tourjet and MD83 was AIH - Kestrel... think the whole thing went to Kestrel when the MD83's went... and the whole lot kept the AIH prefix 'till MYT... last I heard it used like that was around 1996-97. :hmm:

JFF :D

[Easy226]

I would also be interested why when MyTravel Lite first started operations, they used the traditional 'Kestrel' callsign. Probarbly about after a month or two after operations had commenced, this callsign had changed to 'MyLite'. Any reasons for this or was it just to distinguish the two different services??
Many Thanks

[G-AZUK]

didnt they have different AOC's the MD operation was based in Guernsey or somewhere like that but for longhaul ops they needed a UK AOC so needed a different c/s - or was it a dream

[Stud3]

When i flew to Orlando with Airtours back in October 1994 the code was TIH069 and TIH070 for the return. As far as i know TIH was used on long haul as i remember seeing that day there was a flight to somewhere in Europe with the code being AIH.

And we were called 'Tourjet' i remember from visiting the flight deck.

[UFGBOY]

When Airtours bought Aspro Holidays/Inter European Airways and the integration came about in October, 1993, the B757 operation was on a different A.O.C. (the IEA one); hence the 'Tourjet' designator, which they then also used for teh B767 op as well.......

[Spitoon]

Don't think UFGBOY's theory works - the R/T c/s for IEA was 'ASPRO'.

[Mister Geezer]

Scallywag I think your suspicions are correct

The conflicting airline was AJT Air International, which is based in Moscow SVO. Their callsign is 'Turjet' and they mainly operate IL-86s and the odd TU-154. I can just imagine some poor old Spanish or Greek controller on a dark evening, throwing his toys out of his pram when two aircraft pop up with the similar callsigns! Hence the change back to Kestrel, which was the original callsign.

[Airbanda]

Tourjet and Jetset on the same frx could catch the unwary as well!

[U/S President]

I think G-AZUK may be onto something as the MD-83s were operated by Airtours International Aviation (Guernsey) Ltd instead of the usual Airtours International Airways Ltd.

On the MyTravelLite issue, I’m not sure why the MyTravelLite flights are allowed a separate callsign when it doesn’t have its own AOC. I guess if you pay ICAO enough, you can have what you want. Also from April, MyTravelLite will have its own ICAO code: MYL. At the minute MyTravelLite uses MyTravel Airways’ IATA code VZ to distinguish itself from the usual MYT. As MyTravelLite is just a trading name of MyTravel Airways Ltd, this means that MyTravel Airways has two callsigns and two ICAO codes. And don’t even start to think about where MyTravel Airways A/S fits into all this.

Another interesting one is bmibaby. bmibaby doesn’t have its own AOC, but is a trading name of British Midland Regional Ltd (not the mainline carrier). It has its own callsign ‘Baby’ and its own IATA code WW. The confusing thing about this set-up is that bmi regional uses the IATA code and callsign of the mainline carrier, i.e. BD and ‘Midland’. It’s enough to make your head spin.

What I really don’t get about the bmi set-up that that when you book a bmi british midland or bmi regional flight, nowhere in the T&C does it say who your flight is being operated by. I’d have thought it was a legal necessity to say if it was British Midland Airways Ltd or British Midland Regional Ltd. For examples: in the bmibaby T&C it says that flights are operated by British Midland Regional Ltd; in the MyTravelLite T&C it says that flights are operated by MyTravel Airways Ltd; and in the Jet2 T&C is says that flights are operated by Express Air Services Ltd.