you know whats stupid, now on the scope they all show up USA, there are no more AWE (cactus). WHY cant they just change them all to AWE?!?!? the public will know NOTHING about it and it would resolve the problem of controllers calling Catctus US Air. That could be a safety issue.
Because America West Holdings ceased operations of AWE in 2005 after it acquired USAirways, and rebranded the entire airline US Airways.
Because apart from 1991 when AWE started service to RJNA (and ceased it shortly after; the Japanese gov't told their citizens not to use any US based airline, as we had gone itno the Gulf War), AWE was primarily a domestic/North-Central American carrier. The furthest south they went was San Jose, Costa Rica.
USA is known more internationally than AWE, so non-N. American controllers would know that ICAO code better than AWE. Plus they merged the airline in every right, so they let the AWE certificate expire, leaving the USA certificate the only one they're flying under. AWE was the more profitable of the two, so they kept the better known ICAO code (you can't mistake USA), but kept the bigger brother of the two callsigns, Cactus. Plus, they are based in Phoenix..?
BL.