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Air Traffic Monitoring => Listener Forum => Topic started by: dw on March 07, 2014, 02:42:49 PM

Title: BA Flight Numbers
Post by: dw on March 07, 2014, 02:42:49 PM

Anyone know why BA has added letters to some of their flight numbers like the lhr to phl flight 67?  They identify themselves as 67V.
 

Title: Re: BA Flight Numbers
Post by: JetScan1 on March 07, 2014, 03:13:09 PM

Quote

Anyone know why BA has added letters to some of their flight numbers like the lhr to phl flight 67?  They identify themselves as 67V.

It's to avoid callsign confusion, flights with similar sounding flight numbers on the same frequency.

It's been used quite extensively within Europe for a number of years now and over the last few years has become increasingly common with European airlines on flights to North America.

The practice seems to be slowly catching on in North America, with Skywest and Air Wisconsin noted using alpha-numeric callsigns recently.

Not to be confused with some North American Airlines when the company dispatch adds a letter to a flight number to avoid confusion when a flight is delayed or to indicate a positioning flight, etc.

Title: Re: BA Flight Numbers
Post by: dw on March 07, 2014, 03:18:54 PM

Thanks very much for the explanation.