Call signs?

[Cam]

Why in Britan (maybe elsewhere), so they refer to themselves at Speedbird XXXX

[PortColumbus]

Speedbird = British Airways

[Avianca 757]

Not every callsign is the same as the Airline's name, for example:

China Airlines = Dynasty
America West = Cactus

And lots more

[LRJet Guy]

Pinnacle= Flagship
Continental Express = Jetlink
Mesa = Air Shuttle
Atlas = Giant
ACA = Blue Ridge
PSA = Blue Streak
ASA = Candler
USA3000 = Getaway

Many more.

[Mungous]

I thought they used Speedbird because of the Concorde but I am probably wrong

Virgin Blue & Pacific Blue = Bluebird

[Novarupta0712]

I think BOAC originally used the name "speedbird" because they were the first to operate a commercial jet service (using DeHavilland Comets)...but I may be wrong on this.

Some other callsign examples:

Carib Aviation = "Red Tail"
BWIA = "West Indian"
First Choice = "Jetset"
Air Caraibes = "French West"
Pan Am = "Clipper"

[screaming_emu]

University of North Dakota=Sioux. Just this year we got it approved to use it anywhere in the US that we go, wheras before it was only when we were in the Grand Forks area.

[AJ]

Virgin Blue & Pacific Blue = Bluebird

Only Pacific Blue, Virgin Blue is 'Virgin'.

Speedbird's radio callsign came from the BOAC/British Airways company logo known as 'The Speedbird', seen on the tail of this VC-10:

[photoid=395015]

[Crism]

AirTran - Aaaaaaaaaaammmtraaaaaaaaann

It's so funny when pilots pronounce the a long

[Cam]

Anyone know the ones for Canadian Airlines? (AC, Westjet, etc.)

[expoITHscohen]

http://www.aerosite.net/logos.htm

[Cam]

Cool.

[pilotgolfer]

sweet

[monkeyboy]

I thought they used Speedbird because of the Concorde but I am probably wrong

Virgin Blue & Pacific Blue = Bluebird

British Airways callsign has 'always' been Speedbird, but you would also occasionally hear a B.A. Concorde using the callsign "concorde"

[uy707]

Speedbird is very old, it dates back to the days of Imperial Airways which merged with British Airways mk1 to form BOAC in 1940. I think the callsign became in common use in 1940/41 when newly formed BOAC had to assume a host of routes linking the UK at war with numerous parts of the world, mostly for strategic purposes. The story I heard : Crews were set to fly over hostile territories and came up in using "Speedbird" to identify over the radio when communicating with the outside, instead of using plain BOAC and better attracting the attention of German eve droppers !!! .
Alain