So, Just How Did You Get That Callsign? Quiz

Answer: Speedbird

The callsign "Speedbird" was adopted by British Airways after the merger of BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) and BEA (British European Airways). The callsign was originally used by BOAC as a reference to its original logo, which depicted a swept-back winged bird travelling at high velocity. It became the official callsign of British Airways in 1974.

Answer: Cactus

U.S. Airways adopted "Cactus" as its callsign following the merger with America West Airlines in 2005. The headquarters for America West Airlines and currently U.S. Airways is located in Tempe, Arizona. Arizona is famous for the Saguaro Cactus.

Answer: Citrus

AirTran Airways' callsign is "Citrus". Despite its hub being in Atlanta, Georgia, AirTran's headquarters is in Orlando, Florida, thus a callsign of Citrus was adopted. The current AirTran began operating as ValuJet Airlines in 1992. ValuJet acquired AirTran Airways in 1997 and adopted the AirTran name.

Answer: Shamrock

Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland. Formed in 1936, Aer Lingus' logo and aircraft livery both display a shamrock. The shamrock of course is symbolic of the nation of Ireland.

Answer: Redwood

Virgin America is a low-cost airline which was launched in 2004 by the Virgin Group. The callsign of "Redwood" was adopted due to the airline's hub being in San Francisco, California (an area known for the giant Redwood trees).

Answer: Springbok

The "Springbok" callsign is used for South African Airways. A springbok is an animal related to an antelope native to South Africa. The original logo and livery of South African Airways featured a blue springbok. In 1997, the logo and livery were redone, but the callsign remained.

Answer: Air Mike

Continental Micronesia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Continental Airlines. It was established in 1968 as Air Micronesia or "Air Mike" for short. The airline is based in Guam. Despite being owned by Continental any flight operated as Continental Micronesia uses the callsign of "Air Mike".

Answer: Acey

Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) is a regional airline owned by SkyWest. It currently operates regional flights for Delta Connection and United Express. Founded in 1979, the airline adopted "Acey" as its callsign after Coca-cola founder Asa Candler. From 1999-2006 ASA used "Candler" as its call sign but reverted back to "Acey".

Answer: Flagship

Pinnacle Airlines (formerly Express Airlines) adopted "Flagship" as its callsign in 2002 when the company changed its name. The name was chosen by employees. Pinnacle currently flies regional routes as Delta Connection and is also a former Northwest Airlink carrier.

Answer: Brickyard

Republic Airlines is a regional airline based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. Their callsign "Brickyard" is a reference to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is nicknamed "The Brickyard" do to its partial brick surface.