Heard for a friend that all flights after Sept 1st will use the call sign Cactus... Any one else heard that

I think they've gone back and forth on that...I hope it stays cactus, but I doubt usapa will stand for that

Date: August 11, 2008
To: All Pilots
From: Captain Ed Bular, Senior Vice President - Flight Operations/InFlight
Subject:Call Sign

Fellow Pilots,

Next month, on September 26, the Company will mark the one-year anniversary of the Operating Certificate merger at the new US Airways. Even after the merge, though, we continued to operate under two separate ATC identifiers and call signs – US Air and Cactus. To complete the consolidation of operations, all flights will be filed with the USA identifier and use the call sign Cactus beginning
September 1, 2008.

You will recall that in the summer of 2006, we communicated that Cactus would be the surviving call sign. However, at the time of the certificate merge both the Company and the FAA agreed that implementing a single call sign would pose a greater distraction than continuing with two separate call signs. Subsequently during periodic reviews with the FAA, we agreed that operating with separate call signs for an extended period was not acceptable to either the FAA or our pilots. As a result, both parties then agreed to implement a single call sign beginning this September.

To validate that using Cactus as our call sign with aircraft painted in US Airways livery was not going to be a safety issue, we tasked the Flight Safety Department to conduct an analysis and safety risk assessment with Air Traffic Control. The conclusion of that analysis is that either US Air or Cactus would provide the lower risk over using a newly created call sign, and that neither legacy call sign had a significant benefit over the other.

Understandably this is an emotional issue; there are many arguments for both call signs and all had good points. We communicated previously that since the former America West employees retired their airline name, the new US Airways would employ the Cactus call sign moving forward. As we approach September 1, please look for more information on specific implementation and use of the consolidated call sign for all US Airways flights.

Fly Safe,

Ed

I hear usapa is preparing a lawsuit to keep from having to say cactus, I can't confirm it though.

then use "Prick" as in Cactus prick. sounds reasonable to me...

Mookie

I find it hard to believe this is really an issue...

I can understand (although I may not agree completely with) the USAir folks problems with the seniority intergration, but if they REALLY do (which I doubt) have a problem with using a Catus callsign, than it says they have no respect for the "merger" and have lost what support I was giving them.

But again, I doubt they really do have a problem with Catus.

Then again, I've been wrong before...

I didnt think ICAO would allow that

Bet the westie's would work a trade...the easties can call the line whatever they wish in return for ALPA. Bet every west guy would go for that.

Seems like a stupid thing to argue over...why can't the pilot groups even attempt to get together? (And yes, I've watched "Can't Take The Heat" in all of its painful detail...)

When alpa was still on the property the east mec, refused to say "cactus" and the company went with two different call signs as , according to the company, a new call sign would be more than the east pilots could safely deal with. The new union has a resolution saying that usair is the only acceptable call sign, anything else is a "safety" issue. they also refused to wear the new uniform and that went to arbitration and they lost. And BTW the usair "folks" no longer have an issue with seniority has they have reordered the list so that 85% of west pilots will be junior to the most junior east pilot on date of merger. Yes that means that west captains will hit the street before junior east pilots, as a matter of fact pre merger america west pilots are being furloughed now while new hires (post merger) keep flying back east.