USA now = Cactus ?

Ok USAir pilots... who came up with the idea of changing your call sign to cactus ? (I understand the merger, just don't understand why they choose cactus)

The last two days have been mass confusion... my data block says USA but you're calling yourself cactus. BUT ... when I call you as cactus you guys are not responding... This afternoon we started to see some data blocks as AWE BUT ... you are still calling yourself USAir !

This is going to take some getting used to...

Ok ... rant over...
 
It went into effect on the 1st and was comical flying that day in and out of CLT....14 times I heard "US AIRS...correction Cactus 1234"....comical.
 
I heard all kinds of messups yesterday. I even heard one controller say "US Air Cactus 8232" and she used both names every time. Amusing
 
Just imagine being in the same facility for 30 years then switching to another...it would probably take you more than a day to figure it out.
 
They changed it because too many of them are dumb old fart idiots who cant hear and or understand when ATC is speaking with them. Thus cactus is a new call sign and hope is they will no longer miss all the radio calls in which they have been missing.



Who knows why they changed it, but the above isnt too far from the truth according to some :)!
 
They changed it because too many of them are dumb old fart idiots who cant hear and or understand when ATC is speaking with them. Thus cactus is a new call sign and hope is they will no longer miss all the radio calls in which they have been missing.

What? :whatever:
 
They changed it because too many of them are dumb old fart idiots who cant hear and or understand when ATC is speaking with them. Thus cactus is a new call sign and hope is they will no longer miss all the radio calls in which they have been missing.



Who knows why they changed it, but the above isnt too far from the truth according to some :)!

Whaaaaaatever :whatever:
 
I heard all kinds of messups yesterday. I even heard one controller say "US Air Cactus 8232" and she used both names every time. Amusing

I was doing that today... seemed to work. The part that I don't understand is why file the flight plan as USAir ? All my data says USA ... if the lfight plan and radar data showed AWE it would be easier...
 
Wasn't more like a buyout, take over of US Air by America West? I don't understand why the gripe by the East guys, in corporate America whomever is doing the buying gets to decide on the outcome, plus usually their employees get the better deal.

Don't get me wrong it sucks when you're the loosing team, but they could have bought the company and sold all the assets like Pan Am, hence no one in former US Air would had a job.

So if it's Cactus now, take it or leave it.
 
I don't think US Air or America West really had any money to bring to the table, the "merger" was financed by outside sources such as various investment firms, Air Canada, Eastshore Holdings, (Air Wisconsin) Credit Card companies, etc.
 
America West has been using "Cactus" for years.

The problem--and kudos to the controller for using "US Air Cactus"--is that you develop internal filters to where you don't pay attention to any transmission not preceded with your company's callsign, and the old-timer Airways guys are not used to having "Cactus" refer to them.
 
I remember seeing somewhere that they were going to retain the ICAO flight plan block of USA and the Cactus call sign. Definitely confusing for ATC, I'm sure. It has been an entertaining couple of days around CLT, and the east coast.
 
I remember seeing somewhere that they were going to retain the ICAO flight plan block of USA and the Cactus call sign. Definitely confusing for ATC, I'm sure. It has been an entertaining couple of days around CLT, and the east coast.

This is the part that annoys me... what genius decided this ? I understand that the pilots are used to hearing one thing, that I expect. BUT ! ... why file in such a way that everything on my end shows USAir ?

It's like giving passengers every piece of info on the flight with USAir printed on it then at the gate advertise the flight as AWE ... it adds to a confusing situation.
 
Wasn't more like a buyout, take over of US Air by America West? I don't understand why the gripe by the East guys, in corporate America whomever is doing the buying gets to decide on the outcome, plus usually their employees get the better deal.

Don't get me wrong it sucks when you're the loosing team, but they could have bought the company and sold all the assets like Pan Am, hence no one in former US Air would had a job.

So if it's Cactus now, take it or leave it.

Glad to hear someone around here has the story right. I'm sick and tired of hearing east guys gripe about it. They should be glad they even have a job. The AWE guys gave a lot of sacrifices in the merger, and in all honesty, cactus sounds cooler. There's my rant... :)
 
The AWE guys gave a lot of sacrifices in the merger, and in all honesty, cactus sounds cooler. :)

Out of curiosity, what did the ex west guys give up in the merger?

And the merger was paid for by outside sources, set up by Wolf on the east side. AWA didn't put up any money.
 
hah! i heard "cactus" on the radio not long ago and was wondering what that was! i figured it was some military a/c. they always have sweet names like "hog" or "mustang" or something like that.
 
Glad to hear someone around here has the story right. I'm sick and tired of hearing east guys gripe about it. They should be glad they even have a job. The AWE guys gave a lot of sacrifices in the merger, and in all honesty, cactus sounds cooler. There's my rant...
Huh? You guys need to read the press releases some more. If AWE and USA would not have MERGED..... BOTH groups would be out of business.
AWE made sacrifices? They gained seats in widebodies that AWE would have never purchased and got routes they would have never earned....Boy they sure took one for the team :sarcasm::sarcasm:

The combined company chose to keep the name USair because it better represented the brand. Then they chose a callsign that is a symbol to about 6 western states. To the rest of the country "cactus" is absolutely meaningless. Not to mention the utter disassociation between the name on the side of the plane and the callsign.

Seeing that the US-E side had more planes and pilots, and more routes, far fewer people (both pilots and ATC) would have had to learn a new callsign if they would have chosen "USAir."

Sorry for the rant. I am not affiliated in any way with USAir, other than FF status. I just tired of hearing AWE cry poor me.

Published: December 27, 2001
America West Airlines, which is the country's eighth-largest carrier and one that was struggling even before the terrorist attacks, has asked for help and could be forced to file for bankruptcy protection early next week if the board does not grant it a guarantee. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405EFDF1031F934A15751C1A9679C8B63

Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Sources familiar with the talks said it was unlikely that America West, the nation's eighth-largest airline, would acquire US Airways outright, because an acquisition could pose a major financial burden.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3222-2005Apr19.html


May 19, 2005
US Airways and America West made it official Thursday, releasing details of their long-awaited merger.

US Airways/US Airways Express currently serves 179 cities and America West/America West Express serves 96 cities.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/usair_americawest4.html
 
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