What are some unusual airline call signs?

Among the many codes each airline uses is one known as a “call sign.” This is how pilots and air traffic controllers identify an airline when talking to each other. For example, “This is Cactus 313 requesting ……” Cactus was the call sign for US Airways. Over the years we’ve lost some other funny call signs to mergers as well. Who remembers “Citrus” for AirTran, or my personal favorite, “Critter” for Valuejet. Most U.S. based airlines today just use the name of the carrier, but if we look overseas there are still some that bring a smile. Here are a few examples:

• Aer Lingus – Shamrock
• British Airways – Speedbird
• South African Airways – Springbok
• Tigerair – Go Cat
• Virgin Australia – Velocity