It was interesting how this unfolded for someone who didn't know beforehand that the Virgin call signs were changing. I turned on my scanner late morning and immediately heard a Velocity XXX callsign. It caught my attention as something different and I kept tracking it and then heard another one. The penny dropped when a Velocity XXX Alpa came on frequency and I realised that with the start of the NW that Virgin must have changed their call sign. Mr Borghetti's change management has certainly reached all parts of the company!
Kept listening and can confirm that VOz 1 used the Velocity call sign. There were a few comments particularly when the Virgin call sign was used by both pilots and controllers in error but most seem to adapt pretty well. It will take some time for old habits to change.
Does anyone know the story of why the change and why Virgin choose the name of their frequest flyers program for their call sign? It looks as though Virgin 200/201 will be the only flights with the Virgin call sign from now on.
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