B737-500 FLC HAS PROB WHEN COMPANY ACFT WITH SIMILAR SOUNDING A/N RESPONDS TO CLRNC WHICH WAS MEANT FOR RPTR ACFT.

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OUR CALL SIGN WAS COMPANY ABCD (X). WE WERE BEING FOLLOWED BY COMPANY ABCE (Y). I DO NOT KNOW THEIR DEST BUT OURS WAS INDIANAPOLIS. WE WERE APCHING OUR TOP OF DSCNT POINT SO WE SOON WOULD NEED A LOWER ALT. CTR GAVE A CLRNC FOR WHAT SOUNDED LIKE COMPANY ABCE TO DSND TO FL240. COMPANY ABCE RESPONDED TO THE CLRNC AND STARTED DOWN; RPTING OUT OF FL330. A FEW MINS LATER (ABOUT 2 MINS) CTR ASKED COMPANY ABCE FOR HIS ALT. HE RPTED OUT OF FL320. CTR SAID 'NEGATIVE; NEGATIVE' RETURN TO YOUR PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED ALT OF FL330. THEN HE SAID THAT HE HAD CLRED US (COMPANY ABCD) FOR THE DSCNT. I TOLD THE CTLR THAT WE ALSO WERE CONFUSED BY WHO ACTUALLY THE CLRNC WAS FOR. THIS CONFUSION NEARLY CREATED A VERY BAD SIT. I HAVE BROUGHT TO THE ATTN; ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS; OF COMPANY MGMNT; THE DANGERS OF HAVING THE CALL SIGNS OF SO MANY ACFT SO SIMILAR THAT ALL ARE DEPARTING OR ARRIVING AT NEARLY THE SAME TIME; FROM THE SAME PLACE. THE DESCRIBED INCIDENT IS SIMILAR TO OTHER MISTAKES I HAVE EXPERIENCED OR SEEN OCCURRING TO OTHERS. IT SEEMS THAT VERY LITTLE HAS BEEN DONE SINCE THE CALL SIGNS REMAIN SO SIMILAR. YOU CAN TELL THAT CTLRS AND PLTS ARE UPSET AT THE CONFUSION IT CREATES. THE SIT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED BEFORE A REAL EMER OCCURS. I KNOW THAT I AM NOT ALONE IN VOICING THIS PROB TO OUR MGMNT. IT SEEMS THAT THE PERSON DECIDING CALL SIGNS OR FLT NUMBERS DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE SERIOUSNESS AND DANGER OF THE PROB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE HAS DISCUSSED THIS SIT WITH THE ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT WHO IS HIS DIRECT BOSS WHO INDICATED THAT THE COMPANY IS AWARE OF THE PROB AND AGREED IT IS GETTING WORSE. SCHEDULING IS WORKING ON THE PROB AND THEY HOPE FOR SOME CHANGE. RPTR STATES HE HAS NOT SEEN ANY CHANGE HOWEVER. HE WONDERS IF THERE IS SOMETHING WHICH MAKES THE JOB EASIER FOR SCHEDULING TO IDENT FLTS WITH NUMBERS IN CLOSE SEQUENCE. THIS MAY BE TRUE BUT HE NOTES THAT IT MAKES BOTH CTLR AND FLC JOBS MORE DIFFICULT. RPTR STATED THAT ACFT Y FLC FILED A RPT BUT HE HAS HEARD NOTHING FURTHER FROM COMPANY OR FAA. ANALYST RECOMMENDED USE OF THE HOTLINE.