A COMPLAINT ABOUT SIMILAR CALLSIGNS AND IDENTICAL FLT NUMBERS AND THE ASSOCIATED POTENTIAL PROBLEMS.

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IN YOUR LATEST CALLBACK; #106; YOU CARRIED A SHORT ARTICLE ABOUT HOW ASRS BEGAN AND THEN DEFINED THE SYS IN PART AS A METHOD TO CALL ATTN TO SITUATIONS AND CONDITIONS INCOMPATIBLE WITH SAFETY; AND MORE OR LESS INVITED PARTICIPATION BY INTERESTED AVIATORS. A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE THAT I AM SURE THAT MANY ARE INTERESTED IN BUT THAT I NEVER HEAR ABOUT IS THE LITERALLY CONTINUOUS EXPOSURE WE EXPERIENCE IN COMMERCIAL AVIATION TO IDENTICAL CALL SIGNS. WE ARE ALL SUPPOSED TO PREFIX OUR FLT NUMBER WITH THE COMPANY NAME; BUT HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HEAR JUST A NUMBER CALLING FOR INSTRUCTIONS OR ACKNOWLEDGING A CLRNC? I SUPPOSE I SHOULD ALTER MY COMMENT ABOUT 'IDENTICAL' FLT NUMBERS TO 'CONFUSING' FLT NUMBERS. JUST A FEW DAYS AGO ON ACR A FLT XAB THERE WAS A ACR A AXB ON THE FREQ; ALSO A FLT AB; AND ON TOP OF THAT THERE WAS AN ACR B XAB. THINKING BACK; AND LOOKING OVER MY LOGBOOK; THERE ARE MANY OTHER EXAMPLES SUCH AS THAT; BUT THEY ALL MAKE THE SAME POINT OBVIOUS -- THESE CONFUSING SIMILARITIES ARE BECOMING A MAJOR; AND I MEAN MAJOR; FACTOR IN TFC CONFLICTS; LOST FREQS; AND POTENTIAL TANGLING OF TAIL FEATHERS. WHEN YOU HEAR THESE MULTIPLE FLTS WITH SIMILAR FLT NUMBERS ON APCH CTL TRYING TO GET INTO O'HARE; YOU CRINGE WHEN THE WRONG FLT ACKNOWLEDGES A FREQ CHANGE; AND REALLY WONDER WHEN SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THIS COM FAULT. THE CTLRS; MUCH TO THEIR CREDIT; ARE BEGINNING TO PREFACE A FLT NUMBER WITH THE COMPANY NAME; AND THEN REPEAT THE COMPANY NAME AFTER THE FLT NUMBER; I.E.; COMPANY XAB COMPANY; SWITCH TO ...... I AM SURE THEY ARE MORE AWARE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS PROB THAN I AM; BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT IS GETTING WORSE; FASTER. WOULD IT NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR THE FAA; ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR FLOW CONTROL COMPUTER CAPABILITIES; TO ASSIGN FLT NUMBERS TO ALL DOMESTIC FLTS THAT DO NOT HAVE CONFLICTS SUCH AS I HAVE DESCRIBED? THIS COULD BE DONE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CARRIERS; WHO WOULD HAVE INTERESTS IN THIS AREA ALSO.