How do you call an airline?

Short answer

Always call the number the airline publishes on its own website or official app, never the first one that shows up in a search engine, where premium-rate lines and impersonation scams abound. On the radio, each airline also has its own ICAO call sign: British Airways is Speedbird and Aer Lingus is Shamrock. And if the call doesn't solve the problem, in Spain you file a complaint with AESA.

Published: September 21, 2026 · Updated: September 21, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

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Through the official channel, not the first number you find

The safe way to call an airline is the phone number listed on its own website or app, under the contact or customer service section. Be wary of numbers that appear in search engine ads or on third-party websites: there are premium-rate lines and fraudulent pages that impersonate the airline to charge for services or collect card details. Most major airlines also offer support via in-app chat, messaging, and social media. Always keep your six-character booking reference handy: it's the first thing they'll ask for.

How controllers address them

On the radio, every airline has a call sign registered with ICAO that precedes the flight number, and it doesn't always match its commercial name. Iberia is called Iberia, but British Airways is Speedbird, Aer Lingus is Shamrock, Vueling is Vueling, and Air Europa is Europa. The call sign is followed by the flight number, so a controller will say "Speedbird four six two" rather than "British Airways." These names are chosen to be unmistakable over the radio and are listed in ICAO Document 8585.

Where to complain if the call gets nowhere

If the airline doesn't respond to a complaint about a delay, cancellation, or denied boarding, in Spain the competent body is the State Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), which handles complaints covered by EU Regulation 261/2004 and, since 2023, issues decisions binding on airlines. In the rest of the European Union, each state has its own national body. The first step is always to file a written complaint with the airline and keep its response, or note the lack of one.