Originally Posted by
farefield
Could this problem be compounded by the habit of saying, say, one left, instead of zero one left?
Yes !
Calling and thinking about a runway by only its non-zero digit might lead to confusion - doing so gets one into the habit of ignoring the zero and just concentrating on the other number. This is dangerous because you then lose the crucial distinction between, say, 01 and 10.
Voicing the zero adds safety because it reinforces the image of the number in the mind as one looks at the MCDU or NAV display - of both the digits instead of just the non-zero digit.
Pilots in certain places in the world almost routinely abbreviate RT comms and use non standard phrases - presumably to sound slick? - but in my experience this practice often adds confusion, and the irony is that non standard messages have to be repeated much more often than in airspace where standard phraseology is more fully adhered to.