Originally Posted by
Dick Smith
When ATC or pilots hear the word MAYDAY immediate action needs to be taken.
That's the whole point - when ATC hears the "Mayday Fuel" call, they immediately give the aircraft priority for landing so that (hopefully) it doesn't run out of fuel.
Do you remember the 1990 crash of an Avianca B707 in New York, where the aircraft ran out of fuel after extended holding? One of the findings of the subsequent investigation was the "lack of standardised understandable terminology for pilots and controllers for minimum and emergency fuel states".