Originally Posted by
Dick Smith
All ICAO needed was a word which made the situation 100% clear to ATC but not the publicly well known Mayday.
Could be "Perth - we have alpha fuel"
The media will beat this up every time Mayday is mentioned as if everyone is about to die! Glad I don't own an airline!
I agree completely with this. The media being the media will always make a story that gets clicks (maybe even manufacture bits of it), I bet journalists that haven't the foggiest will salivate at opportunites like these and just throw it whatever they can find because they know "Qantas" and "Mayday" together garners a lot of attention. Not only that but it makes nervous flyers even more nervous. They aren't helping.