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!
Aviation professionals understand the implications of a MAYDAY FUEL call and will initiate/respond accordingly. While it may seem spectacular to the media/public that's not the point - the point is for each party involved to understand and respond appropriately to achieve a safe outcome. Which is what happened. And it's standard internationally - it's not one of the dreaded bespoke Australian or USA-specific things.