Originally Posted by
DROPS
Dare I say it, if you broadcast PAN FUEL, you are getting the same treatment anyway. No ATC is stupid enough or pedantic enough to argue the point in the heat of the moment.
Wanna bet? Some countries don't recognise "PAN PAN", let alone "PAN FUEL". I'm fairly certain that if you tried that in Australia, ATC would tell you to declare "MAYDAY FUEL" if you want priority. In the QF case, ATC was already aware of the aircraft's fuel state, but still told them they needed to declare "MAYDAY FUEL" to get priority.