I posted on this thread because I was full of admiration for the crew of BA116. Just listening to the ATC tapes and hearing the calm in the voice of the pilot(s) was unreal.
Yep the ATC guy asked for the fuel remaining in pounds, and the guy on the radio responded with the maximum landing weight in tons... Listening to it again and again it seems obvious they were happy to come back and land as soon as possible. The pilots were comfortable with their weight. They were confident in the ability of their aircraft.
If some of the professionals here would like to incorporate this scenario into the training of aircrew that would be great.
As to the ATC asking fuel onboard and passengers. I have a sneaky feeling that may be a standard question that is required.