Originally Posted by
Genghis the Engineer
I was within rights to declare a Pan, and it would have saved me some money apparently.
Declaring a PAN (or MAYDAY) is not about "rights", it's about a matter of judgement. You elected not to declare a PAN, because in your judgement, the airborne situation didn't warrant it. Declaring a PAN simply to gain financial advantage would, IMHO, be an abuse of a) Emergency procedures, b) the priviledges of a pilot's licence, and c) the Strasser scheme.
Would it have changed anything else?
Yes. ATC are required to file an MOR following any PAN message (not so with a routine diversion). This could lead to
"slightly tight flight planning" etc attracting adverse comment from the CAA.
Having said that, Pilots should never fear declaring
any category of emergency for the
right reasons, but financial consideration isn't one of them!