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Takes more readback brain power to say each digit seperately.
Really, works well all over the world, except in the USA. Does your statement describe the underlying problem?
Yes really. I'm not saying it's correct but "thirty eight, twenty eight" is easier than "three-eight-two-eight" when issuing or reading back multiple instructions and that's why pilots and controllers revert to it.
It reduces the memory involved by compartmentalizing two numbers instead of four. Push one glass on a full coffee table and another is more likely to fall off. It works...just a question of what's the safest overall. Pilots and controllers in the U.S. know it works from experience with both, especially with 4 digit call signs.
What where they using in the Canary Islands?