Why "souls" as opposed to "people?"
2007-09-24 02:50:13 · 10 answers · asked by Edward S 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
It's 19th Century language. It means all on board, including crew and passengers. It's just traditional language that stuck and is still used.
2007-09-24 04:36:17 · answer #1 · answered by aviophage 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Souls, help avoid confusion between the number of passengers, number of crew etc. When the flight crew hear souls they automatically respond with ALL the people on the plane. Air Traffic control will use this information for Search and rescue purposes.
2007-09-24 10:06:36 · answer #2 · answered by Charles 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Aviophage is 100% correct. It is old English and so deeply embedded in the minds of people and the system itself, that no substitutes have been created so far. Further, this message is universally understood. If a newer and a more catchy version of the SOS will be forthcoming and which also would gain acceptance worldwide, I am sure this archaic version will phase out.
In the olden days, this message was meant as a prayer to sanctify the souls of the people in distress, and also to inform anyone nearby to come to their aid.
2007-09-24 12:03:25 · answer #3 · answered by al_sheda 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I like aviophage's answer she should get the 10 points.
What I was told when I was working in the Arctic was that it is used to account for how many people were on board regardless of their status (living/dead/atheists) and that the rescue will act on that information until they reach the site or can clarify the situation
2007-09-24 12:53:08 · answer #4 · answered by Dangermanmi6 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am going to have to say that it is an old term that has stuck around. However, I also believe that it has something to do with the fact that when they are looking at rescuing people, they want to know how many are alive to begin with. We carry dead bodies very frequently in the cargo area so they don't want to get those bodies mixed up with the ones who really need to be rescued.
2007-09-24 12:11:25 · answer #5 · answered by IFlyGuy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because infants under the age of 2 do not count as passengers.
Souls covers all on board, Flight deck crew. Cabin staff and all passengers.
Ian M
2007-09-24 14:37:35 · answer #6 · answered by Ian M 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont know the answer, but I am giving you a star for a interesting question.
I will have a guess that it comes from some old days nautical tradition. It also sound a bit more PC than saying dead bodies. It might just be a way of softening what happened and that is hwy we still use it today/
2007-09-24 10:02:01 · answer #7 · answered by Geoff C 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
i never use "souls on board" because you can't guarantee that all the passengers still have theirs. instead i use "POB".
2007-09-24 11:36:13 · answer #8 · answered by huckleberry58 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
haha, probably just to be dramatic.
2007-09-24 09:58:26 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
why not.
2007-09-24 09:56:30 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋