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ABCs in the ATL
If you've ever passed through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (an even more unwieldy name than Newark Liberty Fahrvergnügen or whatever it's now called), you probably spent a little time on the automated people mover linking the distant concourses. A mechanized female voice calls out each concourse stop: A, B, C, D, E, or T (Terminal). Probably because speaker distortion puts a strain on the voice's enunciation, the concourse's letter is clarified: "Concourse C...as in Charlie" was the first one I heard on a recent trip. That struck me as a little odd, the "ch" sound not being the clearest indicator of the letter C in my book.
But I soon learned that the system was employing the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, as used by the International Civil Aviation Organization. And why not? This is wartime, kids, and maybe a subtle reminder like this allays the anger caused by putting 3-ounce-or-less gels, liquids, and aerosols in a clear 1-liter-or-less zip-top plastic bag to get through airport security.
On my return flight, I paid close attention at each stop: Tango, Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, David, Echo. Wait a minute…David?!? I'm no Army radio operator, but that sounded wrong. It's supposed to be Delta.
Ah, but it can't be Delta. Because Atlanta is the main hub for Delta Air Lines. And that would be too confusing.
So why use the NATO Alphabet in the first place? It's time to revisit this topic, Hartsfield-Jackson International, and I think I know just the person to help.
Posted by Jack Silbert on 03/26/2007 | Permalink
Comments
I thought you were going to suggest this one.
Posted by: Adam Kenner | Mar 26, 2007 2:11:05 PM
"Concourse C...as in Campbell's"—the ad-revenue possibilities could be extremely tempting. Somebody get the Hartsfield marketing boys on the blower!
Posted by: Jack Silbert | Mar 26, 2007 10:05:48 PM
The spoken alphabet's origin has nothing to do with air combat, though it was widely adopted for that purpose. The origin is plain ol' radio communication. The standard is just that, a standard - used by allies in WWII, but also by amatuer radio enthusiasts, by the airline industry, automated people movers, etc. Though you might flash back to fighting Charlie (short for Victor Charlie i.e. Viet Cong) in Khe Sanh, I only hear a standardized system, internationally recognized and much clearer than the robot voice that speaks it. Just because a mechanized, authoritve voice says it, doesn't mean The Man is trying to harden your spirit for war. And lynneb... c'mon.
Posted by: Brizmo | Mar 27, 2007 1:07:13 PM
If there's one for Georgia, maybe it's time to do an ABC book for New Jersey. ;)
Posted by: Jersey Girl | Mar 27, 2007 3:04:30 PM
Brizmo, thank you for your clear-headed and informative comment. And Jersey Girl, looks like they beat you to it.
Posted by: Jack Silbert | Mar 28, 2007 1:25:52 AM
And in quite a positive way, I might add! I bet there's no "B for burying bodies under the skyway" in there. Thanks for the find!
Posted by: Jersey Girl | Mar 28, 2007 11:04:38 AM
