| As an airline flight attendant you will be immersed into | | | | say. That way, letters like C and D although similar in |
| a new world of language that you cannot avoid or | | | | letter sound, can be correctly identified. Charlie is |
| ignore. While the aviation language standard around | | | | very different to Delta for example. It is then just a |
| the globe is English, it's the English Phonetic Alphabet | | | | matter of sounding out the letters or spelling of the |
| that is unavoidable to those that fly operationally. | | | | word that you need to communicate. |
| While strange to some at first it will quickly become | | | | Operationally, this is always used to identify aircraft |
| familiar to you when you are immersed into it as an | | | | and anything that needs certain understanding. As a |
| airline flight attendant. | | | | Flight Attendant you will need to know the phonetic |
| But why do airlines use this language? Simply the | | | | alphabet as you will use it and hear it used often |
| world is a small place when it comes to jet aircraft. In | | | | while at work. You will quickly find that it creeps into |
| less than a day you can cross literally dozens of | | | | your everyday language as a type of short hand to |
| countries and all with local Pilots and Air traffic | | | | operational understanding with other crew members. |
| controllers that have accents that are native to their | | | | So what is the Phonetic alphabet used by the Airline |
| mother tongue. | | | | industry? |
| To save confusion with accents and to have clarity | | | | A - Alpha, B - Bravo, C - Charlie, D - Delta, E - Echo, |
| and precision of identification over the airways | | | | F - Foxtrot, G - Golf, H - Hotel, I - India, J - Juliet, K - |
| around the world, the airline industry communicates | | | | Kilo, L - Lima, M - Mike, N - November, O - Oscar, P - |
| with a system called the Phonetic alphabet. The | | | | Papa, Q - Quebec, R - Romeo, S - Sierra, T - Tango, |
| Phonetic alphabet was developed during the mid | | | | U - Uniform, V - Victor, W - Whiskey, - X-ray, Y - |
| 1900s so that soldiers of war could articulate | | | | Yankee, Z - Zulu |
| messages over the radio to other soldiers in the heat | | | | Simply print out the above and refer to when |
| of battle without misunderstanding due to poor | | | | needed. With a little bit of practice you'll learn the |
| reception and the noise of battle. | | | | alphabet in no time. Then as a Flight Attendant you'll |
| Basically the use of the Phonetic alphabet sounds a | | | | easily apply the phonetic alphabet when and where |
| word that starts with the letter that you want to | | | | needed automatically and almost without thought. |