When news of the Titanic disaster first broke in 1912, the International Herald Tribune reported that “of the souls on board the great ship, only 675, mostly women and children, have been saved.” When commercial travel casualties are either imminent or being reported, members of the media will often call the deceased “souls.” Soliciting the number of souls on board is usually an alarming sign: It means air traffic control is looking to confirm the number of people that might need to be rescued or recovered in the event of an aviation mishap. So why do professionals refer to travelers as souls instead of passengers? When communicating with a pilot, asking about the number of souls has brevity. Asking about the total number of people on board, including travelers and crew, does not. It also avoids confusion when referencing the number of seats aboard an aircraft. While a seat is normally occupied by a person, it might also be taken by a companion animal or some kind of inanimate object like a musical instrument. Air traffic controllers, pilots, and ship captains have a sobering responsibility in keeping people safe. Invoking souls may be a reminder of that obligation, and a likely reason that even though it’s not an official edict, it continues to be part of an oral tradition.
