I was indifferent with the "taxi via" phraseology they implemented a few weeks ago, but this one is a little bit over the top. One thing I don't get is why they removed "taxi into" from "taxi into position and hold" several years ago. To me, adding the command "taxi into" would make it much more clear from really any perspective, from native English to learning it as a second language. "Position and hold," which is essentially the opposite of "hold position" seems like it would be a less desireable way to communicate "taxi into position and hold."
This is an unnecessary change. I actually find it funny to read "In July 2000, the NTSB recommended the FAA...revise U.S. policy to require the use of "line up and wait" rather than "position and hold." I think after 10 years of virtually no problem, that recommendation should have been voided. 10 years to implement this?
If you care to be technical:
They're not changing 3-9-4-c. to say "Traffic waiting in position?" After reading through the whole new "LUAW" section on the change notice (see link above), and then seeing "RUNWAY (number), CONTINUE, TRAFFIC HOLDING IN POSITION," that actually confused me for a couple seconds and made me think aircraft is holding short of the runway. After realizing that would be an unnecessary statement, it clicked again. Shouldn't the term "holding" from the soon-to-be-old TIPH phraseology be changed to "waiting (in)," so that it's "TRAFFIC WAITING IN POSITION" or (from 3-9-4-k) "United Five, Runway FOur, line up and wait, traffic holding Runway Three-One."
