OK, I don't understand this.....

[aap1966]

Pilots pull off incredible landing in Sydney storm

So, gist of the story is "A Qantas captain and his first officer are being hailed as heroes after pulling off an incredibly difficult landing in dangerous weather conditions at Sydney Airport on Tuesday night"

The way I read this is either:
A. The self loading freight aren't used to landing in rain, and got nervous. But no real danger, so no real story.
OR
B. The pilots really did pull off an amazing landing in very dangerous conditions, in a storm that saw lots of other flights divert to their alternates rather than land at Sydney. In which case WTF?!?!?!?! They're NOT heros, they should be sacked if they let their "get-home-itis" overrule passenger safety.

Either the report, or the pilots, are way out of line. Both can't be right. (I hope it was the reporters in the wrong).

[widgeon13]

Dangerous and irresponsible. As a passenger I probably would not have gotten on the plane. I always check the weather at my destination.

[recycled sixtie]

I agree with Widgeon. If most of the aircraft diverted to alternates then the one that landed exposed himself and the others to risk.
Guy

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Did they have enough fuel to go elsewhere? It says they held for over an hour (burning up fuel the whole time) probably waiting for conditions to improve enough to make an attempt. Likely that's exactly what happened. Weather conditions can change quickly so what someone else experienced 10 minutes ago might or might not be representative of what one will experience right now. This is why pilots study weather extensively and have a large body of real world experience to draw from before they're promoted to that position.

This is why captains have the final authority - not a bunch of non-pilot armchair quarterbacks and why decisions on aircraft and ships are made by captain's decree - not popular opinion.

Opinions are like a-holes. Everyone has one. None of us was there so nobody here is in any way qualified to pass judgment.

Pilots have "skin in the game" too. They know the risks a lot better than the pax. They don't take undue risks as a general rule.

(In a former life I wore four bars on my shoulders for a cargo airline, so I can relate to the position the crew was in - probably a lot more than most of the know-it-alls here). If you haven't been in that position; sit down and stfu.