A word about crosswinds from a former airline pilot.

[trof]

Climate change is bringing stronger winds, among a lot of other 'inconveniences'.
Aircraft manufacturers together with the FAA determine the maximum crosswind in which a particular type aircraft can be safely landed.
High crosswind landings call for a lot of skill on the pilot's part.
I have been there and, even within that limit, the pucker factor can be pretty high.

If the winds are higher than those limits, you can't/don't land there.

I don't know if American was truthful about the reason for their cancellations, but the limitations exist and are adhered to.

[Timewas]

1. Yes

They can be hairy for sure

[calimary]

2. Glad they ARE adhered to!

[Binkie The Clown]

3. Like this?

[FoxNewsSucks]

5. Damn, that's some skill

I'd have rather landed elsewhere, though.

[dchill]

14. Me. Too.

[AllaN01Bear]

10. i was just going to mention this

[Binkie The Clown]

16. The only thing worse than being on the ground wishing you were flying is...

...flying and wishing you were on the ground.

[lapfog_1]

4. white knuckles

[demosurvivor]

7. This is why

God made adult diapers.

[trof]

17. Brown skivvies

[demosurvivor]

6. Check out some Utube videos on high wind landings

It's amazing watching a plane land at a 45 degree landing. At the last second you have to straighten it out. Blows me away every time I see one.

[Grokenstein]

11. I was onboard during such a landing

and it was terrifying. But it was an All Nippon Airways flight, so I felt a little reassured; I once spent a layover in Osaka watching planes land, and while other airlines touched down hard, the ANA landings were silky-smooth. This landing wasn't, but it was a lot smoother than I would have ever imagined.

[monkeyman1]

8. kow that pucker factor well ! can't even get a needle there !

those limitations are there for a reason & very glad of it !!!!

[Major Nikon]

12. Here is what happened at DFW (AA's main hub)

DFW has 7 runways, 5 of which are parallel with a north/south orientation and two are slanted to the NW/SE. At any time up to 6 of the 7 runways can be utilized simultaneously.

High crosswind situations in the North Texas area aren't that common, but they do happen a few times per year. In this instance they happened for two continuous days and DFW was reduced to using only the two runways with the NW/SE orientation. This cuts the capacity of DFW by 2/3rds as both takeoff and landing operations were reduced to those two runways.

[Aviation Pro]

13. I wonder if the FAA is tracking

How many diversions to alternate landing airports are occurring now.

Silly me, of course they are.

Good comment, Capt.

[George II]

15. I flew just a small Piper years ago, crosswinds are horrible. Luckily I was flying at Teterboro....

...which had three runways (one no longer used), so there was always an option for a landing.

[trof]

18. Carrier pilots never have to shoot x-wind landings.