Totally agree Flyer Josh,

LAX to JFK, 4 1/2 to 5 hour flight.

They knew the forecast and current conditions via voice and data communications.

All but threatened the tower, "If you don't give us 31R to land we'll declare an emergency". The controller never denied the aircraft 31R. So if ATC was given a chance to sequence AA 2 is it fair to say that no emergency existed..using the crew's words that was the case.

No mention of aircraft equipment degradation (rudder ratio) or runway contamination.

How many airports did they overfly that were more aligned with the wind ?

PIT, BWI, MDT, ABE, BDL and even 29 at EWR (given the winds).

I don't agree with landing above max demonstrated crosswind limits, because even the slightest abnormality will be blamed on error in judgement. However, why on Earth would you allow yourself to be led down a path with only a few options.

All's well that ends well, but it reminds me of a saying I saw, "Poor planning on your part should not constitute an emergency on my part".

FF
Light Four Engine Driver