Originally Posted by
Climb150
Planned alternates are exactly for problems at the destination airport. Weather, closed runways etc.
You are confusing diversions with alternates.
OK, fair enough - but at the time they learned of the closure of the destination airport, they are in the middle of the Pacific. If they were closer to the North American mainland, a diversion to somewhere in North America would make sense. As it was, they were closer to home than they were to the primary alternates.