Can't imagine landing with those reports, or if at the gate, deciding to override a crewmember who sees snow or ice on critical surfaces! Is ego the problem, or corporate safety philosophy? Maybe some carriers see fuel as a problem if they delay their landing... This happened at JFK years ago-tragic (they never stated "min" or "emergency fuel"). If language comprehension is a problem on many foreign airlines, then what if the person who best understands is not the Captain?
Can he or she, the FO or FE, on their own, request a braking action report and if the initiative is taken to get or have it repeated, and if it does not sound good, will the Captain listen to the other crewmember(s)' advice to avoid landing until the braking and crosswind situation is clarified, maybe decide on a different runway or airport ?
When I did short trips to LAX, SFO and SEA years ago, and JFK not long ago, I felt that language was a serious problem. ATC is so saturated here in the US that they often have little or no time for a readback, which is a 'hearback': did the crew understand the clearance or the braking report, and whether it came from a crew on a jet?
