At Wellington when the winds are too strong as happened just a couple of weeks ago the aircraft use airbridges on the lee side of the piers. I worked for Air NZ for several years and then as a caterer. I have had a ringside seat to many hairy landings at WLG.
Last October I saw a 733 wheelbarrow in exceptionally gusty conditions and in July last year saw a Qantas hydroplane sideways down the runway on 16. These incidents never turned up in CAA incident reports either. The captain was very red faced when I stepped aboard at gate 23.
The item I mentioned to Centaurus was from the archives here:
http://http://www.pprune.org/forums/.../t-226895.html
and that item talked of Boeing's FTCM with apologies if I have misquoted any of it. It seems I did.
Incidentally the youtube clip above of a Boeing 777 landing in 50 knot crosswinds was piloted by John Cashman. I have read an account by a test engineer aboard who mentioned that the B777 has got a facility to swivel the main gear slightly, only intended for ground manouvering, but the engineer noted that pilots often mis-use the facility to crab the main wheels a la B-52 style prior to crosswind landings.
The A340-600 was tested landing in 45 knot crosswinds at Keflavik on 27 October 2004. The A380 was also tested landing in 50 knot crosswinds at Keflavik on 10 November 2006. These aircraft are capable of such things.
I touched down as smoth as silk. The Groundspeed almost matched the airspeed. I have seen harier landings by ATPLs with a planeload of passengers, by people who call themselves professionals.