Landing at Luton -- or not...
Had a non-optimal experience last night on Ryanair from Dublin (if you've got nothing better to do, you can tune into the Passengers and SLF forum for the full 4AM rant...). Towards the end of it, we had an aborted approach to Luton and ended up on the ground at Stansted... Very on the ground: no shilly-shallying, but the full denture-rattler. Excellent.
Which makes me think: I've got a vague idea about all this CAT II/III business, but obviously not a very good one. Could someone let me know why we could land at Stansted and not Luton (lots of fog at both), why Ryanair moved us to a different 737 that was 'better equipped for the conditions at Luton' (you mean they're not all OK for fog?), why we hung around for 45 minutes outside Luton waiting for a momentary change in conditions and... why too much fog stops play anyway?
I think the thing that puzzles me most is the hanging around above Luton. I presume that we were waiting to actually see the runway, but in that case Captain Speaking (*) must have seen it to commence the aborted approach... what happens subsequently to make it no longer safe to continue?
Thanks for any advice. Any definitive replies will make their way into the SLF FAQ, to inform future generations as yet unborn.
R
(* actually one Captain Reddy, I think. Looked like Captain Birdseye, and could do the authentic Voice of God on the PA. I'm surprised the weather *dared* be so uppity).