Originally Posted by Arnold E
I would have thought that a regular scheduled airline flight not being able to make its stated destination because it was running low on fuel, is cause for some concern
No, Arnold.
LAX-SYD for most 744 will be payload limited, maybe to less than full pax capacity. Without getting into the arcane world of saleable capacity calculation, most carriers will take the offering, limited, load, on the day in the knowledge that the forecast enroute wind component might be lean or fat. The tech call risk is a legitimate piece of commercial judgement.
(Mind you, it was easier HNL-SYD, when you could expect the same crew to continue to destination)
Been part of aviation forever. LAX-SYD you can drop into NAN, NOU or BNE; there is no risk to life or limb.
And, who knows, SYD threw in a risk of fog or something nasty late in the flight.
As others have said. Non-event.