One would find that a 747 from NY is hardly likely to arrive at LHR only to find it fogged in when they call up the ATIS
Really?
Most of the time we have the weather in hand when we leave KJFK or KEWR, and when we arrive in Europe, we pick up the weather with ATIS. That's it.
Some of our aircraft have ACARS, some don't. We don't use it.
I do call up VOLMET when enroute if there's a question about weather, but usually we know what we need to know from the forecasts. We can also call on the satphone. In VHF contact, sometimes we'll request weather through ATC.
For use in general aviation aircraft, the idea of ACARS is bordering on the ridiculous...right up there with INS. What's next? Night vision and infrared?
No doubt, datalink capability will be just around the corner with cellular technology, but it's bad enough to have people texting in cars. We really don't need people texting in airplanes, too. Especially single pilot without autopilot, flying at lower altitudes with plenty of air traffic to look after.
I know a crew which managed to stall a 744 on departure, and which didn't realize that the company knew all about it, thanks to ACARS and an airplane which told the tail. They tried to hide it, didn't say a word, and got busted. ACARS isn't always one's friend.