So, having decided that the crew aren't operating illegally or obtaining an advantage over any other airline,
I disagree with that there is a HUGE commercial advantage on long haul flights with no compulsory alternates. Do the numbers on the LAX flights alone the savings in fuel burn + the extra payload carried is massive. EK and QF operate the same aircraft on the same route, it would be interesting how much more payload you guys get on.
Then this sort of event happens and your competitors have aircraft and crews strewn all over the east coast, pax up in hotels meanwhile you guys are like 'oh shucks well these things happen', carry on.....
So how many illegal autolands would have to happen before the no alternate is a problem?
If say everybody used the QF procedures and we had a whole heap of autolands in the last few weeks do you think then ICAO or whoever might do something?
Singapore put one on the grass in Germany last year doing a autoland, which in Sydney would be catastrophic given the close proximity of everything, so they can go wrong.