Even with the severe clear they busted the 6,000 which was claimed to be the minimum
.
That was in fact a CAA requirement. I do believe there was a CAA Airline Inspector scheduled to go on that flight, due to family reasons he could not make it.
One wonders if the flight would have been conducted the way it was if it was known a CAA inspector was on board.
Commercial pressure to supply the customers that which they had paid for
I wonder what the pax would have elected to do if they had of had a choice? If they had been advised of the weather at McMurdo, and been advised of what the captain planned to do, what do you think their choice would have been?