Originally Posted by
canadiancow
Could it not be as simple as the airport saying the runway was safe, but the pilot not agreeing?
I've certainly been on flights where the pilot has made a (very) last minute decision not to land due to how the runway appears at 2000 feet.
Were they "right"? I don't know. But I'm still alive to talk about it.
This was a bit different. Flightaware track shows AC694 didn't descend below 30,000' so it wasn't a case of shooting an approach and taking a look.
They planned a 3 hour alternate (YYZ) for an under 3 hour flight. That suggests there was already an expectation of a strong possibility of not being able to land.