The friendly skies

Mad Max madness in the Sydney airport. Shopgirlove is beginning to think that the romance of flying may finally have crashed and burned...the food is terrifying,
pilots are being asked to choose between fuel and their pensions, passengers are stranded up to ten hours without water. Congress is addressing the issue, but Shopgirlove has started to consider her options. 1) If by land. 2) If by sea.

A tragic update: the crew on a FedEx flight from China to Japan are both reported dead when their plane exploded after a crash landing at Tokyo's Narita airport. Shopgirlove's deepest sympathies go out to their families. What kind of pressure must they have been under to attempt a landing in these conditions?