How does the weight of a 737 affect the safety of landing in high winds?

Question

I was on a full flight to Chicago today, and before we pushed back the flight attendants told us we had to deplane 59 passengers because of high winds in Chicago. They said we were too heavy to land safely for the wind conditions.

In: 8

Answer 1

Weight affects maneuverability. Which can increase fuel use. Also, because of high winds, a landing might be more difficult, and the stopping distance increases with weight.