Amity said it probably better than I could, but the crew all did what they are trained and trained and trained to do. Luck was also a big factor. For all the reasons you mentioned. Miracle? Well it's a miracle that the dumb-ass passenger that opened one of the back exits didn't get someone killed, or that no-one thumped the people wanting to take their bags with them.

I was a Purser/Flight Attendant for a number of years. I once was describing an aborted takeoff and subsequent evacuation due to a tire fire and structural damage to my brother. He was shocked that I'd gone through the airplane to make sure everyone was off. "I'd have jumped down the slides before any of the passengers did" he said. When I explained that it was my job and responsibility to make sure everyone was off, his response was somewhere along the lines of "well thats just nuts". Someone else asked me what was going through my mind, did I think about dying? - I had to be honest and say "actually I wasn't really thinking about anything, I was doing things by reflex, because of what I'd been trained to do. Just as this crew did.

Kudos to everyone involved on a job well done.

"Patrick, have you ever thought that maybe God had a hand in the safe landing of the plane...? not luck"

This God of yours sure is a moody person. Why save a planeload of people (including a bunch of Bank of America employees) and not say, any of those on Swissair 111, TWA 800 or any other incident where there have been no survivors and a bit of luck, other than bad, would have been welcomed?

Maybe your God has an invested interest at B of A.

Paraphrased Conversation from my Flight Attendant initial training

Trainer: After you've evacuated everyone, go through the cabin to make sure there's no one left behind. Yell out "is anyone still here". Look and listen for signs of life. If there's smoke, take a flashlight aiming it at hip level and check visually. (Demonstrates)

Trainee: What if theres a big fire?

Trainer: If you feel that your personal safety is at too much of a risk, and you cannot or it's impossible to check the cabin - evacuate.

Trainee: If we're on fire, of course I'm going to feel at risk.

(Trainer takes mental note of who made that statement - they may last out the day)

Class conversation continues briefly....

Trainer (getting tired of the debate): Look, we are not going to be-labour this point any further - remember that you are responsible for the lives of each and every passenger and crew member. If you leave without checking to make sure you didn't get them all out, and someone dies, you will have to live with that for the rest of your lives. Wondering if you could have saved them. If there is any doubt in your mind that you cannot or will not do this -- this is not the job for you nor are you a good fit with XXXX Airlines. See me at the break and we'll send you home with our thanks.

Now lets move on to water raft survival .....

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I think despite some efforts to educate them, the general public still thinks of Flight Attendants as glorified waitresses/waiters. Initial training is usually at least 6 weeks long with exams every few days. You generally need 90% to pass each exam. We were allowed 1 re-write. If you got less than 90% twice - you're terminated. Topics include first aid, emergency procedures, emergency equipment and its location and operation, exits and their location/operation in both land and water emergencies, fire fighting, psychology, theory of flight, and a litany of other topics. Almost as an add-on, then we get to service. Another exam. Then a check flight. You can still be fired. Then, if you are successful and pass your 6 month probation (and usually another check flight), you have recurrent training once a year. Exams again. Plus which, there is always the option of the Captain at any time asking you a question. If you don't answer it to his or her satisfaction, you can be removed from the flight.

Training is drilled into your head. I can still remember emergency procedures by rote, from my first airline (25 years ago) and each airline since, even though I haven't flown for the past 10, and there were 3 different carriers in that period that I worked for.

All to say, it doesn't surprise me that Captain Sully checked the cabin twice. In fact, I would have been surprised if he hadn't.

"If bird intakes are so catastrophic, why can screens be put in place to prevent birds from being sucked into the engine?"

Several reasons.

A screen would provide an obstacle to block airflow into the engine by other debris. Ice for one.

Icing would be a problem building up on the screen. You'd have to have some method of de-icing the screens, but then there is the possibility of other debris getting caught on the screen and preventing airflow to the engine.

In order to be effective, the weight of the screens would add to the cost of fuel. Plus which, what if the weight of the bird caused the screen to break? Then you have bird and metal objects being ingested - not a good mix.

Ultimately, a screen would not prevent a bird from being ingested into the engine. If the bars were thick enough, it would simply slice it up - much like when you do potatoes with a french fry slicer. Is it better to get a 5 pound bird all at once into the engine at 50,000 lbs of force, or 5 pounds in 4 or 5 one pound segments at 10,000 lbs of force each? Neither is desirable.