Flapping_Madly,
Great post. I loved your spelling of the American dialect! Glad all was ok in the end.
Flapless landing...............no big deal!
Please remember that this thread was started in the "Passengers and SLF" section and that most people who read/post on this section are exactly that - SLF - and probably aren't as clued up on the workings of an aircraft as everyone else. So, a fast flapless landing and an announcement from the Captain confirming a problem was probably 99% of PAX worst nightmare come true. I'd like to think that you're not aircrew due to the lack of professionalism shown in your post.
Look at it this way:
Best case scenario - plane lands fast and taxys to the stand. Luckily, that's what happened in this occasion.
Worst case scenario - faster than normal approach, trying to get the aircraft on the ground, combatting ground effect and with less drag and loads of momentum, the airspeed will decay slower. Then, depending on the length of the runway and where the touchdown point was, there's the need for lots of reverse thrust and lots of breaking. The flight could end normally at this point, or, with increased braking, the aircraft could overshoot the runway or the tyres could burst - causing the aircraft to veer off the runway. Hence the presence of the emergency services.
So actually - it is a big deal.