SOPS (and others?),
No question that the flight crew did an incredible job and cannot be praised too highly for accomplishing the landing but, IF Canadian newspaper reports can be believed, the cabin crew did not all function coolly and smoothly, according to quotes from passengers. Apparently, the passengers were eating breakfast when suddenly the F/A's started rushing around to gather up the dishes. An announcement was made that the passengers should prepare for an emergency landing: shoes to be removed, lifejackets to be donned. Oxygen masks dropped. One passenger is quoted as recalling "We had the (cabin) crew running around, yelling at each other and yelling at passengers". The same passenger stated that the F/A giving instructions over the P/A system in English was calm and reassuring but the one speaking Portuguese, who followed, sounded nervous and close to tears. The passenger, a 24 year-old student helicopter pilot, estimated the aircraft glided for about 7 minutes. Other press reports give an unpowered flight time of between 10 and 23 minutes.According to a Portuguese official, the aircraft came to a stop 33 minutes after declaring an emergency.It appears that the flight crew's emergency advisory to the cabin crew and passengers was sudden and no doubt led to a certain amount of panic among the F/A's (understandable if unfortunate).
We've only heard the beginnings of this story, all of it second-hand. Lots more to come out, that's for sure.
Rockhound