If 155 passengers had time to put on life vests a percentage may have inflated them when seeing the aircraft was in water.
This would have slowed the evacuation of the aircraft.
I agree that no doubt some passengers would inflate life jackets inside the plane.
However a number of passengers in the Hudson ditching are seen clutching seat cushions which also slows down ones exit, especially using the over wing doors where use of both arms is an advantage.
Had rescuers not been so close, had the plane broken up or sunk it is highly likely some would have drowned due to inability to stay afloat caused by just the onset of early stages of hypothermia.
So the judgement not to tell passengers or cabin crew to done life vests is a very risky one in my opinion.
Mitigating the decision perhaps the pilot thought that their was a risk of passengers being out of their seats on impact?
Or was he and copilot simply too busy?
Having watched three people fall out of a small boat into very cold water (with life vests) it was shocking to see who quickly they were imobilised and how long it took for boats yards away to pull them aboard.
Mickjoebill