@CXMonkey:
Well I think that also has to do with the little fact that the Airbus ditched in the Hudson river as opposed to the runway. And also, it landed in frigid January in New York and not the relatively balmy April we have in Hong Kong. Of course, there is also the fact that the A320 was a total write-off compared to the repairs for the A330. These little issues add up to create a different response. I bet you had the A330 ditched in the Pearl River Mouth as opposed to landing on the runway, the response from the public and the press would not be so "understated".