Susan, this is just another byproduct of deregulation in the airline industry. Once upon a time most experienced and military pilots wanted to fly for major airlines. Not so anymore. I left the military in the late 1970's with 4,000 hours of flight time, half of which was in single seat jet fighters, and an Airline Transport Rating on my pilots license. I tried for a while to get a job with the airlines, but family responsibilities and an MBA soon led me to a far more lucrative career. Then, the airlines paid well, and the military paid OK. Now, an officer with my time in service, all compensation including flight pay, is making $110,000 per year, more than most airline senior captains. As a result few if any military pilots are leaving the service. Airline pay is no so low that anyone who has a family can not afford to work themselves up the seniority ladder in the airlines. The result is what we saw in New York. An incompetent pilot and a very inexperienced co-pilot. Who else can afford to live on what the airlines pay. This will only get worse until airline pay catches up to the level of responsibility pilots have. The Sully's are retiring, and the new crop working it's way up the ladder does not have anywhere near his ability or experience. I am a conservative, and no fan of big government. however, the FAA really has to address the Pilot compensation issue before many more crashes like New York occur. It is just a matter of time.

I find it very difficult to believe that the passengers were not asking the flight attendents what was wrong when their flight was delayed and they were not descending.