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Same airport, same pilots, same destination.
For Kristy Spears, it was even the same seat - 8A - she occupied on Jan. 15, but it was a far different outcome.
Thursday's New York-Charlotte flight did not capture the world's imagination like "Miracle on the Hudson," but rather turned into a festive journey welcoming hero pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger back into the skies.
Spears, a Bank of America executive, was one of four Charlotte-area passengers who survived the ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 and rode with Sullenberger on Thursday as he returned to the cockpit.
"I wish it had gone as smoothly the first time," said Spears of Tega Cay, after the Airbus 319 touched down at 2:27 p.m., nearly a half hour ahead of schedule, in Charlotte.
Sullenberger, 58, who will continue to fly but will spend much of his time working with US Airways' safety team as a management pilot, was the star of the day. He used the spotlight to promote his new mission, telling reporters that training standards for new pilots must be toughened and the aviation industry needs to value experience on the flight deck.
"I guess I'm lucky to be in a profession where it's good to have gray hair," he said.
Training in Charlotte
Before returning to the air, Sullenberger underwent refresher courses at the US Airways simulators in Charlotte and flew passengers on a round-trip out of Charlotte on Sept. 11 - the date was coincidental, he said - with a company training pilot observing his skills.
Thursday, he flew from Charlotte to New York's LaGuardia Airport. One passenger asked him what the temperature would be in the Hudson. He then made the return trip, retracing the path of the ill-fated flight.
It was a full cabin, but there was a celebrity air.
Of the 17,000 flights US Airways made Thursday, this was the only one with news conferences on both ends, CEO Doug Parker aboard, and a TV crew doing a standup shot in the aisle.
"This is Capt. Sullenberger," came the announcement over the intercom at the beginning of the flight. He paused to let the 124 passengers applaud. "I've learned to wait," Sullenberger cracked, then introduced his first officer, Jeff Skiles, who was his partner on Jan. 15 and went back to work April 20. Passengers applauded again.
With that, the jetliner pulled away from Gate 15 and got in queue to take off. It rose from the runway at 1:10 p.m. with Skiles at the controls, as he was in January.
It climbed on the same path as the earlier flight, with the spires of Manhattan sparkling off the left side. A minute later, at about 3,000 feet, the George Washington Bridge came into view.
It was at this point of the January flight that Canada geese were sucked into both engines, crippling the airliner and forcing Sullenberger to take over and land the plane on the icy Hudson River. Geese are out of season in New York now, and the moment was marked only by overcast swallowing the jet.
Seconds later it emerged, the clouds glistening below.
Invited to flight deck
When the plane reached cruising altitude, Sullenberger invited the four passengers from Flight 1549 into the cockpit, where he greeted them by name.
Reporters prowled the cabin, pestering passengers about how they felt.
Were they frightened? No, not with Sully aboard.
"There was just a level of peace," said Theresa Leahy, a Bank of America executive from Charlotte who was on both flights. "He can do this."
Soon, the drink cart rolled through. Despite the festive atmosphere, beer and wine was still $7; pomegranate martinis were offered at $8 but found no takers.
In the cockpit, Sullenberger was welcomed back to duty by air traffic controllers as the plane passed through their zones.
Near Greensboro, Sullenberger announced the descent had begun and ordered passengers back to their seats.
When Stiles landed the jet at 2:27, passengers clapped again and a few hearty whoops rang out.
Sullenberger and Skiles looked at each other and shook hands in silence for nearly 10 seconds.
Still traumatized from crash
Barry Leonard of Charlotte, who commutes to New York as the CEO of a bed-and-bath products firm, said Thursday's flight was the 75th for him since the January crash, in which he suffered a cracked sternum. He has a recurring nightmare of walking across a river and falling in just 50 yards from shore. He has sought psychotherapy.
When he got a tip that Sullenberger would be flying Thursday, he reserved a seat.
"It's cathartic, therapeutic, part of the healing process for me," he said. "It's taking it full circle."
Leonard also came bearing gifts for the flight crew - T-shirts with "Flight 1549" stenciled on the front and on the back a picture of the plane in the Hudson with passengers huddled on the wings. He had two versions - one said "On a Wing and a Prayer." On the other: "Hudson Swim Team."
Denise Lockie, a Staples executive who lives in South Charlotte and was aboard Flight 1549, also admits trepidation about getting back into the air. But she flew with Sullenberger Thursday too, and waited for him in the terminal of Charlotte Douglas International after the flight.
When he came through the gate, she embraced him, then burst into tears.
"Thank you," she wept, "for saving my life."
