Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised the police, fire, and emergency response crews that aided in the response to the successful splash landing of U.S. Airways flight 1549 into the Hudson River yesterday at a news conference this morning.

Police and fire rescue crews and their Marine units were honored with certificates from the city, along with EMS and Port Authority workers.

Bloomberg also offered up a key to the city, pictured above, to the pilot, co-pilot, and crew of the Charlotte-bound plane for their "grace under pressure" and said the rescue was "a story of heroes, something straight out of a movie script."

"Just yesterday in my State of the City speech, I talked about the indomitable spirit of our city," said the mayor. "And I said no matter how bad things get, New Yorkers can get through anything, as long as they work together. And almost immediately after I finished the speech, I think we proved that once again."

Twenty-nine year veteran pilot Chesley Sullenberger is being praised by passengers and industry experts for his textbook emergency landing.

The 57-year-old former Air Force fighter pilot, who his wife called a "pilot's pilot," ditched his Airbus 320 in the Hudson River at around 3:30 yesterday after reporting a double bird strike shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport.

He was not at the mayor's event, since he's being interviewed by National Transportation Safety Board investigators.

See photos of the incident taken by NY1 viewers.

Passengers are praising the pilot, the crew, and the quick-thinking ferry operators, the first of which arrived within seconds of the crash-landing.

"It was more quiet than anything else," passenger Alberto Panero told CNN's Larry King. "People kind of burst into tears and a little bit of prayers it seems like. But for the most part to me, it felt like it kind of became very silent and a kind of fear, tension took over the plane."

At this morning's news conference, the mayor presented the operators and captains of New York Waterway with certificates for their efforts.

Medical experts say that if the passengers had been submerged in the water for two to three more minutes they could have suffered extreme hypothermia with lethal consequences.

Rescuers at the ceremony told of saving a woman who was clinging to a life raft, in desperate shape.

"We deployed from the helicopter, swam to her immediately, and pulled her off the side of that boat and swam her to another ferry boat," said NYPD Detective Michael Delaney.

Others said the scene was very surreal.

"I looked up and said to my deckhand, that's an odd looking boat. And he said, 'I think that's an airplane,'" said Vince Lombardi of NY Waterway.

US Airways Chief Executive Doug Parker expressed his appreciation, calling the response simply amazing.

"Yesterday's event unfolded in a matter of minutes, determining exactly what happened will take much longer than that," Parker said. "The NTSB is here and taking the lead on this investigation and we at US airways will continue to do everything we can to assist them in that effort. In the meantime our continued focus and support will be on our passengers, their families, and our very brave crew."

Many passengers took flights out of LaGuardia today. Before they took off, they shared with NY1 that they are experiencing a little anxiety about getting on another plane.

"There will be a little bit of anxiety," said passenger Craig Black. "But I think once I get passed the Hudson, I think I'll be fine. I fly a lot for a living and I have to travel, so that's what I'll do."

"I think this was the golden baby. If I survived this one, it'll never happen again," said passenger Bill Wiley.

"I don't want to hear any bumps," said passenger Laurie Crane. "Before I heard the thud, and now I don't want to hear the thud."

Hospitals in the city and across the river in New Jersey yesterday were bracing for the worst upon hearing that a plane went down. But only a few dozen passengers were hospitalized.

No life-threatening injuries were reported.

Injuries ranged from hypothermia to cuts and bruises.

Most of the passengers were treated using blankets and hot soup. Nearly all those who were hospitalized have been released.

About 20 NTSB officials are in the city, working to determine the cause of the accident.

They brought in a giant crane and barge to try and remove the plane from the water. It's remained partially submerged, tethered to a pier off Battery Park since last night.

Officials will look into reports a flock of birds slammed into the engines of the Airbus A320.

"We've heard that report and we will investigate that along with everything else," said Kitty Higgins of the NTSB. "And we're going to interview the crew, hopefully today, both the pilots and the cabin crews, talk to air traffic control, get any other eye witness account and video that might exist. Look at the radar data, get the black boxes, and begin the salvage effort on the plane."

It's not known at this time how long it will take investigators to remove the plane from the Hudson.