Kung fu training for flight attendants to deal with unruly passengers

Kung fu training for
flight attendants to
deal with unruly
passengers
April 18, 2011 - 10:13AM
A Hong Kong airline is
making all its cabin crew
take kung fu lessons to
help them to deal with
drunk and unruly
passengers.
Hong Kong Airlines said all
staff had been invited to
undergo training in wing
chun - a form of kung fu
used in close-range
combat - but it was only
compulsory for cabin
crew, the Sunday
Morning Post reported.
The airline had around
three incidents involving
disruptive passengers
every week, said Eva
Chan, the carrier's deputy
general manager of
corporate communication.
Two weeks ago a crew
member had to put her
martial arts training into
practice on a flight from
Beijing to Hong Kong.
"One of the passengers
was sick but he was
probably drunk and felt
unwell. The crew member
attended to him and she
realised her fitness was
helping her, especially
because the guy was
quite heavy," Chan told
the newspaper.
"Normally, a female cabin
crew can't handle a fat
guy, especially if he's
drunk, but because of the
training, she can handle it
quite easily."
New recruit Lumpy Tang,
22, said she never
imagined kung fu would
be part of the job.
"We were surprised in
the beginning, but after a
few lessons we really
liked wing chun," Tang
told the Post.
"You cannot predict what
will happen on the plane,
so wing chun is good
because it's so fast," she
said.
"I feel safer because I can
defend myself and I'm
really happy to be one of
the first cabin crew to
learn wing chun in the
world."
Wing chun instructor
Katherine Cheung said
the martial art was ideal
for airline crews.
"Wing chun can be used in
small, confined spaces so
it's suited for an
airplane," Cheung said.
"It's easy to learn but
difficult to master."
AFP
This story was found at:
http://www.smh.com.au/
travel/travel-news/
kung-fu-training-for-
flight-attendants-to-
deal-with-unruly-