Hong Kong Airlines is one of the few airlines that teaches its cabin crew kung fu to deal with drunken passengers. This makes Hong Kong Airlines unique. The airline feels that this will assist in contributing to a reduction in the amount of incidents that occur onboard their aircraft.
Beginning in the 1970s, when the airline was first established as a regional carrier, the company has a long tradition of providing its personnel with training in various forms of self-defense. At that time, kung fu was considered a necessary talent for dealing with passengers who were unable to control themselves.Even in modern times, the airline maintains the mindset that kung fu is an essential component of the training it provides to its flight attendants.
The airline provides its personnel with training on how to handle problematic customers, in addition to providing strategies for self-defense and how to defend themselves.The airline has discovered that using kung fu as a means to deal with intoxicated customers is both effective and cost-efficient. The airline has, in the past, been forced to deal with a number of instances involving customers who were under the influence of alcohol.
In one instance, a man was so inebriated that he started physically abusing other people on the train.The flight attendants were able to intercede and prevent the customer from inflicting any additional damage to the aircraft. The airline maintains that the incident could have been far more serious if the cabin crew had not been trained in kung fu and had not been able to defend themselves.
There are other airlines than Hong Kong airlines that provide their staff with training in self-defense. There are a number of other airlines, such as Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines, who also provide their personnel with opportunities to learn self-defense.