US FLIGHT ATTENDANTS TAKE SELF-DEFENCE CLASSES

Due to the number of unruly and violent passengers increasing in the United States, the country's Transportation Security Administration has started to present self-defence classes for flight attendants.

During these classes, flight attendants are taught how to de-escalate a possible threatening situation and how to handle difficult passengers. Difficult passengers are categorised, ranging from anyone who might threaten the livelihood of other passengers, to someone who insists on squeezing an oversized suitcase into the overhead stowage compartment.  

The classes are presented by air marshals, and the techniques taught to the flight attendants include skills to strike, stomp and subdue a violent attacker.

More than 100 incidents were reported to the Federal Aviation Administration in the last week, for a total of more than 3 600 so far this year, reports CNN.

With flights being suspended for most of last year due to the pandemic, the number of dangerous incidents reached the lowest number in years. But, with extra precautions to be taken by passengers and airlines, flight attendants have reported that people seem tenser, which tend to lead to more incidents.

Earlier this year, two men had to be escorted off a United Airlines plane in San Francisco on 11 June. The New York Post reported that the altercation started because of a fight over elbow room. While neither of them was injured, the incident raised alarm among fellow passengers.

Image credit: The Independent