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Hong Kong Airlines' Flight Attendants Take Mandatory Kung Fu Training
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But why? To deal with unruly passengers, of course.
The martial art, classified by sharp movements and close-range combat, has been deemed perfect for an airplane. And while it may seem an odd practice for flight attendants, Eva Chan, an airline spokeswoman told the paper that it came in handy on a recent Beijing to Hong Kong flight.
"One of the passengers was sick but he was probably drunk and felt unwell -- the crew member attended to him and she realized her fitness was helping her especially because the guy was quite heavy," Chan told the paper. "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."
The airline had the idea after the company's leaders saw crew members perform the martial art at a company function.
A young new crew member named Lumpy Tang told the paper that wing chun was good because "you cannot predict what will happen on the plane. 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."
According to a company spokeswoman, cabin crews have to deal with disruptive passengers up to three times a week.
UPDATE: Video has been released of the crews learning kung fu. It's hysterical. WATCH below:
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Kate Auletta, How is this video hysterical?? It is informative and as a writer, you need to present unbiased information. If anything, this video is a sad reflection on our times.
June 01 2011 at 9:52 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
verbosphere
sky of possibilities for WIng Chun aboard the plane - check this out on www.theoneminuteblog.blogspot.com/ 2011/04/flying-high-on-wing-chun.html
April 21 2011 at 2:27 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply verbosphere
A sky of possibilities for WIng Chun aboard the plane - check this out on theoneminuteblog.blogspot.com/ 2011/04/flying-high-on-wing-chun.html
April 21 2011 at 2:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Vivien
The "everyday" in the line "This isn't something you hear everyday" should be EVERY DAY. Thanks.
April 20 2011 at 12:26 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI've been practicing Wing Chun for 3 years now and I'm totally in love with it. Not only is it effective in dealing with larger people, but it also helps you to keep calm and control the situation before it escalates.
April 19 2011 at 6:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply"Every~body~was~Kung~Fu~Fightin', ....people were uptight and attendants were bitin'......the plane was rockin & rollin' as the entire scene was quite exciting,.... and then the 737 started coming apart at the seams, and the end result was nothing like what we'd experience in dreams, for Kung~Fu~Fightin' isn't that invitin' when 15 below zero is our bottoms bitin' !
April 18 2011 at 9:15 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyFar f*cking out!
April 18 2011 at 8:01 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI would prefer they take classes in controlling the parents of the brat kicking the back of my seat all the way from Los Angeles to Seattle.
April 18 2011 at 8:00 PM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyA waste of time, and worse, a false sense of security. As with any 'art' martial arts takes years of dedication just to reach a realistic level of proficiency.
This might look good for advertisement, especially with the popularity of Wing Chun after the Yip Man films came out, but it is what it is: a gimmic.
Better than nothing. But then you're one of those internet expert nay-sayers ..
April 19 2011 at 10:34 AM Report abuse Permalink +1 rate up rate down ReplyAs a person who studies Martial Arts, I have to say that you are incorrect in your comment. Yes, to MASTER any art form one must practice and spend many years working on their craft; however, the strength training (referred to in the article) along with basic self defense techniques can be learned and utilized within months, if the training is proper and consistent. In fact, many can quickly learn how to disarm and disable a threat with basic self defense techniques learned in the very beginning stages of Martial training. This is definitely not a waste of time, and I personally would feel much more secure on an Airline knowing that the flight attendants and pilots know how to protect themselves and passengers in life threatening situations.
April 19 2011 at 2:19 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyEverybody Wing Chun tonight.
April 18 2011 at 6:41 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot 5 Deals
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