Cabin crew are learning aggressive fighting moves against unruly passengers 

By Edward Era Barbacebs

Flight attendants are being taught fighting skills including ear slaps, eye poking and groin kicks to defend themselves against unruly passengers

In undisclosed locations near airports around the country this month, flight attendants are receiving training in aggressive self defense moves that are specially designed for close-quarters

Disruptive incidents on flights have increased in recent years, including free alcohol on flights and disagreements over COVID rules.

Flight crew being taught aggressive fighting moves to deal with disruptive passengers

Airports are now conducting training sessions for cabin crew members to learn offensive self-defense moves.

The moves are designed to de-escalate and quickly subdue passengers because in the words of former trainer Scott Armstrong, "you don't want to get into a long, drawn-out fight."

This is, as they say, not a drill. Just last week, the training was famously put to good use, when a female passenger on an American Airlines flight to North Carolina attacked and bit several flight attendants and tried to open the plane's door mid-flight. 

Due to the small nature of the cabin, designed specifically for fights in close-quarters, moves include double-ear slaps, eye-pokes and groin-kicks.

Former trainer Scott Armstrong said, “Special moves are designed because “you don’t want to get into a long, drawn out fight.”

Free classes have been running since 2001 after the September 11 terror attacks, but have been resumed by the Transportation Security Authority (TSA) though the COVID was stopped.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) already this year reported 3,420 “uncontrolled passenger” incidents, most of which have been caused by ignoring the mandatory face mask rule.

The fines for passengers who break the rules are enormous, with the FAA issuing a year-over-year fine of $682,000.

Punching bag

During a year when many travelers stayed home due to Covid-19, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says it has received 3,420 reports of "unruly passenger" incidents on planes as of July 13. Majority of this cases were from 'white' passengers. More than three quarters of those incidents have been related to passengers refusing to abide by the federal mask mandate. 

Reports of unruly passengers on US airlines this year have taken off, spiking by 500 percent thanks largely to passengers who refused to wear masks on flights during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Since Jan. 1, the FAA says it has gotten 3,509 reports of unruly travelers, 2,605 of them involving anti-mask passengers.

The incidents have sparked 581 investigations and led to enforcement action in 87 cases as of Tuesday, the FAA said.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, this year has seen an average of 12 “inflight disturbances” per 1 million screened passengers — a huge leap over the 2019 average of 2 incidents per 1 million.

Many of the issues incidents involved passengers refusing to wear masks

TSA officials also told a US House panel Tuesday that 85 agency officers have been physically assaulted since the outbreak of the pandemic

With five months left in the year, the average number of reports has already been surpassed roughly threefold, and the FAA has set up a new special task force to investigate. 

It's not just your imagination; there really has been an extraordinary amount of mayhem in the skies recently. 

Unruly passenger on diverted Delta Air Lines flight identified as off-duty flight attendant - 

Last month, an off-duty attendant on a Delta flight to Los Angeles from Atlanta overpowered flight attendants and took charge of the PA system. Passengers had to step in to help subdue him. 

Unruly passenger duct-taped to her seat for trying to open door mid-air and biting flight attendant 

Resourceful flight attendants grabbed a roll of duct-tape, and the woman arrived at her destination, subdued and bound tightly to her chair. It might not have been standard protocol but it was effective and American Airlines later applauded its crew. 

Delta airlines flight 386 from Los Angeles to Nashville was diverted to Albuquerque after a passenger attempted to break into the plane’s cockpit 

Last month, a Delta flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger tried to break into the cockpit, and was fined $52,500.

Jet 2 aircraft after white passenger 'tries to storm the cockpit and attacks cabin crew' shortly after take-off from Stansted Airport before being pinned down by passengers

A Jet 2 passenger was jailed this month after he was locked in the plane’s toilet while attacking the cabin crew and even tried to bite a female flight attendant.

Southwest Airlines flight attendant suffers horrific injuries as a white 28 year old passenger Vyvianna Quinonez knocks out her teeth when asked to put on seat belt. Quinonez was arrested for that.

Flight attendants are on the front lines, and say the self-defense training is sorely needed.

Sarah Nelson, the president of the International Association for Flight Attendants (AFA), believes the training should be made mandatory. In a town hall posted on YouTube, she said that flight attendants have become "literal punching bags" for the public and that many had left their jobs. 

"This should send a message to the public that these events are serious and flight attendants are there to ensure the safety and security of everyone in the plane," Nelson told the press. 

And yet, in the face of all of this, the options that are available to airlines are limited.

There are not necessarily enough federal air marshals – officials who dress in civilian clothes and are tasked with protecting against the most extreme in-flight scenarios – to be aboard every flight, and their responsibilities have never covered keeping the peace for fellow travelers. For security reasons, the TSA does not disclose the number of federal air marshals or discuss their specific duties or routes.

Regulations say that cabin safety is the responsibility of flight attendants. 

As a row of woman look on, a female trainer demonstrates how she gets out of the restraints of someone lying beneath her and holding her down. 

Frontier Airlines flight attendants study self-defense at a training in Denver in 2007. 

Airlines and federal regulators are scrambling to contain a sudden uptick in unruly passengers on planes.

The FAA has received 3,420 "unruly passenger" reports in 2021, and 3,000 weapons have been seized at airports.

Under zero-tolerance policy, fines are larger than ever, and some are pushing for federal prosecutions for in-flight assaults.

The annual flight attendant training, which the Transportation Security Authority (TSA) started in 2004 and paused due to Covid19, resumes at a time of record-breaking reports of delays due to passenger misbehavior on commercial flights.

There are also more firearms being discovered during routine x-ray screenings of carry-on luggage, according to the TSA. As of mid-July, roughly 3,000 weapons have been intercepted so far in 2021, and 85% of them were loaded, the TSA told Insider in an email. 

Over the 4th of July weekend, 70 guns were discovered at airport checkpoints. This month, six firearms were seized at airports in Oregon over a single 10-day period, an "astounding" number, according to the TSA. Nationally, the TSA says we are on-trend to double the yearly average for weapons seizures. 

Sarah Nelson, the president of the International Association for Flight Attendants (AFA), believes the training should be made mandatory. In a town hall posted on YouTube, she said that flight attendants have become "literal punching bags" for the public and that many had left their jobs. 

"This should send a message to the public that these events are serious and flight attendants are there to ensure the safety and security of everyone in the plane," Nelson told the press. 

Nelson's group says it received over 5,000 responses to its fact-finding survey on unruly passengers. According to an AFA spokesperson, more flight attendants than ever have been requesting support and advice from the union. 

What can be done?

And yet, in the face of all of these, the options that are available to airlines are limited.

There are not necessarily enough federal air marshals – officials who dress in civilian clothes and are tasked with protecting against the most extreme in-flight scenarios – to be aboard every flight, and their responsibilities have never covered keeping the peace for fellow travelers. For security reasons, the TSA does not disclose the number of federal air marshals or discuss their specific duties or routes.

Regulations say that cabin safety is the responsibility of flight attendants.

Meanwhile, unruly behavior in the skies has traditionally been met with warnings and relatively small federal fines, as well as bans imposed by individual airlines. When an arrest is made, it is generally by state law enforcement. 

Nick Calio, the CEO of Airlines for America, an aviation coalition, wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland in May to urge swift action against unruly passengers, and proposed that the FAA refer the most severe cases to the Justice Department for federal criminal prosecution.

Looking for new ways to shame travelers into exhibiting better behavior, the FAA has broken with its usual protocol and began publishing details about the incidents. The FAA has previously kept this information private but, a spokesperson explained, figured the details might make people think twice before acting out on a plane.

Since January, the FAA has had in place a zero-tolerance policy, which did away with warnings and made it possible for fines – which accused passengers can contest in court – to be larger than ever.

As a result, in-flight misbehavior has become increasingly expensive. Under zero-tolerance, the FAA has handed down a whopping $682,000 in fines year-to-date against 84 passengers, many over $10,00

.