Kung Fu Flight Attendants
(March 15, 2002)
In the wake of September 11, flight attendants are
reluctantly finding themselves at the battlefront of homeland
security with very little training to help them cope. Now, come
mid-March, all airlines will be required to implement a self-defense
training program for their flight crews. Should passengers feel
safer if flight attendants go the way of Stallone, Chan, or Van
Damme? Maybe.
FAA Directive
Prior to the
September 11 attacks, flight crew training was based on the
hijackings of the 1970s, when hijackers used planes as
transportation rather than weapons of terrorism. For years, airline
crews have been trained to be friendly and accommodating with
hijackers.
Not anymore.
Airlines have until March 19
to develop new training programs based on the FAA's guidelines,
which include self-defense and other security techniques. The new
programs are required to include better tools and procedures for
communication between the cabin crew, cockpit, and ground during
emergency situations. The FAA will then have 30 days to review the
airlines' training proposals and either approve, reject, or
recommend changes to ensure compliance with the new guidelines.
Rambo Training
According to the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), flight
attendants will also be taught separation techniques for protecting
the cockpit and self-defense techniques designed specifically for
the aircraft environment. Crews will also participate in live
situational training exercises geared to help them deal with any
threatening situation from air rage to an armed terrorist.
International Protective Services (IPS), a
Hollywood, FL, security firm, has developed a "High Altitude
Emergency Management'' program and presented it to several airlines.
Among the tactics in the IPS program are takedown techniques and
self-defense moves. IPS says the goal is to give flight attendants
the techniques and confidence to fend off any immediate threat and
to take control of a threatening situation.
However, one
important part of the overall training program is still being
debated: the use of non-lethal protective devices such as stun guns
and chemical sprays. The FAA is working with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) to determine the specific requirements of the
self-defense training program. Currently, onboard kits for flight
attendants and pilots already contain plastic handcuffs; however,
they may eventually hold a supply of pepper spray-saturated
towelettes, stab-proof vests, and cut-resistant gloves, which have
yet to be approved.
A Fighting Chance
"Coffee,
tea, kick box with me" may become the new motto for today's flight
attendants. However, will flight attendants with black belts really
make passengers feel better about flying? One US Airways flight
attendant I spoke with said, "I think having this type of
self-defense training will have flight attendants feeling more
confident. And, that will convey to the passengers that flight
attendants are capable and in control."
Whether the new
training will deter hijackers and assure passengers remains to be
seen; however, flight attendants are determined to face the enemy
and win.
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