Hong Kong Airlines says they deal with 3 drunk or unruly passengers a week, and have decided to require that all of their flight attendants learn kung fu in order to handle problems with a vengeance.

Here’s how it will work in practice:

A flight attendant could use the chi sau (“sticky hands”) technique to prevent a passenger from hitting him. “The idea,” Phillips explains, “is to block and control a person’s arms by linking your arms with theirs.”

Next, split the assailant’s arms. Here, the flight attendant raises his left arm, and makes contact with his opponent’s chest, while holding back the arm with his right hand.

The flight attendant now traps the assailant’s arms, leaving his right arm free to land a restraining punch. Though, as Phillips points out, “It wouldn’t be a very good idea for a cabin crew member to hit a passenger.”

(HT: Milepoint.)