TAIPEI: Three female flight attendants from Taiwanese carrier Eva Air have been hailed as heroes after they broke up a scuffle between two male passengers, according to Taiwanese media.
The incident took place on Tuesday (May 7) just three hours after Eva Air’s BR08 flight left Taipei for San Francisco, according to TVBS News.
A video posted on X by user @AlexNewsweekly shows a male passenger in a white shirt grabbed by two female flight attendants from behind. He raises his fists and signals angrily at someone outside the frame.
Another passenger in a blue striped shirt is shortly seen storming towards the man and aggressively swinging his fist, missing him by inches.
A third female flight attendant placed herself between the two men with her hands outstretched to keep them apart.
Screams from other passengers can be heard in the background as some got out from their seats in an attempt to move away from the fight.
Another passenger is seen stopping the man in the blue striped shirt and calming him down.
Eva Air told local media that the scuffle started when a male passenger felt uncomfortable when the person beside him started coughing,
The man decided to move to a nearby seat which was empty but belonged to another passenger. As the passenger confronted the man, the argument escalated to a physical fight.
The flight attendants swiftly followed operating procedures to pacify the passengers and moved the two men to seats in two separate areas of the plane to avoid further conflicts, Eva Air added.
The Liberty Times reported that the plane’s captain notified San Francisco’s airport police shortly after the incident and that the plane arrived safely in San Francisco.
The two passengers involved were handed over to the police upon arrival for investigations, TVBS News reported.
Eva Air added that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards passenger nuisance incidents and praised its staff’s quick intervention.
The airline said it will continue to check on the physical and mental state of the team members who were on duty, and will follow up with rewards accordingly.
Netizens took to social media to praise the flight attendants’ professionalism and quick intervention.
Facebook user Julia said: “It was tough for the cabin crew, and they showed bravery. The company should really reward them.”
Another by the username Lili John wrote: “Women are capable of fighting, but they typically think they aren’t. When they have to do it, we will see what they are truly capable of.” - The Straits Times/ANN
