The men who helped flight attendants detain a man who allegedly threatened Malaysia Airlines crew members on Wednesday night have been hailed as heroes.
But what should passengers do if they are on a plane during such an attack?
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'We were praying it wasn't a bomb'
Flight MH128 passenger and former AFL star Andrew Leoncelli tried to help staff contain a man who allegedly threatened staff on a Malaysia-bound flight.
Police and aviation experts say the primary response for passengers should be to listen for instructions from the flight crew.
If they ask for help, the fittest and healthiest on board should then act.
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According to aviation security expert Geoff Askew, the 15 years since 9/11 have seen more passengers offering their help during in-flight emergencies.
"Before that, I think people were less inclined to get involved, but now they release that if they don't get involved there can be catastrophic consequences," Mr Askew said.
"So people don't hesitate when these incidents occur, and all around the world there are always passengers willing to assist, and that's a good thing."
A group of men detained the 25-year-old Dandenong man on board flight MH128, after hearing the flight attendants were in distress.
One of the men said he heard an air hostess shout "this guy's crazy," prompting him to assist.
"We pushed the guy onto the floor and cabin crew put cords on him and secured him to the ground," Robert Macdonald said.
"It was just my instinct to get up and help."
Scott Lodge said he pounced on the man after a flight attendant was grabbed by the arm.
"I don't remember doing it. It was just natural instinct. It was really weird," Mr Lodge said.
Mr Askew said the men deserved commendations for their bravery.
"They're to be highly commended for their quick action that obviously was required at the time to subdue this particular individual," he said.
Victoria's police chief said each emergency situation on board a plane was "dynamic" and passengers would react differently each time.
"Passengers at certain parts of the plane may see the opportunity to intervene, to provide what they might think will be a quick outcome, that's always going to happen," Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said, speaking to media on Thursday morning.
"It happened in this case and in this case it's happened with good effect.
"Sometimes it doesn't pan out that way but it's a very dynamic situation and people in those situations will make decisions that they think in the urgency of that time is the best decision."
Mr Askew said the best advice for passengers was to wait for the crew on board to ask for help.
"We shouldn't underestimate the training that's gone into the flight crew," he said.
"Conflict resolution training has been given to the cabin crew, so they will verbally try and resolve an incident before physical intervention is required, but sometimes that is not enough.
"If they're trying to deal with an incident and they call for assistance, then obviously it's appropriate to assist them. It should be the healthy, fit people that provide assistance."
An AFP spokesman said their advice was for passengers to listen to the cabin crew first, before acting.
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