Personally, I think the name of the game is self-defense. If the pilot or F/A decided to use a weapon to inflict injury or harm to the attacker, then the line between defense and offense may become blurred in the eyes of the court. Now as to what constitutes a weapon, that can be defined in many ways, but once either defender or attacker decides to use a weapon during a confrontation the stakes rise as do the consequences.

My question is if the pilot/FA who was attacked in this case decided to punch or kick the assailants in this case would they be within their legal right and protected by both the company and the law?
I would think so, but I defer to anyone with a better understanding of the law in this case.