JAL employees lied about alcohol consumption, ministry finds
Quick Look
- Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism found that two Japan Airlines (JAL) employees lied during an internal investigation about consuming alcohol, violating company rules.
- The chief cabin attendant, in her 50s, was fired, and another attendant, in her 30s, was suspended.
- JAL announced pay cuts for board members, including a 30% cut for president Mitsuko Tottori.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Two Japan Airlines employees falsely reported in an internal investigation that they had not consumed alcohol, violating company regulations. The incident led to a flight delay and punitive measures for JAL board members.
The female JAL employees had falsely reported in an internal investigation that they had not consumed alcohol in violation of company regulations, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
It said the incident showed that “awareness of safety issues has yet to be thoroughly ensured”.
In a statement on Friday, JAL also announced punitive measures for all board members, including a 30 per cent pay cut for president Mitsuko Tottori for two months, saying it “takes this matter extremely seriously and deeply apologises”.
The aircraft was scheduled to depart from Hiroshima to Tokyo’s Haneda airport at 7.40am on May 23, but was delayed until 8.22am. The chief cabin attendant drank alcohol at a hotel lounge beyond the time permitted under company rules the previous day.
The ministry determined that the two women – the chief cabin attendant, in her 50s, who was later fired by JAL, and the other attendant, in her 30s, who was suspended – both tried to cover up the incident.
Open Questions
- Were other employees involved?
- What is the full extent of the safety culture issue at JAL?
