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Drunk Captain Causes Japan Airline to Cancel Flight from Dallas to Haneda; JAL Issues Drinking Ban for Staff Rest Times

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Japan Airlines airplanes are seen at Haneda Airport in December 2020.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:08 JST, June 11, 2024

Japan Airlines has instructed all its pilots and cabin attendants to avoid drinking alcohol during rest periods after a flight was canceled due to an intoxicated captain.

The male captain flew from Haneda Airport and arrived in Dallas, Texas, on the morning of April 22. From around 6 p.m. on that day, he began drinking alcohol with five to seven colleagues. The next day before dawn, the captain made loud noises at a hotel, prompting the police to be called. The captain was given a verbal warning during questioning that lasted two hours. As a result of the incident, a flight set to leave from Dallas to Haneda on the morning of April 24 was canceled.

JAL issued the “no drinking” order on April 26 after the incident became public.