Overview
- A Hiroshima–Haneda domestic flight was delayed when pre-flight breath tests on May 23 showed two cabin attendants had alcohol readings above company limits, forcing crew replacements and a roughly 30–40 minute pushback that affected 186 passengers.
- One senior attendant recorded a 0.23 mg/L reading in an early self-test and later airport readings around 0.10–0.13 mg/L, and she did not report the positive pre-work result before traveling to the airport.
- Japan Airlines has immediately banned cabin attendants from consuming alcohol during layovers before return flights and said it will strengthen preventive measures and enforcement of testing procedures.
- Japan’s transport ministry conducted on-site inspections after the incident to review documents and interview staff as regulators and the public press the carrier over repeated crew alcohol breaches.
- The policy shift responds to a string of past alcohol-related scandals at JAL and could change crewing practices and rest rules for cabin staff while aiming to restore passenger trust and reduce flight disruption.