JAL bans cabin attendants from drinking before return flights

On Wednesday, the airline announced that a flight scheduled to depart from Hiroshima in western Japan at 7:40 am on Saturday for Tokyo was delayed by about 40 minutes, affecting 186 passengers, after a female cabin attendant drank more than allowed by its rules based on the aviation law the previous day.

The attendant drank with a colleague in her 30s at a hotel lounge, violating the rules, which prohibit drinking within 12 hours before duty.

On Saturday, the attendant tested positive for alcohol in a self-check but did not report the result.

Her drinking came to light through a test she received at the airport.

The colleague reported that she could not board the flight because she was unwell.

JAL has faced a string of alcohol-related incidents.

In August 2025, a male international flight captain drank excessively before his return flight, prompting the transport ministry to issue a stern warning to the airline.

Following the latest incident, JAL issued a comment that it takes the loss of public trust caused by the incident extremely seriously.