A Japan Airlines flight from the United States to Japan was canceled last week, due to the captain’s drunken behavior at the layover hotel, as flagged by View from the Wing.
In this post:
Japan Airlines 777 captain parties too hard during layover
This incident involves a 49-year-old Japan Airlines captain, who had a layover at Dallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW) last week. Specifically, he landed on the morning of Monday, April 22, 2024, and was supposed to depart again on the morning of Wednesday, April 24, 2024, after a two-day layover. Specifically, he was flying a Boeing 777-300ER, and was supposed to operate JL11/12.
According to police, the captain was drinking alcohol with crew members at a restaurant starting at around 6PM on Monday. Then when he returned to the hotel after dinner, he continued drinking. The hotel reportedly warned him that his drunken behavior was causing a disturbance. At 2AM on Tuesday morning, when things hadn’t improved, the hotel called the police on the captain, as he was still shouting.
The flight on Wednesday ended up being canceled, with the 157 passengers booked on the flight being accommodated on other flights. The airline has apologized to passengers for the inconvenience.
The company decided to cancel the flight, in order to check on the condition of the captain (both mental and physical), and to arrange a replacement crew. The captain told police that he didn’t notice that he was drunk.
At least the Japan Airlines captain didn’t fly drunk
If there’s any silver lining to this story, it’s that the captain at least wasn’t trying to show up to work drunk. With Japan Airlines’ policies, pilots can’t drink within 12 hours of a flight. In this case, he was still well over 24 hours before departure. So it’s possible he was just really letting his hair down during the layover, but could’ve operated the plane safely.
Then again, you can’t help but wonder about someone’s judgment when they’re causing such a disturbance from drinking that the police has to be called, and then they claim to not even realize that they were drunk.
One has to wonder what was going on here. Presumably the captain has had hundreds of layovers over the course of his career, so is this level of partying normal for him, or what was the occasion?
Bottom line
A Japan Airlines flight out of Dallas was canceled, after the captain got so rowdy during a layover that the police had to be called. This was on the first night of a two-night layover, so he wasn’t violating restrictions regarding drinking and flying, but rather his behavior just crossed the line. What an awkward reason for a flight cancelation…
What do you make of this Japan Airlines incident?
Those obnoxious vloggers making "jApAN is LiVIng IN 2050" and "OnLy IN jAPan" tiktok style videos should do one for this
Well said. Good luck surviving in one of the most Japanophile website in the world, though.
Interesting story.
People are struggling at this time, as the split continues. Let's hope the pilot gets the help he needs.
Interesting suggestion.
A large number Japanese Salaryman should get help from what Americans think they need?
You don't see Japanese telling American gun owners to get help at all.
Probably never going to happen, they're too polite to tell you to ef off and mind your own business Gaijin.
TL;DR
A person was drunk.
Few take away from this CLICK BAIT
1. This is a news of a drunk person who is being accused of a misconduct that never took place yet in the future. This is like R Kelly saying he's innocent because they'll be 21 in a few years?
2. Without much details. Another service industry power trip? At least when the hotel kicks someone out on a power trip,...
TL;DR
A person was drunk.
Few take away from this CLICK BAIT
1. This is a news of a drunk person who is being accused of a misconduct that never took place yet in the future. This is like R Kelly saying he's innocent because they'll be 21 in a few years?
2. Without much details. Another service industry power trip? At least when the hotel kicks someone out on a power trip, it doesn't affect other guests.
3. TMZ Gary is accusing substance abuse and mental health?
All those trips to Japan and he's never been to a bar pass 10pm?
Their drinking culture is now your problem?
4. OMAAT is questioning someone’s judgment when
4.1 they’re causing such a disturbance from drinking that the police has to be called
4.2 they claim to not even realize that they were drunk.
Uhh, it's called "being drunk" and applies to almost every who drink.
Seriously, you've never ask a drunk person if they are drunk?
5. The irony is, you can find this exact behavior at any college bar every weekend. You don't go in those bar and fail their classes because they'll be having an exams TWO days from now.
Poor guy just wanted to get Texas Totaled. I blame the mezcal.
Am I the only one that doesn't understand the problem? He was drinking (maybe a bit too much) on his layover, and not even on the same day as his flight. He had more than 24 hours before he was to report for duty, and there was no indication that he would show up to work in an inebriated state. So what exactly lead to the airline not allowing him to fly and cancelling the flight?
157 passengers... even though it's wasn't a high season yet (Golden Week takes place in few weeks) and it was on Wednesday, the load factor sounds quite lacking. And JAL is planning to make that HND-DFW flights to be the second A35K flight... idk, is that demand at least better than how SFO/LAX flights are like under the same circumstances?
Unless there was Karaoke involved there is no excuse.
The desolately generic hotel room pictured in the article would drive anyone to drink.
Not guilty your honor….
So he specifically flew in on Monday and specifically his plane was a 777. I guess we know Ben's 'Word-of the-Day' today. Quite specifically!
Kanpai ! Bonzai Daniel San ! Bonzai !!!!
JAL pilot who failed breath test just before taking duty on the flight from London to Tokyo arrested at Heathrow in 2018. At that time JAL managed to find relief pilot and JL044 took off with an hour delay.
This time JAL could not find relief pilot at DFW…
In the news article, BA pilot also failed breath test and arrested at Gatwick - unfortunately drunken pilot may be not so uncommon…
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-46062122
JAL only serves DFW once-daily, and the route is currently operated by the 77W on alternate days (with the A350 on the other days). That means there wasn't another crew in Dallas (only the crew that arrived on that Wednesday inbound flight.
In the London incident, JAL likely has more than one daily flight to LHR, and the same aircraft type was likely operated daily. So there were likely more JAL crews on the ground in London.