Nipponica

Japan Airlines said Wednesday that it has decided to cut the remuneration of President Mitsuko Tottori and 36 other executives over a scandal involving a captain who drank excessively in Hawaii prior to his duties.

JAL dismissed the 64-year-old captain on Sept. 11 as a disciplinary measure, the airline said.

Tottori's monthly salary will be cut by 30% for two months. Managing Executive Officer Yukio Nakagawa, who also serves as chief safety officer, and Masaki Minami, who is in charge of flight operations, will have their pay reduced by 20% for one month. The remaining 34 executive officials will see their pay slashed by 10% for one month.

Docking a month or two salary from executives is hardly anything for what could have been a significant loss of life. Shameful.

The major Japanese air carrier has in recent years faced multiple similar drinking incidents involving its pilots, and it comes after a previous warning given to JAL in December by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

The ministry said JAL employees lacked due consideration for safety, urging the company to compile measures by the end of the month to prevent a repeat.

“We take this issue very seriously and deeply apologise for causing trouble and worries,” JAL president Mitsuko Tottori told a press conference, adding that her company will fire the pilot.

The fact that this pilot stayed employed this long is outrageous. This guy should have been fired on the spot for putting himself and hundreds of passengers and crew in danger.

Japanese airlines including All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) are finding ways to collaborate to reduce costs and boost efficiency despite fierce competition, as their domestic businesses effectively operate in the red amid a sharp decline in business passengers.

ANA and JAL have installed shared ticket-checking systems at gates in 75 Japanese airports, or 80% of the country's total. Each airline previously had its own equipment, requiring separate personnel for gate system management. This led to inefficiencies like passengers being unable to use gates operated by other airlines, leading to a standardization push.

It was always very strange to have dedicated ticket scanning machine for each airline. This not only makes sense financially but also just for common sense. Not everything needs to be a custom solution.

On August 12, 1985, the crash of a Japan Airlines Boeing 747 in central Japan resulted in 520 fatalities. It was Japan’s deadliest air accident, as well as the deadliest air disaster in history involving a single aircraft and no additional deaths on the ground.

A sad tale. The TV program Mayday did an episode on this crash it is worth the watch. The fact that four people managed to survive is frankly amazing.

The British company Skytrax recently announced the winners of its 2025 World Airline Awards. Regarded as the top prizes in the aviation industry, the awards began in 1999. All Nippon Airways was fifth and Japan Airlines ninth in the World’s Best Airlines category.

Much love for my two home airlines, but the most interesting part of this article is the chart of historical places in this survey. ANA has always been consistent, but JAL was in the 20s and 30s a decade ago. An amazing turnaround for the flag carrier.