"I Drank the Night Before": Flight Crew Member Caught for Alcohol Causes Japan Airlines Departure to Be Delayed by 40 Minutes

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[Financial News] A female cabin crew member in her 50s at Japan Airlines (JAL) was removed from duty after alcohol was detected in a pre-flight test, delaying the departure of the flight by about 40 minutes.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 27th, JAL replaced a female crew member in her 50s who had been scheduled to work on Flight 252 from Hiroshima to Haneda, departing at 7:40 a.m. on the 23rd, after alcohol was detected.
Alcohol was detected in a test conducted at Hiroshima Airport one hour before her duty began. An investigation found that she had drunk two beers and two glasses of wine at a hotel lounge from the evening of the previous day through the night.
A female crew member in her 30s who had also been scheduled for the same flight drank with her, but was reportedly excluded from duty after saying she did not feel well on the day of work. JAL prohibits crew members from drinking within 12 hours of the start of duty.
After alcohol was detected in the test, JAL immediately replaced the crew member, but the process delayed the flight's departure by about 40 minutes.
JAL has previously faced alcohol-related problems, including an incident last year in which one of its captains drank in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he was staying, causing three flights, including the one he was scheduled to operate, to be delayed by up to 18 hours.
In response, JAL apologized, saying, "We have lost public trust because of repeated alcohol-related incidents, and we take this very seriously."
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter