A Japan Airlines flight from Dallas to Tokyo was cancelled after the captain got into trouble for bad behavior at his hotel. The captain, 49 years old, was reportedly drinking and acting disruptively at the hotel late at night. Hotel staff asked him to quiet down, but he wouldn’t listen. The hotel called the police, who gave the captain a warning for being drunk and disorderly.
This all meant the captain couldn’t fly the plane. Unfortunately, the airline couldn’t find another pilot on short notice, so they had to cancel the flight. All 157 passengers were rebooked on other flights to get them to their destination.
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened with Japan Airlines pilots and alcohol. In 2018, another JAL pilot showed up for a flight way over the legal blood alcohol limit. The Japanese government is starting to get worried about this and is pressuring JAL to improve its pilot screening procedures.
Just like it’s illegal to drive drunk, pilots can’t fly under the influence of alcohol, either. This is especially important during takeoff, landing, and taxiing when things can get hectic. Different countries have different limits, but in the UK, for example, pilots can’t have more than 20mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in their system, which is less than a whole drink.
Breaking these rules can have serious consequences, like getting fired or even going to jail. Thankfully, it’s very rare for pilots to actually fly drunk. In fact, airplanes are still considered the safest way to travel!