On Tuesday, a Japan Airlines flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled after the captain got drunk at a hotel bar and received a warning from police. According to The Mainichi, the captain had dined with other crew members in Dallas before continuing to drink throughout the evening in the hotel lounge and his hotel room. At around 2 a.m., a hotel employee asked the group to quiet down, leading to the pilot’s disorderly conduct and a call to the police.
The police questioned the captain and cautioned him not to cause any further issues. However, Japan Airlines was unable to find a replacement pilot in time for the Wednesday morning departure, resulting in the cancellation of the flight. FlightAware data shows that the flight, scheduled for 11:05 a.m. local time on Wednesday, did not take off. Japan Airlines assisted in transferring the 157 passengers who were supposed to be on board onto alternate flights.
While incidents of pilots reporting for duty under the influence are relatively rare, they have been happening more frequently in recent years. In March, a Delta Air Lines captain admitted to flying while over the legal alcohol limit. Last year, a pilot for United Airlines showed up to work intoxicated and was given a six-month suspended prison sentence by a French court. The Federal Aviation Administration has stated that a pilot’s flying ability is significantly compromised by alcohol use, with serious errors increasing at or above concentrations of 0.04% blood alcohol.[
