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On Monday, Japan Airlines (JAL) unveiled its new Airbus A350-1000 cabins which, for the most part, look pretty good. I’m not a big fan of the color palette that JAL has chosen but unless you’re the sort of person who places more value on aesthetics than on practically or comfort, that shouldn’t be an issue.
Impressive First Class cabin and in-flight dining aside, buried within the press release outlining what JAL will be offering on board it’s A350-1000 aircraft was a line that caught the eyes of quite a few people.
This line got people’s attention because it seemed a little odd, and I’m sure I was not the only one to wonder if something had been lost in translation.
Here’s what the line said:
“In Business Class, a lending service for inflight relaxing wear will be introduced.”
Taken at face value, that line suggests that passengers in Business Class will be offered pajamas/sleepwear that will then be collected at the end of the flight and, somehow, reused.
Could that be right? Will JAL really be “lending” Business Class passengers some pajamas?
The guys over at Executive Traveller were among the group of people that wanted a bit more information, so they contacted JAL for clarification… and they got it.
According to a JAL spokesperson, the flight attendants in the Business Class cabin will collect all the pajamas shortly before landing and these will be sent for laundering before being reused on a future flight.
Note: According to the press release, this “lending service” will only be operating on JAL’s A350-1000 flights.
I have to admit that I’m not sure how I feel about this.
On the one hand (as a comment on ET points out), most of us are used to using towels at hotels and those are definitely not provided new for each arriving guest, so how is this any different?
On the other hand, even after a relatively short flight I often feel so in need of cleansing that I would quite happily burn the clothes that I had been wearing if that wasn’t an economically insane idea.
I’m happy to reuse my own clothes that I have worn during a flight (because the alternative is ridiculous), but the idea of slipping into clothing that multiple people have worn on long-haul flights (even if it has been laundered) doesn’t strike me as something that I’m going to want to do.
Given that I use hotel towels, that’s probably not a particularly logical stance to take, but if I start peeling back the curtain on the logicality of everything I do and every thought I have, I’m not sure that I’m going to like what I find! 🙂
In reality, this isn’t going to make any difference to me because apart from the fact that I don’t fly with JAL very often, I’m used to bringing my own sleepwear with me when I fly (most of the airlines that I fly with don’t offer sleepwear in Business Class) and so when I do next fly with JAL, I’ll just do what I always do and that’s the ‘problem’ solved.
I would, however, like to know what others think about this.
Is this a non issue? Or has JAL gone a step too far in the name of sustainability?
Is this something that other airlines should adopt (perhaps more airlines would offer pajamas in Business Class if passengers had to give them back)? Or do you see this as a cost-cutting measure that JAL has dressed up as another effort to be more sustainable?
Answers in the comments below please.
That’s horrible. Just the thought of putting on a pajama that someone else wore…. what if for some reason they forgot to wash it properly, and well… you dont see it…
Oh that’s just gross. I get they’ll launder it, but it just feels yucky. I have my own JAL pj’s. I hope they change the way they look under the new plan so I don’t have to prove they belong to me. 🙂
Not a fan of this idea. It comes across as being really cheap rather than any kind of eco motivated decision.
They have, for many years, collected whatever sleepwear they hand out in long haul business class.
Those must have been sent to their laundry service and then used in future flights.
Not for me, but then again I never change into sleepwear in public. Not even in a four seat first cabin (SQ et al).
When you stay with most Japanese hotels or Ryokans (Japanese type inns), they collect sleepwear and reuse them for future guests. Even outside of Japan, I suspect bathrobes at hotels are laundered and reused. I don’t think it is related to sustainability, but is more of a cultural issue.
What a bunch of babies……. Hotel towels, bath robes, etc., etc. They all get properly laundered and reused. This is NO different!! Wah, Wah, Wah