Japan Airlines has had a bit of a booze problem in recent years. Earlier this month, an employee was accused of stealing a bottle of Champagne and drinking it during her shift, an incident which followed the October story of a pilot so drunk he could barely stand up an hour before he was scheduled to fly. All said, there have been over 30 reported alcohol-related incidents surrounding employees of Japan’s flagship airline, and in an effort to clear the PR crisis resulting from the incidents, company executives have made a firm request to their employees: No more drinking until 2019.
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Japan Airlines Employees Told Not to Drink on New Year’s Eve
Although monitors aren’t following employees home during off hours, the company is apparently willing to go to great lengths to clean up its image. The company refrained from serving alcohol at any of its holiday parties this year, and has reportedly urged employees to stay off the sauce during the normally booze-heavy familial gatherings tied to the holidays and leading up to the new year. Japan Airlines recently began using strict blood alcohol detection methods on its employees, a process that eventually led to many of the reported incidents involving on-the-clock (and in-the-air) imbibing.
It’s unknown whether any members of the airline’s staff failed to follow the request, but one thing is clear — Japan Airlines aims to keep its staff in line even at the price of off-work recreation. While holiday revelry may be forcefully subdued, the airline hopes the policy will lead to a safer — and more sober — year of business in 2019. 
H/T: Travel & Leisure