DALLAS — A flight from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Japan was canceled after the pilot got drunk and "disorderly" in the days before the flight, Japan Airlines officials said.
The incident happened ahead of an April 24 flight from DFW to Tokyo, according to a statement from the airline.
A flight from Tokyo to DFW had landed on April 22, with the return flight scheduled from DFW to Tokyo on April 24. Late at night after the April 22 arrival, the captain of the flight "became intoxicated and engaged in disorderly behavior at the hotel," the airline statement said.
The captain has not been named by the airline.
"This behavior caused inconvenience to other guests and hotel staff, leading to a verbal warning from the police upon the hotel's request," the statement said.
Enough time passed between the incident and the scheduled flight on April 24, and no alcohol was detected in the captain's system at the start of his shift. But the airline still decided to pull him from the flight after "an assessment of the physical and mental condition of the pilot" was conducted, the airline said.
The pilot getting pulled from the flight forced the airline to arrange an alternate crew from Japan, prompting a "significant delay," the airline said. As a result, the airline had to cancel the flight.
The airline said most of the passengers were transferred to an American Airlines direct flight the same day, while some were transferred to a flight that went through Chicago.
"We sincerely apologize to the customers who were involved in this flight cancellation," the Japan Airlines statement said. "We are fully aware of the seriousness of this situation."
