Former Flight Attendant Mitsuko Tottori is named as next president of JAL.

[drron]

A former flight attendant is to become President of JAL. They continue the progression on workers becoming President. Two of her predecessors as President have been from engineering and maintenance and a pilot. Certainly unlike Japan.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/japan-airlines-bankruptcy-helped-lay-groundwork-first-female-boss-2024-01-31/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&utm_term=013124&user_email=42c279be87db2e6b362e5c5af53114ca6a8bab3e0d36948cf7872b29529df7e9

 

[SCM]

I think their professional background (engineering, flight attendant, pilot) is far more interesting than the gender. JAL doing it right.

 

[AIRwin]

Interview with new CEO:

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/24/business/japan-airlines-first-female-ceo-interview-intl-hnk/index.html

 

[drron]

I certainly noticed changes on our JAL flight yesterday. The staff were much more talkative than usual especially the younger male FA. He said to me the staff regard the new CEO as excellent and that she has encouraged staff to get to know their customers.

I noted their safety video which was introduced 3 years ago. possibly saved lives back in January. Fairly graphic demonstration of why you should leave your baggage behind.

 

[RooFlyer]

I noted their safety video which was introduced 3 years ago. possibly saved lives back in January. Fairly graphic demonstration of why you should leave your baggage behind.

Good heavens! An actual safety video telling you how to prevent injury or death on an aircraft. No tourist vibe, no "magic", no celebrity tossers.

I regret I only have one flight with them this year (for a number of reasons).

 

[encryptededdy]

While I've never had problems with JAL as a customer and enjoy flying them, I do hear from friends in Japan that they've been known to have quite a toxic culture internally, with senior members often engaging in hazing. Of course I'm not sure how true this is or how it compares to other airlines, but I do hope a change at the top can improve this.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Good heavens! An actual safety video telling you how to prevent injury or death on an aircraft. No tourist vibe, no "magic", no celebrity tossers.

I regret I only have one flight with them this year (for a number of reasons).

I take it you aren’t a fan of the QR safety video ?
It’s heavy on the tourist vibe. In fact I’d say the creators of QF borrowed heavily from it.

 

[Quickstatus]

senior members often engaging in hazing

My understanding is Japanese work culture is still very hierachical with rigid expectations though I understand its changing.
Is Karoshi still a thing?. (Im presuming that it do not exist in the Japanese airlines for obvious reasons)

 

[encryptededdy]

My understanding is Japanese work culture is still very hierachical with rigid expectations though I understand its changing.
Is Karoshi still a thing?. (Im presuming that it do not exist in the Japanese airlines for obvious reasons)

Yeah, I'm sure some of it is to do with Japanese work culture, but I'm told it's quite a bit worse than at ANA or Starflyer for instance.

 

[RooFlyer]

I take it you aren’t a fan of the QR safety video ?

No!! Can I say that any more emphatically?

It’s heavy on the tourist vibe.

Last one I saw (or at least that I remember) was heavy on some soccer team wankers who I assume were sponsored by QR.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Last one I saw (or at least that I remember) was heavy on some soccer team wankers who I assume were sponsored by QR.

Ah, one can always tell a influencer! AFL or cricketers would have been ok?

 

[Princess Fiona]

No!! Can I say that any more emphatically?



Last one I saw (or at least that I remember) was heavy on some soccer team wankers who I assume were sponsored by QR.

The current one from 2023 features postcards from QR destinations. It is strikingly similar in format to the QF one.

 

[jb747]

Is the fact that she’s female even slightly relevant? Hopefully she’s a competent, worthwhile, leader, unlike so many others.

 

[RSD]

Is the fact that she’s female even slightly relevant? Hopefully she’s a competent, worthwhile, leader, unlike so many others.

Totally agree - and I think it would be good for certain airlines (looking at you Qantas) to bring some operational people onto the board as advisors on how to rebuild the brand.

 

[RSD]

I certainly noticed changes on our JAL flight yesterday. The staff were much more talkative than usual especially the younger male FA. He said to me the staff regard the new CEO as excellent and that she has encouraged staff to get to know their customers.

I noted their safety video which was introduced 3 years ago. possibly saved lives back in January. Fairly graphic demonstration of why you should leave your baggage behind.

That safety video should be how all airlines do it - no distracting nonsense - very clear, and first time I have ever seen a safety video that shows how to actually slide down the slide etc.

 

[tdimdad]

When you look at QF, how much has it made any difference that they now have a female CEO? It all comes down to their competency and attitude to leadership, after all.

What I do appreciate is when a CEO has strong operational experience from the production floor level. It often brings a plenty of realism and levelheadedness to the role. From this viewpoint, JAL may have made another good move here.

 

[drron]

Flying JAL again today so will ask about the toxic work environment.

 

[RooFlyer]

Is the fact that she’s female even slightly relevant? Hopefully she’s a competent, worthwhile, leader, unlike so many others.

If we are talking about JAL, then talking about her being female I think is relevant. The other criteria may not have been used before.

 

[drron]

So today I flew JL 32 BKK-HND in J. I spoke to the most junior and most senior attendants in the J cabin.
The junior FA said she felt better since the new CEO took over. But her view was that it means more chance of moving up the ladder. She did say most of her co workers at JAL are happy. I am certain she didn't quite understand all my questions.
The senior FA however certainly did and said the work environment at JAL has improved a lot over the last 10 years. But she said that since the new CEO took charge the FAs are a much happier group. She then pointed out that JAL has been increasing the number of women pilots over the last few years and one of the pilots today was a woman.
Another couple of things that she mentioned was JAL was one of the first Japanese companies to welcome LGBTI workers into the company and produced a diversity document in 2015 and suggested I look it up. I have and here it is.

https://www.jal.com/en/sustainability/human/dei/

Just to point out that last year in Japan women only held 12.9% of management roles in Japanese companies so Jal is doing much better than the average.
And lastly she told me of JAL's Doll flights when every member of the workforce for the flight is female including ground staff and mechanics.
It was an interesting discussion and she thanked me for asking. I didn't ask if she was in the FAs Union.

 

[Chicken]

A former flight attendant is to become President of JAL. They continue the progression on workers becoming President. Two of her predecessors as President have been from engineering and maintenance and a pilot. Certainly unlike Japan.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/japan-airlines-bankruptcy-helped-lay-groundwork-first-female-boss-2024-01-31/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&utm_term=013124&user_email=42c279be87db2e6b362e5c5af53114ca6a8bab3e0d36948cf7872b29529df7e9

This is good news, from 2 points:
- she started from a low level base job, and managed to climb the ladder;
- she is not a man.

I'm not a woman, but women face a lot of hurdle when trying to rise above the glass ceiling. This is backed by various research, especially companies often hire a woman CEO after the men had screwed up and created a scandal.

In Japan, top of the corporate world is even more dominated by men, than in Australia.

Who cares?

Remember Asiana crashed and everyone died, because the first officer didn't dare challenge the captain, even when the first officer could see that he was going to die? All because of this type of 'culture'.

Bad culture can kill an organization, and in an airline, kills people, literally.