JAL gets tough with unruly Olympic athletes
Japan Airlines is demanding Australian Olympic athletes returning home from the Games are ‘chaperoned’ following an alcohol-fuelled ‘chaotic’ flight.
Aussie rugby and football teams caused chaos on a flight from Tokyo and the Australian Olympic Committee confirmed it has opened an investigation.
JAL requested that a chaperone supervise athletes on each flight to act as a middleman between airline crew and athletes.
"We will ask this person to assist the crew in maintaining discipline in the cabin," the airline said.
The situation on the flight was described as very raucous, and any further ‘undesirable behaviour’ would lead to the Australian Federal Police being alerted to deal with it on arrival.
JAL reiterated the need to ‘behave on board in line with normal societal expectations’ and ‘show respect to crew and other passengers.’
"Being drunk affects other passengers and interferes with the crew’s ability to do their job," the airline said.
"Passengers must wear masks at all times when not eating/drinking. This is a requirement of JAL and the Australian government."
Crew will not hesitate to refuse alcohol to athletes who appeared drunk, JAL said.
It is an unprecedented display of public criticism by JAL.
"It’s extremely disappointing but both rugby and football have told me that such behaviour is certainly not acceptable within their sports and have sincerely apologised to the Australian Olympic Team," AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt