Ground handling staff and pilots at Japan Airlines (JAL) have expressed apprehension about a lack of on-the-job training and difficulties communicating with more senior employees, according to people familiar with the matter, amid a series of safety incidents at the carrier.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many ground handling staff between the ages of 30 and 50 left JAL to try their luck elsewhere because they didn’t see an immediate recovery in the airline industry, breaking a connecting string between veterans and younger staff, the people said.
Those employees would have normally provided informal training to new recruits, and younger people now feel unable to freely ask questions of more senior workers, they added, asking not to be identified because they’re not authorized to publicly speak.