Staff who support daily flight safety
Many professionals are at work to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers during flight.
Pilot
Personally inspects the aircraft
Prior to departure, pilots check weather information of departure and arrival airports and enroute in the airport office, and prepare for a safe flight.
After boarding the aircraft, they receive a detailed report of maintenance conditions from maintenance engineers. They also personally inspect the aircraft and check for any trouble to make sure everything is all right.
Share information with cabin attendants to ensure a safe and comfortable flight
Then, the pilots hold a briefing with cabin attendants, and share information on emergency procedures, security information, expected turbulence enroute, weather information at the destination, etc. If turbulence is expected, they provide the degree and time, the timing for turning on the seat belt sign, and discuss the cabin service plan, etc., and make preparations to ensure a safe and comfortable flight through joint efforts.
Afterwards, in the cockpit, the pilots inspect whether devices are working properly. Immediately before departure, they make a final check of devices using a checklist, and after confirming the safety of the aircraft, the aircraft is ready for departure. After receiving clearance from the air traffic controller, the aircraft takes off.
Coordination with ground staff is essential to ensure flight safety
During flight, the pilots pay attention to weather and airport conditions, conditions of the aircraft and aircraft flying in the vicinity. While making appropriate decisions at vital points in time, they operate the aircraft so as to ensure a safe and comfortable flight.
Even after arriving at the destination, the pilots review the flight, and submit a safety report. By reporting weather and aircraft conditions enroute to relevant staff, they support safe operations of the next flight.
Cabin Attendant
Before every flight, they confirm the emergency
procedure and check the emergency equipments
Prior to flight duty, cabin attendants confirm their individual roles for safely in the cabin, and directions on how to use emergency equipment, etc. To prepare for an emergency, they carry out image training of evacuating passengers by watching a video.
Inspects whether there is any trouble with the cabin door (emergency exit)
After boarding the aircraft, the cabin attendants inspect whether the specified number of emergency equipment is set in the specified locations, whether there is any trouble with the cabin doors (emergency exit), etc. Then, they check meals, drinks, and service goods for the passengers, and cabin cleaning conditions.
During briefing with the pilots, they verify emergency procedures, security information, the flight route, expected weather conditions, turbulence, etc., and make a plan for safe cabin service. After carrying out a security check of the cabin and make sure preparations are complete, they welcome the passengers onboard.
Check whether baggage are stored properly by hands and eyes
Prior to take-off and landing, cabin attendants check whether the passengers have fastened their seat belts, baggage are stored properly, etc. During flight, they pay attention to any trouble in the cabin, sick passengers, etc. If there is a sick or injured passenger, they provide first aid using the medical kit always kept in the cabin. Even after arrival at the destination, the cabin attendants review the general flight, discuss things they noticed, and prepare for the next flight duty.
Maintenance Engineer
Carefully inspect various parts of the aircraft
After the arrival of an aircraft, Maintenance Engineers perform pre-flight inspection to prepare for the next flight and repair troubles occurring during flight, which are reported by pilots and cabin attendants.
During pre-flight inspection, they check aircraft conditions of the previous flight, the aircraft exterior for dents or scratches, fuel spillage, wear and tear of tires, whether abrasion of brakes is within the normal range, etc., and other various check items.
Repair troubles swiftly and accurately for a safe and comfortable flight
Maintenance Engineers use their five senses to the maximum and do not miss even the slightest abnormal change, such as differences in engine sound. If there are traces of bird strike or lightning strike, they carry out a special inspection.
If there is trouble, they accurately pinpoint the cause, and swiftly repair it. They perform maintenance work daily, bearing in mind to provide passengers with a comfortable flight, as well as ensure the safety of the aircraft.
Accurately reports the conditions of the aircraft
After completing pre-flight inspection and repair, Maintenance Engineers report the conditions to pilots and cabin attendants of the next flight, sign the log book as evidence of guaranteeing airworthiness, and hand the log book to the pilots. The safety baton is passed on from the mechanics to crew, and safety in operations of each and every flight is ensured.
Dispatcher
Monitors operations on the ground
to ensure safety in flight
Aircraft operations are affected by weather phenomena, such as fog, snow, typhoons, volcanic explosions, mechanical trouble, and other various factors. JAL's Operation Control Center (OCC) located at Head Office monitors and analyzes these conditions in real time 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and responds. Dispatchers and other staff centrally control operations of all JAL flights operating in Japan and overseas and keep an eye to ensure the passengers' safety.
Briefs pilots on the flight, such as the flight plan, in the airport office prior to departure
Prior to departure, Dispatchers *1 check weather conditions and various information on operations, and create a Flight Plan showing the flight route, flight altitiude, the amount of fuel loaded onto the aircraft, etc. This information is conveyed to the pilots prior to flight duty in the airport office.
*1 To become a Dispatcher, candidates must obtain a national qualification, and then pass an internal examination.
A dispatcher who communicates with pilot in flight
Even after a flight takes-off, OCC constantly monitors its flight conditiions. As weather and other conditions change minute by minute, Dispatchers exchange necessary information for operations with the pilots, and support safety and comfort in operations from the ground. In case of unexpected situations, such as adverse weather conditions at the destination and mechanical trouble, OCC consults with the pilots, and decide the action to take, such as diversion, rerouting, and turning back for safety purposes. Even after the aircraft has arrived, OCC exchanges information with the pilots about conditions they noticed about the flight.
Cargo Staff
Checks contents of the shipment against documents
The aircraft cargo compartment is loaded with various shipments, such as electronic components, valuables, perishables, and live animals. Cargo staff pay the utmost attention so that these shipments do not affect flight safety.
First, when accepting cargo from the customers, they check documents and cargo packaging to make sure that shipments do not contain cargo prohibited from transport, do not damage the aicraft during flight, and such. If necessary, they inspect the cargo.
Containerizes cargo, taking into account cargo weight, Center of Gravity, and ways of building up the cargo
Next, the customers' shipments are built -up in containers etc.,so that they can be loaded and unloaded easily. (On small-sized aircraft, the shipments are loaded directly onto aircraft.) When containerizing, cargo staff pay attention to the weight of each cargo and the Center of Gravity and built-up accordingly so that cargo do not lean or crumble during flight, and then secure the cargo in place on the container, etc. (or aircaft).
Accurately weights cargo to ensure safety in flight
Finally, cargo staff calculate the total weight of cargo, and report to the section that makes the Load Plan for cargo, baggage, and fuel. As cargo weight affects the Center of Gravity of the aircraft and various weight imitations, cargo staff weigh cargo and report accurately and carefully.
Ground Handling Staff
Give signs to the pilot accurately to guide the aircraft
When an aircraft lands and approaches the spot, a ground handling staff gives signs to the pilot with paddles in both hands and guides the aircraft to the location where it should stop. This is called marshalling. Marshalling is very important for moving a large aircraft safely and accurately. On behalf of the pilots in the cockpit with relatively narrow visibility, the marshaller watches for obstacles on the ground, and makes sure the aircraft does not strike other aircraft. The marshaller must gesture confidence so that the pilots understand the signs accurately
Carefully position the boarding bridge
When the aircraft comes to a full stop, the boarding bridge is set to the aircraft. It is carefully positioned so that there are no uneven surfaces or gaps between the aircraft and boarding bridge floor. Depending on the aircraft type, a board is placed to level the surface, or such, to prevent passengers from tripping.
Loads cargo according to the plan, taking care of the balance in the fore and rear
After arrival, cargo is unloaded, and then cargo of the next flight is loaded. Cargo must be unloaded carefully according to an instruction sheet based on the Load Plan. This is to prevent aircraft from losing its balance in the fore and rear due to the positions of cargo in the cargo compartment. A supervisor (Load Master) watches carefully so that handling is achieved according to the plan. Even while the aircraft is parked on the ground, many staff work hard night and day to ensure the safety of the passengers and the aircraft.
Ground Service Staff
Ask whether the baggage contains
any restricted articles such as dangerous goods
Staff at the check-in counter bear in mind to provide customers with accurate information about their seats and boarding gate, etc. so that they feel reassured when using our flights. When checking-in the customer's baggage, they ask whether the baggage contains any articles that are restricted from loading in the cargo compartment, and request the customer's cooperation for safety.
Check the boarding pass reader and confirm whether all passengers have boarded
At the boarding gate, staff check the boarding pass reader and confirm whether all passengers have boarded. If there are passengers who have not showed up by departure time, staff check the cabin and call the passenger's name. If the passenger does not show up after all, his or her checked baggage is offloaded for safety reasons before the aircraft departs.
Related links
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Maintenance
To deliver safety and peace of mind to all customers, JAL performs line maintenance and meticulous aircraft inspections and maintenance.
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Important devices and equipment to ensure safety
We would like to introduce devices and equipment to protect the customers’ safety such as the traffic alert & collision avoidance system (TCAS) and life vests.
