JAL, which has bases throughout Japan, has been continuously implementing regional revitalization initiatives (currently the “JAL Furusato Project”), and in August 2020 launched the “JAL Furusato Ambassadors,” cabin crew members selected through an in-house recruitment process who move to the area to promote initiatives in their respective regions. In December of the same year, JAL appointed “JAL Hometown Cheering Troops” who are involved in regional revitalization while serving as flight attendants. The aim is to develop products and solve regional issues for hometowns and other regions with which they have connections, utilizing the knowledge they have accumulated as flight attendants.
We interviewed Ms. Megumi Yamamoto, a JAL Furusato Ambassador who is involved in food barrier-free activities in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture.
–What can you tell us about your initiatives?
Hello everyone, my name is Yamamoto and I am a JAL Furusato Ambassador at the Kyoto Branch. This time, I would like to introduce JAL’s regional projects that go beyond the boundaries of branches and offices! The project introduced here was implemented in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, which has many attractive spots such as Matsue Castle (a national treasure), Shimane Prefectural Art Museum, Yaegaki Shrine (the great god of marriage), and Lake Shinji (the seventh largest lake in Japan). We gave a lecture on the theme of “Barrier-Free Food” to people related to “Matsue Shinjiko Onsen” located on the north side of Lake Shinji.
Have any of you recently traveled to a ryokan or hotel?
Meals served at lodging facilities are one of the best parts of traveling! In recent years, an increasing number of customers using such accommodations have requested allergy-friendly meals. Similarly, an increasing number of passengers are ordering special in-flight meals in advance for various reasons, including “children’s meals,” “allergy meals,” “meals for passengers with religious requests,” “vegetarian meals,” and “meals for health-conscious passengers, We offer a wide variety of special meals to ensure that everyone can enjoy their flight.
Since many special meals are related to passengers’ physical condition, we, JAL flight attendants, strive to provide various special meals accurately through teamwork and communication to ensure that they are served.
We have therefore informed the Matsue Shinjiko Onsen Ryokan Council in detail about the types of special in-flight meals that JAL offers, and the measures taken on board to prevent accidental provision of such meals. JAL Royal Catering Corporation, a JAL Group company, also assisted us in introducing the production process, management, and loading of in-flight meals.
–How are you involved in this effort?
It all started when a member of the Matsue Shinjiko Onsen Ryokan Association consulted with us, saying, “More and more people are requesting allergy-friendly meals at ryokans,” and “How can we serve them without any mistakes?
Although the content of the lecture was completely unprecedented for JAL, we developed the content from scratch in cooperation and confirmation with all relevant departments within the company in order to link it to solutions to regional issues. We also identified in-flight know-how and prepared projection materials, focusing on easy-to-understand explanations that did not use in-flight jargon and episodes based on real-life experiences.
On the day of the lecture, many people attended, including young proprietresses and cooks from inns and hotels that are members of the Matsue Shinjiko Onsen Ryokan Association, as well as people related to the Naniwa Issui Ryokan, which provided the venue for the lecture. In addition to the lectures, we introduced the tools we use on board, and prepared several special in-flight meals (28 allergen-compliant meals, low-gluten meals, and Muslim-compliant meals). The lecture was a total of three hours in length, including a tasting session where the participants actually tasted the meals.
–What are your future plans and prospects?
In the questionnaire after the lecture, the following comments were made: “It was helpful in creating a manual for serving food,” “I felt it was wonderful to see the high level of awareness of JAL’s response,” “I would like to make use of the training content to respond to allergies and inbound travel, for which demand will increase in the future,” and “I learned a lot about the process from menu planning to production, in-flight loading, and so on. “I could understand the flow of the menu from conception to production, loading onto the plane, and so on. I was impressed by how well they thought about how to satisfy all customers.
There may be some differences in the foods and items we are able to provide due to the differences in space characteristics between in-flight (in the air) and ryokan/hotel (on the ground). However, we are sure that we all share the same desire to make every guest’s stay as comfortable as possible.
We, JAL flight attendants, will continue to serve in-flight meals in compliance with basic procedures so that all passengers can enjoy their meals in the cabin with peace of mind.
In the future, we would like to further collaborate with local communities to proactively develop measures to address issues and share know-how on specific themes. If you are reading this article and are interested in our efforts, please feel free to contact us at any time!
–What is your message to travelers?
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, JAL offers a wide variety of special in-flight meals. If you are hesitant to travel overseas by air due to concerns about food, please visit the JAL website.
Shimane Prefecture is home to Izumo Engimusubi Airport, and the JAL Group offers flights to Tokyo (Haneda), Osaka (Itami), Fukuoka, and Oki. How about a relaxing hot spring trip to Matsue Shinjiko Onsen, which is also known as “hot spring water for beautiful skin”? Good hot water, good taste, and a great view await you! We sincerely look forward to welcoming you.
© Source travel watch
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.
Auto Amazon Links: No products found.