No, Japan Airlines isn’t ‘renting’ pyjamas to business class flyers

Early October saw Japan Airlines reveal the shape of its next-generation first class and business class suites designed specifically for the Airbus A350, which will launch as JAL’s flagship between Tokyo and New York in mid-November.

As expected, the Oneworld member went for six spacious fully-private first class suites, while also adding doors to its business class suites.

Japan Airlines' new A350 business class cabin.

Another trait migrating from first to business is the in-suite wardrobe: each business class passenger will find space for hanging their jackets concealed behind a sliding panel next to the 24” HDTV screen.

Japan Airlines' A350 business class suites include this handy hidden closet.

With the door to your suite closed and your moment chosen (maybe when everyone’s eating dinner or watching a movie), it’s possible those 1.3m-high partitions could provide enough privacy from prying eyes for you to quickly shimmy out of your clothes and into soft cotton pyjamas from Japanese sleep brand Uchino before stretching out on the 2m lie-flat bed.

Inside Japan Airlines' new A350 business class suite.

However, the Japanese flag-carrier’s press release surprised many when it said these PJs would be rented to business class passengers, rather than given away as is the case with other airlines.

Specifically, JAL stated there would be “a rental service for inflight relaxing wear” – conjuring images of high-flyers ponying up a rental fee and,maybe even a refundable deposit before their flight or on board.

Was this bold new approach in the name of sustainability, with rented PJs then recycled by Uchino into other garments and accessories? Or were we seeing a simple commercialisation of sleepwear?

Uchino will supply this set of "inflight relaxing wear" for JAL's A350 business class passengers.

It seemed consistent with JAL’s previous announcement that travellers to Japan can now rent a complete wardrobe for the duration of their stay in the country.

Depending on the number of items included, rentals run anywhere from ¥4,000 (A$42) to ¥7,000 ($A72) for a two-week capsule wardrobe with a mix of pieces in seasonally-appropriate casual and smart casual styles.

Dubbed “Any Wear, Anywhere”, the initiative is running on a trial basis through to August 2024 and is less about saving travellers the bother of packing (and the ever-present risk of lost luggage) and more about reducing the weight of JAL aircraft to cut down on carbon emissions (which would also reduce fuel burn and the fuel bill, although no promise this would result in cheaper airfares).

Was renting pyjamas set to become the next step in saving the planet, one piece of clothing at a time?

Choose your moment, close the suite's doors and quickly change into or out of your PJs...

Curious for more details, including how much travellers would have to pay and what would be the post-flight fate of pyjamas that have just been slept in, Executive Traveller looped back to Japan Airlines.

And JAL’s response was quite unexpected. It turns out the English version of the press release suffered a translation error from the original Japanese text, where the Japanese expression for ‘loan’ – as in, the pyjamas being lent to passengers during the flight - was translated as ‘rent’.

An apologetic JAL spokesperson confirmed the PJs “will be free of charge”, and added that the airline has now updated its press release and website accordingly.

However, this left just one wrinkle in The Case of the Sky-high Sleepwear: they’re truly being loaned to business class passengers, who will have to give them back at the end off the flight? They can’t keep them, perhaps to use the hotel or at home, as is the case when other airlines such as EVA, Starlux, United, Virgin Atlantic, Qantas and Qatar Airways?

“That’s correct”, the spokesperson affirmed. Towards the end of each JAL A350 flights, the business class cabin crew will collect all of the sleepwear.

And then they will be recycled? Not quite: the airline says they will be “washed and lended” out again.