Once renown as a global premiere airline for international travel, Japan Airlines (JAL) was established in 1951 as a government-owned business and in 1953 became the national airline of Japan. JAL has since long lost its luster and my reverence. Recently, I had the worst experiences with JAL's: 1) customer service, 2) online access to the JAL website, 3) e-mail correspondence, and 4) JAL-specific cellular phone application.

1) Customer Service: At one time, two-generations of my family believed JAL was the preeminent international airline, with a mystique of fantastic service, professionalism, and wonderful in-air treatment. Recently, however, the level and prestige and professionalism of JAL's customer service and reputation have drastically been degraded. Evidence: Most recently I encountered what I thought was a mere speed-bump. When I attempted to access my upcoming travel itinerary, a message appeared that my account was "locked" and to call their Customer Service at 1-800-525-3663. Literally, after five (5) calls and 40 min. of 'wait time' each call ended with their line dropping.

2) Online Access to JAL's Website: Once a reservation was secured on their website,I attempted to log in to access my reservation and itinerary; however, if you happen to have a middle name, the website only allows/accepts a unique (and outdated) format. Evidence: In this day in age, the login website requires strict entry of your first name and middle name (per website "If you have a middle name on your reservation, please enter your first name followed by your middle name without any space or special characters."). A competent software engineer at the back-end can easily rectify this idiosyncratic requirement.

3) E-Mail Correspondence: After repeatedly being put on hold, waiting, then the phone line being terminated by JAL, I used the chat feature for immediate assistance. The chat was fruitless, but it provided a JAL Customer Service email address. Evidence: The response from customer service was surprisingly prompt; however, their message simply entitled "There Was a Change to Your Trip" contained vague information with no details concerning what was required to secure the reservation. It was obvious that my response was not read in its entirety, and their follow-up email requested (again) information that was provided in my initial email response.

4) JAL-Specific Phone App (IOS): Once all the required information was confirmed, I downloaded the JAL app (surprisingly with a 4.6 rating by 13K customers). Evidence: The JAL app requires an incredibly specific logon structure (more than their website)-- all CAPS, with first name and NO SPACE in between middle name. The EXACT format must be followed for successful log in. Ultimately, it took me 10 min. to successfully gain access -- that's 10 minutes I could have spent more productively, elsewhere.

Conclusion: This day in age with the Internet, AI, wireless communications, etc., overall, JAL has significantly 'fallen behind the masses' in keeping up with technology, effective communications, prompt customer service, limited bandwidth, and providing effective solutions targeted at listening to their core customers. If you've encountered similar issues with JAL, please add on to this post. I would really appreciate hearing from all whom have had similar experiences with JAL!

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