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JAL battling black market uniform sales
Japan Airlines (JAL), which crashed out of the market after huge pension deficits, has warned its staff not to sell uniforms as they fear that laid-off air crew will try to auction old stewardess outfits on the internet for extra cash.
The largest airline in Asia, which was officially declared bankrupt in January after failing to rebuild its image and finances, worries that its image will be hit harder if the stewardess uniforms make their way onto the black market.
It has been implied that the outfits are particularly popular among fans with a "uniform fetish" and have been known to sell for a lot of cash on a range of online auction sites.
The jacket alone can fetch above £500, while certain sites have been known to advertise a full set for over £2,000, according to the Daily Telegraph, while JAL's rival All Nippon Airways has a similar issue facing it.
At the low point of JAL's history, one share became worth one yen at the end of its tenure in the stock market, dropping 99.9 per cent in the space of 18 months.
Posted by Michael Ewing
