Japan Airlines is asking passengers to travel without clothes. Here's why
Any wear, anywhere
Vacations can be exciting and stressful at the same time. The experience of having some time off from work, to just relax and enjoy yourself is made stressful bythe arrangements — the stay, the food and what you'll wear in particular.
Anywhere you're travelling to hotels, bed and breakfasts, motels take care of the first two things, but the third thing for many of us remains a bother. To make it easier and also help the planet, Japan Airlines has introduced a year-long pilot of a service that provides its passengers the ease of booking a selection of clothes. Here's how it works.
No stress to shop or pack
For passengers travelling by Japan's flagship carrier, their vacations can now include the option to rent a selection of clothes. As per a BBC report, they can choose various options, including clothing type, season, style, and pickup and return dates.
Users will receive their selected clothes at their hotel upon arrival. This service will only cost them about $34 to $48 for the rental period.
The service, called 'Any Wear, Anywhere,' started in July of this year and will run till August 2024.
Miho Moriya, who works for Sumitomo, the Japanese company handling reservations, deliveries, and laundering, came up with the idea. She says that what inspired her to come with this was her own dread about luggage.
"I love travelling and I've been to many foreign countries, but I've always dreaded dragging around luggage or doing laundry abroad," she said.
Moriya says it took "many tries" to find an airline that would support her idea, and once it got approved, the implementation was pushed back due to the pandemic. Over time, she hopes to expand this service to other airlines within the OneWorld Alliance and eventually worldwide, contributing to sustainable travel practices.
How would it help the planet?
To begin with, it should help cut down on holiday shopping. Many people tend to shop, especially for their vacations. These clothes often end up sitting in their wardrobes once the holiday is over.
Clothes under the Any wear, Anywhere service are either pre-owned or sourced from company overstock. Furthermore, they will be cleaned and reused, which helps make the service sustainable.
Additionally, with travellers leaving their luggage at home, the aircraft will be lighter and thus help save on fuel and emissions.
This initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions by lowering the weight carried on JAL's aeroplanes. It is estimated that saving about 22 pounds (10 kg) in luggage equates to approximately 16.5 pounds (7.5 kg) saved in emissions.
As per CNN, reducing weight is a proven way to save fuel and carbon emissions. Previously, Qantas airlines redesigned its tableware for first and business class to be about 11 per cent lighter. This move, as per the company, helped it start saving 1.1 million pounds (535 metric tonnes) of fuel per year.
