JAL Cabin Attendants Provide In-Flight-Like Service on the Narita Express as Part of a Special Collaboration Tour with View

East Japan Railway Company’s View Tourism & Sales (VTS) and Japan Airlines (JAL) held the “Narita Express to JAL Narita Aircraft Maintenance Center tour and a special bus tour of Narita Airport” on December 21st.

The tour commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Narita city municipality, starting with the “Narita Express No. 13” leaving Shinjuku at 9:05 AM. Participants boarded from various stations and headed to the Airport Terminal 2 Building Station, directly connected to Narita Airport’s Terminal 2. At the airport, participants watched airplanes take off and land up close on the runway, toured the inside of the Ramp Central Tower where ground operations for aircraft are conducted, enjoyed lunch at “DINING PORT Mikakuruzuru,” a traditional Japanese house-style restaurant operated by JAL Agriport, featuring meals served in international economy class, and in the afternoon, toured the JAL Narita Aircraft Maintenance Center to see engineers maintaining aircraft.

The travel cost was 39,500 yen for adults and 36,500 yen for elementary school students. The tour, limited to the first 40 applicants, sold out in less than a week, with a “waiting list of 20 to 30 people,” according to a VTS representative.

On the outbound Narita Express, car No. 1 was reserved for the tour, where one JAL cabin attendant joined passengers. Using trays like those onboard aircraft, the attendant served sandwiches and beverages, made announcements about the tour, and engaged in conversations with each passenger, providing in-flight-like service.

Cabin Attendant Ayaka Saito, who managed the “onboard service,” fondly remembered, “It was fun to meet everyone in a different setting,” and laughed saying, “I believe I’m the only crew member who has provided service aboard the Narita Express.”
Despite enjoying the experience, she mentioned struggling with the train’s lateral sway, a motion different from an airplane’s typical vertical turbulence. “You can maintain your posture during the vertical turbulence by lowering your center of gravity, but the lateral sway made me stagger at times,” she shared, reflecting on the challenges of providing service in an unfamiliar environment.

▲ JAL Cabin attendant Ayaka Saito on the Narita Express

Also, there was an instance where Saito noticed a backpack strap dangling from the luggage rack and neatly stored it away. “I always pay attention to luggage storage onboard, so it caught my eye,” said Saito. “A falling item can lead to injuries, so I couldn’t help but take care of it,” showing a side similar to her safety officer role on flights.

The tour was conceived by Takashi Toku of VTS’s Tourism Promotion Headquarters Escort Product Division. Inspired by the 70th anniversary of the Narita city municipality and seeking to collaborate with JAL, which also marked the 70th anniversary of its international flights, Toku proposed the idea in spring. Eito Nomura of JAL Tokyo Branch Corporate Sales Department said, “As it was our first attempt, we started from scratch,” and the project took about half a year to materialize.

▲ Eito Nomura from JAL Tokyo Branch Corporate Sales (left) and Takashi Toku from VTS Tourism Promotion Headquarters

This event, featuring airline cabin attendants treating passengers on a train, was a first for VTS. Toku explained the concept, “As in-train services such as onboard sales are decreasing, we wondered if we could provide an emotional experience beyond mere transportation.” Nomura added, “We paid close attention to recreating an onboard atmosphere, from service procedures to the importance of each gesture.”

One motive for the collaboration was the similar coloring of the E259 series trains used for the Narita Express and JAL cabin attendant uniforms, appearing in red and black. “I thought the red and black colors matched well with JAL,” mentioned Toku. “We hope to continue consulting with JAL for future collaborations.”