Japan Airlines introduces clothing rental service to help travelers reduce baggage

Japan Airlines (JAL) passengers now have the option to pack light by renting clothes from the company's new "Any Wear, Anywhere" service.

According to Business Insider, the airline firm launched its clothing rental offering on Wednesday, July 5, allowing travelers to borrow up to nine garments ahead of time and have them delivered to their Airbnb unit or hotel upon arrival in Japan. 

The price starts at $28 (over P1,500) for five items and each outfit selection is sorted by season, occasion, and size. Tourists may keep the clothes for up to two weeks.

With this idea, JAL customers are encouraged to travel light in order to decrease fuel and CO2 emissions and also save on baggage fees. 

"The purpose of this trial is to verify whether users accept and truly generate environmental value from this concept," a spokesperson for the airline company told Insider. "If there could be an all-inclusive service that encompasses not only 'food' and 'accommodation' but also 'clothing,' we think that it could create a new form of travel.”

In order to monitor the impact of the service, JAL said it would evaluate each checked baggage to determine how the passenger's decision to use "Any Wear, Anywhere" has decreased carbon dioxide emissions.   

The testing period for the service will run until Aug. 31. It's only available to JAL travelers flying to Japan at the moment, but it could be offered by Sumitomo Corporation to other Oneworld alliance members such as American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, and Qatar Airways if the test run succeeds.