Sorry parents, but there’s nothing worse than sitting near a crying, screaming baby when you’re trapped on a plane – especially if it’s a long haul flight.
Of course, I know you probably try your best to silence the youngster and some of you kindly even go to the extent of warning your fellow passengers of the noise in advance.
I’m not saying it’s your fault, I’m just saying a piercing scream isn’t what I want to listen to when I’m setting off on my holidays.
But if you’re flying with Japan Airlines the sinking feeling of spotting a baby near your seat is (potentially) no more – unless you’re the parent of the child, obviously – thanks to a nifty new feature the company have added to their booking system.
Like many airlines, the company lets customers choose their seats before they board. However, now a little baby icon will indicate to customers which spaces will be occupied by an infant aged two or younger, allowing passengers to choose seats far, far away from the potentially noisy infant.
Explaining the new feature on their website, Japan Airlines wrote:
Passengers travelling with children between 8 days and 2 years old who select their seats on the JAL website will have a child icon displayed on their seats on the seat selection screen.
This lets other passengers know a child may be sitting there.
Many Twitter users have taken to social media to praise the new system and while I agree it’s definitely a good idea I must point out there’s a few flaws with the plan.
For example, what happens if the people travelling with the child book their seats really late? The surrounding passengers would likely have already chosen their seats, assuming they were in a baby-free zone, only to discover they’d been duped by some late arrivals. It would be a heartbreaking discovery.
Another downfall of the system is the fact that eventually the plane would fill up, and if everyone else has opted for seats away from the baby then any latecomers would have no choice but to select seats in the danger zone. They’d then have to live with the dread of a crying baby for days on the run up to the flight.
Also, the system doesn’t account for toddlers who, at around the ages of three or four, might be very interested in climbing all over, or kicking, the seats.
Japan Airlines have also pointed out the system will only work if passengers make their bookings through the carrier’s website, plus the icons will not show up if there is a change in aircraft.
Though there’s a few kinks to work out, there’s no doubt the system will save a lot of headaches in the future!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.