Airline Tells Passengers Where Babies Are Seated On A Plane So They Can Avoid Them

Granted, if you're on a long haul flight, a crying baby can be a *bit* annoying. But an aeroplane operator in Japan has now come up with a pretty controversial solution.

Yep, Japan Airlines has introduced a function to tell people where babies are sat on planes so they could be avoided when picking their seats.

The function shows passengers a seat map with marks on the chairs occupied by a child under two.

It's important to note that while JAL offer the initiative, it does warn that there's no guarantee passengers will end up out of earshot of any children.

PA

Plus, the feature isn't available for those booking through a third party or if they'd changed their flight last minute.

It comes as part of the travel firm, Smile Support's customer service package, and while the initiative isn't a new one, it's recently divided opinion on social media.

Sure, nobody wants to be sitting next to a crying baby, but should we be shaming them and their families as someone to avoid before the plane has even taken off?

According to some, absolutely.

Japan Airlines

"Thank you, @JAL_Official_jp for warnings me about where babies plan to scream and yell during a 13 hour trip," one businessman wrote. "This really ought to be mandatory across the board."

However, criticising the move, another Twitter user disagreed: "They are babies, as we all once were. We need to learn tolerance or will soon start needing a map of seat locations for mouth breathers, droolers, farters, drunks, and perhaps a lot more things in life."

A second added: "Great way to stigmatise parents who are probably having a pretty sh*t journey already. Want a quiet flight? Pay the extra and sit up front."

While a third, who worked on board a plane herself, stated they thought the move was completely futile.

"As cabin crew I fly with children and babies on almost every flight and let me tell you now, seldom do they cry except maybe for a bit during take off/landing," she wrote. "I find adults on board are often more problematic than any baby ever was!"

What do you think? Is the move a god-send or a step too far?

Topics: Life News, Babies, Parenting

Joanna Freedman

Joanna is a journalist at Pretty 52 who loves writing about all things food, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. She also has a particular interest in women's issues.

@joannafreedman