Japan Airlines has been praised for its seat booking system, after it transpired there's a feature that lets people view where babies and children are seated on the plane before selecting their own space.
Many people get pretty peeved when they sit down and realise there's a baby staring up at them from the seat alongside theirs, ready to scream, spit and spew for the duration of the flight.
On the flipside, I imagine it's also a stressful experience for parents needing to travel with youngsters, so let's remember they're not exactly having a ball either.
But Japan Airlines' seat booking feature shows a baby icon where children are already seated, meaning you can plonk yourself as far away as you desire.
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In turn, parents will know they're surrounded by slightly more sympathetic passengers, which will no doubt be reassuring.
The tip off came from Twitter user Rahat Ahmed, who tweeted a screenshot of the booking system.
He wrote: "Thank you, @JAL_Official_jp for warning me about where babies plan to scream and yell during a 13 hour trip. This really ought to be mandatory across the board."
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The Japan Airlines website outlines the company's seating process for children, saying: "Passengers traveling 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."
Ahmed said he'd had 'three screaming babies next to me' on a flight just two weeks previously.
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However, in a later tweet, he also added: "1/ Adults can be just as bad as babies. 2/ Empathy is important and every situation is different. 3/ Where babies sit can be one of many indicators that help travelers plan flights.
"Ultimately, there are more important things to worry about."
Rahat's words sparked an interesting debate about children on planes.
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One person said: "On my last 9hr flight to Vancouver kids were running along the isles, being loud, kicking seats; sadly parents didn't do anything about it! Parents, please teach your kids to be considerate of others when they are in a public space! It's not at home everywhere!!!"
However, the majority of people pointed out that passengers should try and empathise with parents travelling with small children.
Someone wrote: "All these people who can't stand sitting next to young kids need to get over themselves - try and be considerate and realise that there are worse things in the world than sitting next to a crying child."
Another could understand both sides of the argument, writing: "Well I think it's a bloody good idea. It doesn't stop people travelling with their babies; it just gives people the option of sitting further away. I fail to see the issue."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: World News, News
