Okay look, babies are totally adorable. Love them & their squishy, rosy cheeks. BUT when they’re crying relentlessly on a 12-hour non-stop flight from Sydney to Santiago, they are… to put this nicely, not the cutest.
In fact, crying babies on planes are the opposite of cute. They’re like malfunctioning Tickle Me Elmo dolls with the ‘that tickles’ programming stuck on repeat.
They can be pretty darn annoying, or as the cool kids would say annoying AF.
If only there was a way to know whether you’d be seated near one of these persistent crying creatures… oh wait, there is!
Japan Airlines has created a new map system that indicates where infants up to the age of two are seated.
The new feature was added to the airline’s booking system recently in order to help travellers avoid the tears (of frustration).
During the seat selection stage, Japan Airlines will highlight where babies are seated with a baby icon. Travellers then simply need to select a seat that isn’t anywhere near the symbol.
“Passengers travelling with children between eight days and two years old who select their seats on the JAL website will have a child icon displayed on their seats on the seat selection screen.”
Japan Airlines
“This lets other passengers know a child may be sitting there.”
However, there are a few T&Cs. First, the seating plan only works when booking through the airline’s website, and second, the baby icon won’t display if there is a change in aircraft.
Click here to read more about the baby-awareness map.