Airline lets passengers see where toddlers are on seat allocation map

A baby seating plan will be sweet music to the ears of fussy passengers. Photo / Getty Images

It is always clear if there is a baby on your plane. They tend to make themselves known at regular intervals in the flight, normally around takeoff and landing.

Until now you wouldn't know if you had been seated right next to one until boarding and you see an apologetic parent or two arrive.

This use of technology might help everyone have a more peaceful flight.

Passengers who loathe sitting next to babies on long flights can now rejoice, as some airlines have started to show families travelling with young children on seat allocation maps.

Parents of young children may also be delighted as child-unfriendly fellow passengers can elect to move few rows back.

Japan Airlines is one such carrier that has started showing the seats booked by families with children under two-years-old, in a hope for better inflight harmony.

It was always easy to know if there was a baby on your plane. Photo / unsplash, Steven Thompson

"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," notes JAL's website. "This lets other passengers know a child may be sitting there."

While there are only a few seats with necessary bassinets to seat very young travellers, this system lets others know if the air cots are occupied.

Although seating plans are susceptible to change, it's a useful resource for passengers.
As one passenger flying from Tokyo to London commented on twitter: "This really ought to be mandatory across the board."

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

Please take note, @qatarairways: I had 3 screaming babies next to me on my JFK-DOH flight two weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/kQYQFIqqCD

— Rahat Ahmed (@dequinix) September 24, 2019

The seating plan is updated whenever a seat is booked through the JAL website, displaying a cutesy baby face on the seating plan.

It's not just passengers seeking peace that benefit from the new seating system. Young families booking through the JAL website are given priority boarding and free check of prams and buggies. There are also a couple of other amenities that are offered including bottle warming, fresh nappies and children's entertainment.