Japan Airlines to Introduce Infant Seat Map

Air travel is stressful: Many passengers face difficulties sleeping upright, finding a comfortable position in tight quarters and having to armrest-wrestle a complete stranger. But one addition to these common inconveniences sure to ruin any attempt at a peaceful flight is finding out your seat is in front of, behind or basically anywhere in the vicinity of a crying baby. While we all like to think we can empathize or least understand what new parents are dealing with, a screaming child can quickly send us from calm to crazy and lead to an angst-ridden arrival.

Japan Airlines is well aware of this problem and thus created a feature on its website to help travelers steer clear of the potential noisy neighbor. When booking a flight with the airline online, travelers will have access to a new tool that will clue them in to the location of children between the ages of 8 days and 2 years old. Once passengers traveling with children in these age ranges designated their seats, a child icon appears over that seat, meaning future seat reservers know where the babies will be.

There are a few exceptions, though: This feature will only be available to travelers who book on the Japan Airlines website, and if there is a change in the aircraft for any reason, the icon will not appear.