Japan Airline’s Baby Map Let’s You Fly Without The Cries?
It’s come to this: Japan Airlines has created a new booking tool that allows you to theoretically choose a seat that is not near a child, to hopefully ensure you have a crying-free flight. And while the jury is still out as to whether it’s the most genius thing ever, or it’s the most discriminatory practice an airline has created, it’s certainly stirring up the Interwebs.
Fly The Friendly Skies Without The Cries?
Last week Japan Airlines announced their new seat selection booking tool will allow prospective passengers to know where a baby between the ages of eight days and two-years-old is sitting on the plane. If consumers use the Japan Airlines Website to buy their tickets, they’ll see an adorable little child icon in seats where there is a baby sitting. Isn’t that super convenient?
Hold On Just A Minute, Though!
And as you can imagine, the Interwebs went crazy–with people who couldn’t cheer loud enough and people who found the fact that we’re ‘discriminating’ against babies sheer ugliness.
Businessman Rahat Ahmed posted his pleasure at the airline’s new tool. He flies several transatlantic flights annually and said that if he had the choice of making sure he’d have better sleep chances with such a tool, he’d certainly do so. The commenters had a field day with that one!
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
In his defense, when the haters started hating (and even got ugly with threats! C’mon, people!) he backtracked some, saying it wasn’t that he didn’t like babies, but who wanted to choose the possibility of a screaming baby purposely?
And if we’re all honest, even mothers WITH babies don’t want to be flying with screaming babies, do we? We feel you (sort of) Ahmet.
Some of the comments were REALLY hateful…
https://twitter.com/steveErobinson/status/1177264267462086662
https://twitter.com/atragicvision/status/1177264558135808001
And some of the Twitter buzz was about how babies are not the problem, but good-old pain in the a$$ adults sure are!
Some toddlers I have been seated next to have been better behaved than some adults
— Mr M (@sparta638) September 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/PamCanfield/status/1177269270285299714
But despite the side you’re on, people had feelings!
Bound To Fix Or Fail?
The thing is…there’s no guarantee you’ll not be by a little darling because this is only for people who select their seats on Japan Airlines. Many people go through travel sites these days and imagine how ticked you’d be when you got to your aisle seat only to find a babbling baby right beside you?
Or, you might just be a fellow human who was once a baby yourself, and enjoy the ride.
Can’t say either way, as there’s no real way to gauge how a baby will respond to all that’s involved in air travel, and let’s just be real. Don’t act like you’ve not been on a plane and Linda-who-knits doesn’t want to talk your ear off. Wouldn’t you rather a baby nestled snugly, sleeping like an angel the entire flight? Yes, screaming babies happen, but for the most part, so do sleeping and occupied babies, and it’s awfully presumptive to assume all babies will make you miserable.
Whether it’s a hit or miss still remains to be seen as it’s a new tool just taking air (see what we did there?). What do you think? Would you prefer to know there’s a babysitting near you or does it matter because you know there’s no predicting how a baby will react anyway?
No judging. Out loud, at least.
