Don’t want to sit next to a baby on the plane? This airline shows you where they’re sitting

Fliers on Japan Airlines get an unusual sneak preview of their flight, thanks to a revolutionary seat map feature that shows you where babies and children will be seated.

The feature of the airline’s seat-booking maps has been around since 2019, but once again divided opinion when it was featured on This Morning.

When a passenger goes to select their seat on the plane, the airline’s maps display a cute baby icon to mark where babies from eight days to two years old will be sitting.

Discussing the feature on the mid-morning TV show, host Holly Willoughby said it was the “perfect solution” for child-free fliers or adults wanting to get some sleep on the plane.

But guest Matthew Wright had a controversial take on the online tool, suggesting it could be taken advantage of by “perverts”.

“Do you see a problem? I can see a problem,” said Wright.

“Let’s say you’re a pervert, and you want to spend 12 hours talking to children,’ he explained.

“You want to spend 12 hours on a long haul flight, talking to a child, you can go on Japanese airlines, find out where the child is, book a seat next to them. It’s an absolute disaster. A disaster.”

Hosts Willoughby and Philip Schofield appeared shocked by the suggestion, with Holly exclaiming, “I hadn’t even thought about that,” as Phillip simply said, “Oh my God, oh my God.”

Other fliers have praised the tool on social media, with Twitter user Yanick Jones calling it a “brilliant move for both parents and people who want to avoid kids” after news of its launch.

The carrier’s website says: “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.

“This lets other passengers know a child may be sitting there.”

Though Japan Airlines is the only carrier to adopt this tool at present, seat planning website SeatGuru also displays a cot icon to show where babies are likely to be placed on flights - most often at the bulkhead area at the front of each cabin.

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