Airlines are starting to tell you how to avoid sitting next to a baby, giving hope for wider adoption
At least two airlines have taken up service the brilliant idea of allowing passengers to try to sit as far away as possible from hearing powder babies on airplanes.
I can't confirm this, but based on ten years of flying, I think it is a scientific impossibility for a baby to make it through an entire flight without crying with the violence of someone who has flung their fingers in an air bag. It is also inevitable that if there is a baby on the flight, it will sit within a few meters of me.
And that's good! Babies also have to fly. I imagine parents traveling with babies have enough to worry about without giving them assholes. So I just accept what damage is happening to my eardrums.
But if I ever fly Japan Airlines (JAL) or All Nippon Airways, I can counter fate and book a seat that is not near a toddler. JAL recently announced that it is now using a booking tool that shows where children of two years and younger sit. The Guardian reports that All Nippon Airways has already had this feature.
The feature may not work if parents order through third-party services. JAL notes on the website the baby's icons may not show that a plane is changed just before departure.
Hopefully, airlines in America will start using this tool. Although I imagine this is catching on, carriers will use it as a way to charge more for certain seats.