Japan Airlines’ seating map shows where children under the age of two are during their flights. This move, which is part of the organization’s Smile Support travel service, is supposed to benefit everyone involved: it keeps children only near passengers who aren’t bothered by screaming and other disruptions, and puts passengers who want nothing to do with a fussy baby aisles away from young families who are sick and tired of angry looks.

Image credits: Masakatsu Ukon

At least one other Japanese airline offers its customers customers the same feature. A spokeswoman for All Nippon Airways said its seat maps have shown where children are sitting “for a while”.

The feature has been met with mixed reactions online. Some fliers have been expressing relief

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Image credits: dequinix

Heloisa Flores, a Japan-based moderator on the popular aviation Facebook group, Airborne Memes for Flight-Oriented Teens, said that trying to make everyday life as convenient as possible with little behavioural changes is, in a sense, very Japanese. “In my opinion it works in Japan, and is positive,” she told Bored Panda.

“In Japan, a big percentage of people flying everyday are businessmen commuting to and from work. Depending on the route and time of your flight, you’ll notice that most people on it are men in suits. I live in Fukuoka, and there are more than 100 flights from FUK to Tokyo airports every day. That being said, and following Japan’s culture of not speaking loudly, eating or drinking in public transportation, I think this new feature is trying to make the experience of commuting on flights more similar to commuting on buses, trains or the Shinkansen, which are very quiet. And usually, this is due to respect for workers who are either preparing to work long hours or coming back from it.”

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While others have been saying that flying near a crying child is simply part of air travel and everyone should just get over it

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Here’s what others had to say about it

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