Flying with a baby is hard enough. This airline wants to make it harder.

This is a terrible idea

A crying baby.

Traveling with babies and toddlers is unspeakably awful. Anyone who's ever done it knows this. Worst of all is air travel. Hurtling along in a metal tube surrounded by your screaming children and scornful onlookers is an experience that can leave you feeling too defeated to enjoy your destination. Now, Japan Airlines has introduced a feature on its website that lets passengers see where on the aircraft infants and toddlers will be sitting, meaning child-free fliers can pick seats as far away from children as possible.

This is horrible. Singling out babies on planes is pure parent-shaming. It reinforces that idea that it's acceptable to view kids — and their parents — as lesser citizens. Yes, I get that having children is our choice and that we parents need to pay the price. And I get that listening to screaming kids is deeply unpleasant. But imagine the backlash if a carrier announced a similar policy for passengers weighing over 200 pounds, or people with body odor. Or people who talk incessantly. There are hundreds of conditions, quirks, and lifestyle choices that could potentially make a person a less desirable seatmate, yet this airline has honed in on babies.

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Ruth Margolis
Ruth ​Margolis is a British ​journalist living in the U.S. Her work has appeared in ​The Guardian, ​The ​Daily Telegraph and BBCAmerica.com.