Last week, Japan Airlines (JAL) announced an update to its seat-booking system that will allow passengers to see where toddlers will be seated. Passengers traveling 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 seat selection so others can avoid them if they wish. The child icon will not appear if tickets are bought from a third party site, or if there was a last minute change of aircraft.

Every long-haul flight passenger hopes for a no-cry fly. And this innovation has certainly garnered plenty of attention. Still, we have mixed feelings about this one. Let’s explore:

Knowledge is power. We all know long-haul flying can be unpleasant. And we’ve seen all kinds of innovations that attempt to remedy that: Virgin’s partnership with meditation app Headspace and Layer’s empathetic smart seat design are two recent examples. But sometimes a simple solution can be the most powerful. Giving passengers the option to avoid screaming toddlers means a chance to avoid one of the biggest headaches (literally) that come with long-haul flights. The challenge for you? Could a simple UX change offer your customers vital information that might transform their experience of what you offer?

Empathy across the board. Yes, this innovation shows JAL understands its consumers and their pain points. But there’s also a chance that some passengers will take it as an endorsement of intolerance towards those who are flying with children – though no doubt JAL doesn’t mean it that way! If this change becomes commonplace among airlines, it would also be great to see them offering parents travelling with young children more support during the flight. One to remember: more information is always good, but when making these kinds of changes be sure to maintain a spirit of inclusivity and empathy for all customers across the board!