Today in Heated Controversies: Child-Free Zones on Airlines Are a Thing Now
We’ve all been there. You’re on a red-eye, just trying to brace yourself for the long flight ahead and exhaustion surely to follow, when you hear it. A crying baby. Cue the doomsday music. On one hand, we get it. Listening to a crying baby on a long-haul flight can be a nightmare. On the other hand, traveling with an infant is a major challenge new parents face, and we should be supportive. So you can see why we’re currently feeling pretty conflicted over multiple airlines introducing “child-free zones” on their flights. Apparently, we’re not the only ones. The internet has a lot of thoughts about the idea — and they’re kind of all over the place.
If this is the first you’re hearing it, here’s the deal: Multiple airlines have recently installed a child-free section of certain flights. These airlines currently include: Singapore’s Scoot, Malaysia’s AirAsia X, Malaysia Airlines and most recently, India’s IndiGo. Most are budget international airlines at the moment. The idea is that you can sit in this section only if you’re age 12 or older. Like when you book the exit row, this luxury will cost you more. In the case of IndiGo, booking a seat in the “quiet section” will cost $6-20 extra, depending on the flight.
The idea hasn’t been put into place by any domestic airlines yet, but considering a survey by Expedia recently revealed that nearly half of Americans (49 percent) would pay extra to sit in a quiet zone, we’re guessing it’s an add-on that will be available in our not-so-distant travel future.
As mentioned before, the reactions to the idea are mixed, and rightly so. Here are a few feelings the Twitterverse is really feeling right now.
Flew with @IndiGo6E yesterday, great flight. Mental note to self though: pick a seat in child free zone next time. #flyinpeace
— Debolina Ray (@debbiedares) October 23, 2016
A "child-free zone" does not work on a narrow-body all-Eco plane where a screaming child can be heard from anywhere @IndiGo6E @AdityaGhosh6E
— T.A.N.U.J. G.A.R.G. (@tanuj_garg) October 23, 2016
@kattals @diarajayee do you forget that a long time ago you've been a child? #childfreeflights
— Pipina (@paulita_lima) October 19, 2016
#childfreeflights is a great idea. More $ for #airlines, less seat kicking, screaming, and snot. Better biz #travel, more value in #airfare. pic.twitter.com/Q3gA4xaoRQ
— Kasey Dixon ✈️ (@FlyingTigress) October 11, 2016
#childfreeflights what next human free flights? Grow up people stop blaming kids for your own short tempers
— G3 (@G3M01) October 6, 2016
What are your thoughts on this new travel trend? Share with us on Twitter @BritandCo.
(h/t LA Times, Photo via Getty)