We’re fuming over ‘child-free’ zones on airlines… it’s ‘weird & sad’ – kids should make people smile
FAMILIES have been left fuming over “child-free” zones on airlines – calling them “weird” and “sad”.
Parents claim kids used to make people smile, but now fellow travellers are getting increasingly annoyed by tots.
It comes as Brits called for airlines to create “child-free zones” – so passengers could pay to be separated from wailing babies.
Corendon Airlines has just introduced “Only Adult” areas.
And many have welcomed the measures, suggesting they would happily spend more money to fly free from children on-board.
A furious debate has broken out on X, formerly Twitter, over new policies barring children from certain sections.
A poster wrote: “So apparently airlines are considering making ‘child free zones’ on planes, and I can’t decide if this is a dystopian shift or not.
“But generally it’s really sad how little tolerance people have for children and babies – even acting like they shouldn’t be in public.”
Social media responses included a person commenting: “I’ve noticed people seem more annoyed with kids in public than I’ve ever seen before.
“Usually people see little kids and babies and smile or whatever but that’s seeming to slowly change. It’s weird and sad.”
Corendon says the over-16s zones in the front section of their planes will have nine £85 “XL” seats, offering extra legroom, and 93 standard seats costing £38 apiece.
It will apply on the firm’s A350 flights between Amsterdam in the Netherlands and the Caribbean island of Curacao.
Walls and curtains will separate that area from other parts of the aircraft, the carrier said – as they promised “a shielded environment that contributes to a calm and relaxed flight”.
Some have raised fears such an approach could be extended elsewhere.
An X user posted: “I’ve literally seen apartments flat out say they don’t accept tenants with kids – it’s disgusting.”
But the Corendon crackdown was welcomed by others, including a commenter who insisted: “I will not tolerate a screaming baby next to me on a four hour flight.”
That prompted the response: “Children are people too.”
TWO-THIRDS WILLING TO PAY MORE
But another wrote: “It’s a great idea.”
And an X user suggested: “When I was a teen, a lot of kids seemed pretty well-behaved.
“But I see more and more young kids that are incredibly rambunctious and loud and the parents just sit there scrolling on their phones.”
Yet someone else contributed: “I was on an eight-hour flight with a woman who had a baby on her lap and they were quiet the whole time.
“Luckily I haven’t had any bad situations.”
While Corendon is thought to be the first European airline introducing child-free zones, other international carriers have taken action to at least keep the noise down.
AirAsia X has a Quiet Zone on long-haul flights reserved for passengers aged at least 12, while budget Singapore-based carrier Scoot has a policy it calls “ScootinSilence”.
Indian airline IndiGo has introduced similar measures.
Earlier this year a PhotoAid study suggested eight in 10 travellers wanted adult-only flights – with almost two-thirds willing to pay 10 to 30 per cent extra to dodge potential toddler tantrums.
And arguments over children on planes have erupted in recent months, including one when a kid in a costume with flashing lights annoyed fellow travellers on a night flight.
Rival arguments have been posed by opposing passengers, while a flight attendant told of wanting child-free flights.
There were calls for a crackdown after a “demonic” kid was filmed apparently running riot on a flight between Germany and New York in the United States.
Families have also been taken aback to be charged extra to fly with babies on their laps.
But another parent has shared her suggested hack to help make flying with children easier for everyone.
And another 11 top tips have been offered to help keep kids happy when holidaying.
Meanwhile, the UK airline with the cheapest snacks and booze onboard has been revealed.