Are Child-Free Cabins an Idea Whose Time Has Come?

[LL_Travelfan]

I came across this article by Tim Winship - interesting concept by the airlines. What do you think?

Are Child-Free Cabins an Idea Whose Time Has Come?
By Tim Winship | Published February 5, 2013
CryingChild

Squalling children are a fact of travel life. Or at least they have been until recently.

Malaysia Airlines, which became a member of the oneworld alliance on February 1, last year imposed an outright ban on infants in some of its first-class cabins.

And last week, Asian discount carrier AirAsia began offering customers the option of choosing a seat in a child-free “quiet zone” on its A330-300 flights within the Asia-Pacific region.

For the privilege of sitting in the quiet zone, which also features special mood lighting and separate lavatories, flyers will pay between $11 and $36, the surcharges the airline normally imposes to choose a specific seat or book a seat with extra legroom.

Could this be the beginning of an industry-wide trend?

With planes flying fuller than ever — average load factors top 80 percent year-round for most airlines — the claustrophobia quotient is sky high. Which means that many flyers likely would be more than willing to spend a bit more to avoid at least one inflight irritant.

The economics are compelling as well. Designating a special kid-free zone and charging extra for access to it aligns perfectly with the airlines’ relentless search for new sources of revenue.

If the surcharge is a reasonable one, such quiet zones would appear to be a win-win.

Reader Reality Check

Is it fair and reasonable to charge travelers more to sit apart from children?

Would you pay more for the extra peace and quiet?

[innocentsabroadisus]

Sounds like a good idea to me. Too often have I sat near screaming kids. If it's your own kid it's one thing, if it is somebody else's kid I can do without it..... I wonder what the surcharges will be to fly in a kid free zone..... What will the airlines think of next?

[kyshel]

I think it's plausible to exclude infants in first class long haul in some countries, but I doubt it would work on most flights. Probably never on US carriers due to our legal system. I think we've had a discussion about this previously--maybe when the original article was cited here. Airlines can't afford to exclude pax with infants in so many instances--like rebooks or overbooks (1 seat left in adults only class--who gets the seat--parent/child or childless pax?) Wish we could tho:
Airline Innovations
I would guess that it might happen when we start weighing every passenger and their belongings and charging by the pound/kilo for every type of aircraft...
Makes a much sense as US carriers implementing this policy for FAs:
The Requirements of an Airline Stewardess for Korean Air | eHow.com

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We have occassionally been bothered by loud children or children sitting behind you and kicking your seat but what really has been getting on our nerves lately is the fact that airlines are not enforcing their carry on bag rules - I don't know how many times I have been hit in the head, foot run over, etc. but someone carrying bags onto the plane that should be checked - and trying to get some space in the overhead bins when you are flying economy - forget it! This is why we have been splurging a bit and flying in business/1st for our last couple of trips to Latin America - the Latin American flights always have folks carrying on too much baggage, incredibly smelly food, etc.