Turkish-Dutch airline Corendon has become the first in Europe to offer a child-free area on its planes.
The new “Only Adult” zone, reserved for passengers over the age of 16, would launch on the airline’s flights between Amsterdam and the Caribbean island of Curaçao, starting from November.
The airline said the zone would be located in the front section of the 432-seat Airbus A350 used on the route, with the 102 seats separated from the rest of the cabin by curtains.
Passengers wanting to reserve a seat in the zone would have to pay an additional €45 (NZ$82) each way. There would also be nine extra legroom seats available to book in the zone, which would cost €100.
“Onboard our flights, we always strive to respond to the different needs of our customers,” said Corendon founder Atilay Uslu.
“We also believe this can have a positive effect on parents travelling with small children. They can enjoy the flight without worrying if their children are making too much noise.”
Other international airlines already offer child-free zones. In 2013, Malaysia-based carrier AirAsia X launched a “Quiet Zone”, banning children under the age of 12 from sitting in the first seven rows of economy.
That same year, Singapore-based Scoot launched “Scoot in Silence”, similarly banning under-12s from a section up the front of economy.
India’s IndiGo announced in 2016 it was designating rows 1-4 and 11-14 as “quiet zones” for passengers over the age of 12.
Earlier this year, as part of a travel etiquette series, Stuff Travel put the question to readers: Should there be child-free zones on planes?
More than three quarters (83%) of respondents agreed with the concept, with just 17% feeling families should be able to sit where they want.
Source : Stuff