One of the most controversial travel issues to arise in recent years has been the "crying baby."
While there has also been discussion around being more understanding and less judgmental of the littlest members of society, one traveler recently went TikTok viral after listening to a child scream nonstop during a three-hour flight and posting a video saying she'd "pay SO much money" for an adult-only journey. A survey from flight aggregator website Kayak found that 26% believe it is never okay to bring a baby aboard a flight while 74% believe in more nuance.
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To meet what has started out as a semi-joke, one airline is actually launching a flight with an adult-only zone on a journey between Amsterdam and the Dutch territory of Curaçao.
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Corendon Airlines, a Turkey-based air carrier geared for the Dutch market, announced that this route will have a dedicated zone in which only travelers over 16 years of age can sit as of Nov. 3. Nine seats with extra legroom and 93 regular seats at the front of the Airbus A350-900 (EADSF) -) plane will be cordoned off by a curtain (if the service proves popular, the airline will install a real wall) and sell for 45 Euros (roughly $48.77 USD) for those looking for a quieter journey.
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'Zone on the plane intended for travelers without children'
"This zone on the plane is intended for travelers traveling without children and for business travelers who want to work in a quiet environment," the airline said in a press release translated from Dutch.
The airline said that the zone might also have "a positive effect" on parents who won't "have to worry as much about possible reactions from fellow passengers if their child is a bit busier or cries."
The six-hour flight between Amsterdam and Curaçao is meant to test whether there is actual demand for this type of feature. To test it out, one can go on Corendon.com and book the flight as one normally would — when going through the flight details, one will be able to add a seat in the adult-only zone as part of the booking process.
These are a few of the other airlines testing adult-only sections
"On board our flights, we always strive to respond to the different needs of our passengers," Corendon Airlines founder Atilay Ulsu said in a statement.
While still a budding feature, airlines are slowly starting to experiment with the adult-only section option. Scoot, the low-cost offshoot of Singapore Airlines (SINGY) -), has the Scoot-In-Silence cabins intended for those older than 12 while Malaysian Airlines has also experimented with adult-only seating.
While there have been several U.S.-based petitions for child-free flights, the practice is less likely to seep over into the American market due to both the profit considerations and how such a move would be perceived by those who have been pushing back against some traveler's criticism of children on flights.
"Simple answer: no," a United Airlines (UAL) -) spokesperson had said when asked if the airline had considered such an idea back in 2013.
