Kid-free zones on planes? Hell yes. And I’m a mum...

Ready to cough up extra to sit away from kids – including your own – on flights? It’s a wonderful idea, writes Kerry Parnell.

I would pay to sit in a child-free zone on an airline – and I’ve got kids.

This week, Corendon Dutch Airlines became the first European carrier to offer adult-only seats, in a growing trend for kid-exclusion zones on flights.

They have created an “Only Adult zone” on one route for anyone over-16. It will reportedly have walls and curtains separating it from those annoying family-fliers, creating “a shielded environment that contributes to a calm and relaxed flight”.

Yes! I think this is a wonderful idea. I would definitely cough up extra to sit away from kids … including my own. I think Corendon Dutch should have gone one step further and offered a premium service for parents to ditch their excess baggage and let in-flight nannies do all the heavy-lifting. Is that wrong?

Back in my carefree single days, when I used to whiz across the world with my little wheelie bag, oblivious to the travails of travelling families with their 285 suitcases and arguing offspring, I too used to roll my eyes at screaming babies interrupting my in-flight entertainment. I had no idea.

Travelling with kids – yours or others’ – is not always a holiday. Picture: iStock

I was also very judgmental. On one long-haul flight, I remember spotting two parents turning left, as their nanny and three kids turned right. I was outraged at the time. Now I’m a mum? Not so much.

I’m joking, of course, before anyone calls a) me names in the comments and b) the police. I wouldn’t foist my kids on strangers, honestly. Not every journey.

Naughty kids are a nightmare for their parents and other passengers.

But seriously, I think child-free zones on flights are a great idea and work on many levels. First, even Mary Poppins would brolly off in the face of some of the feral kids you encounter in the air, so this enables non-family travellers to get some peace away from the noise.

And on the other hand, it means it’s a bit more relaxing for families, as they don’t have to risk catching the eye of angry passengers when their baby is crying, or toddler is having a tantrum. Trust me, nobody likes the sound of a baby wailing or toddler screaming – most of all their parents, who are usually doing their best to calm them.

Knowing you are annoying everyone else in the cabin, is a particular type of stress I don’t ever want to experience again. Corendon Dutch agrees. “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 make more noise,” said chairman Atilay Uslu.

And as for toddlers who won’t sit down, well, having had one who ruined the Sydney-Singapore leg of every single passenger on the jumbo jet, I should have booked AirAsia X instead, with its Quiet Zone for anyone over 12. It has a special area at the front of the plane, meaning you can also disembark first and presumably run away as fast as possible from people like me.

Similarly, Singapore Airlines’ budget arm, Scoot, has Scoot-in-Silence cabins for over-12s, which promise a “more restful and comfortable flight”.

As Mary P says, it’s practically perfect in every way.

Originally published as Kid-free zones on planes? Hell yes. And I’m a mum...