Scoot Airlines introduces child-free quiet zone on planes

BUDGET airline Scoot has become the latest carrier to ban children from part of a plane, allowing some to upgrade to the quiet zone.

A Scoot plane at Gold Coast Airport. Picture: James Morgan

BUDGET airline Scoot has become the latest carrier to ban children from part of a plane, with passengers able to pay to upgrade to the quiet zone.

The low-cost carrier, which flies to Sydney and the Gold Coast from Singapore, has banned under 12s from rows 21 to 25 of its aircraft.

Passengers can upgrade to the 41-seat ScootinSilence cabin from S$18 (AU$16).

The cabin also has more legroom than the rear section of the plane and a 35 inch seat pitch - four inches more than in economy.

Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson said Scoot was all about fun, value and empowerment to choose the no frills you value, including baggage, meals, in-flight entertainment and comfort kits.

"No offence to our young guests or those travelling with them - you still have the rest of the aircraft," he said.

Another budget Asian carrier AirAsia X, which flies to Australia from Malaysia, also banned babies from sections of its planes in February.

Children under 12 cannot sit in the first seven rows of its economy-class section.

Passengers pay around $15 extra for the privilege of sitting in an adults-only area.

Malaysia Airlines also banned infants from first-class cabins in its Airbus A380 superjumbos, in addition to its Boeing 747 first-class cabins, saying it had received many complaints from well-heeled passengers about noisy infants.

What do you think? Should airlines have kids-free zones? Or should passengers just accept little travellers?

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