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THE LONG-HAUL arm of Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia said Wednesday it is to ban young children from sitting in the first seven rows of its economy-class section to create a “quiet zone”.
According to the airline’s website, the first seven rows on AirAsia X flights will be restricted to passengers 12 and above from February next year.
The cost of choosing a seat in the quiet zone will be the same as the 35 ringgit (€8.83) charged for picking specific seats or the 110 ringgit it costs to select a seat with extra legroom.
“We know that sometimes all you need is some peace and quiet for a more pleasant journey with us,” the low-cost giant said on its website.
Rival Malaysia Airlines sparked debate over its decision in June last year to bar infants from first class cabins in its Airbus A380 superjumbos, which it began taking delivery of this year.
The full-service flag carrier said the move would result in some loss of revenue but it had received many complaints from well-heeled passengers about noisy infants.
AirAsia, which has hubs in Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and Indonesia, is Asia’s largest budget carrier and launched its long-haul arm in 2007 to serve routes beyond the airline’s core Southeast Asian market.
Do YOU think a child-free zone on planes is a good idea?
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Would happily pay extra for this service, hate Ryanair but of they considered introducing this policy it would make flying with them better. Miss the days when passengers with young kids boarded first so you could see where the brats were sitting
They still do this with a lot of American airlines. It makes a big difference to your flight.
Some parents don’t give a hoot about who their kids annoy on a plane once the have their booze served by the air hostess
Hm, kinda like having a piss free zone in a swimming pool. Noise travels and being 7 rows away will make no difference. A bit of human understanding and tolerance is all that’s needed here. What’ll be next? A section only for very rich people who get more legroom and better food and service? Oh.
Especially when they shove all the kids into row 8 :)
Michael, in that instance, it would be proper to complain to the specific parent or the airline staff, not introduce a sweeping measure to discrimiatory measure.
Just because you are unwilling to tackle something head on, doesnt mean that you have thd right to discriminate against me.
Also, just so you know, all babies cry. You cried when you were a baby. It doest make you a brat.
Not too much you can do with babies on planes if the pressure gets to their ears. Hardly their fault.
I was on a flight to Europe with Aer Lingus a few years ago, one of the worst flights ever. There were a group of exchange students on it, and to say they should’ve been shoved off at the start of the runway is a bit of an understatement.
It’s not necessarily just about shoving the under 12′s down the back, it’s about having respect for others who have paid the same as you so they too can enjoy the service. Once again: Parents, get yer childern (over and under 12′s) under control.
@ Michael.. Excellent comment
Would happily pay extra for this.
On a short haul flight you can tolerate it but if youre flying 10-12 hours its akin to being sat next to a drunken lout. Makes a pain in the ass situation a nightmare
I flew back from Malaysia in January surrounded by half a dozen French kids who were miserable and letting the world know about it…”maman..maman…” for 14.5 hours all the way back during which I would have sold my own ‘maman’ for some peace. Or at least bribed a flight attendant to open door and let me out. So I reckon it’s a great idea.
Spare a thought for the maman though. What happened to gallentry?
“Get your children under control?” There is no control with a baby/toddler. It’s damage control. A confined space for a long duration for a child is hard. Putting them altogether makes sense though.
Sitting at the back of the plane is somewhat safer than sitting at the front!
Does that mean parents can park their kids up at row 40 and avail of a seat in row 1?
Is there special seating for annoying adults who sit next to you and snore?
Is there special seating for annyoying adults who stink of BO?
Is there special seating for adults who want to chat to you for 12 hours straight?
Prehaps an option would be to have childless flights? maybe twice a week and up their prices by 50%.
Best comment on here. The ‘ get your child under control’ comment is ridiculous, I have a 1yr old, 2yr old and 6 yr old, gotta say they are great on plane journeys but like adults they get tired, over heated and irritated but unlike adults my younger two kids tend to let us know by crying as their speech isn’t yet fully comprehensible. Once you sort them out they are grand…..that is till some adult decides to play peek a boo with them, or some drunken lads sitting behind you start shouting and cursing and frightening them. Mostly you can’t hear kids on a plane unless they’re pretty distressed and then it won’t make a blind bit of difference where you’re sitting. To me all this says is how intolerant society has become…..and I agree with another commentator that it is ageist….try create an area at the front of the plane where no elderly people can sit as they may slow your departure down. There would be war. Get a pair of earplugs and get over it
Apart from noisy sprogs, what about the big ignorant adults who crush your kneecaps when the put the seat back as far as it’ll go? And the sneaky silent farters? And the snorers? :)
I remember flying home from Greece a couple of years back, and there was a little baby (maybe 3-6months) who screamed. The whole way home. Poor thing was obviously scared by noise/ears popping etc, but my god I was near madness by the end.
Yes I would pay extra if it was a long haul flight. I can sympathise with parents to a point, but if this option is there I’ll take it.
Is not the front row of a long-haul airplane where the bassinets, the baby carriers, are situated. Never saw one or needed it myself but when my son came home from Australia, they were automatically given seats in the front row and a place for the baby.
Wherever there is a bulkhead there is usually a bassinet position or two. This can be anywhere on the plane be it by a galley, between emergency exits etc!
Ageism. Also would this be in breach of the terms of our upcoming Children’s Referendum?
Why is it ageism? Fine if I’m on a 1 hour hop, but if I’m on a marathon flight of 14 hours, I no more want someone’s screeching child beside me. I’d rather walk, thanks. Either keep your children under control, or don’t take them. We all know how well those options work, so the last option before eviction over the Atlantic is sit down the back, with all the other screeching children.
What about the children who don’t scream? Why should they suffer the bad behaviour of others? Including other children
It’s jusy offering a bit of comfort to people Albert. Why does it have to be misconstrued as some type of “anti-children’s rights” issue?
What about 15 year olds who drink responsibly? Should they be denied access to alcohol because some under 18s can’t handle their drink?
Ageism is good in certain situations.
Under Irish law, its discrimination on the grounds of family status under the equality act. Parents shouldnt have to sit in special seats just because they are parents. Anyone who books flights in Ireland and is restricted in this way can complain (for free) to the equality authority and the company will have to pay up to €6k+ to them if the complaint is upheld. Also, if you do not win, you will not be fixed with the costs of the other party in the dispute.
http://Www.equality.ie
@The Viscount, I have no problem with anybody’s children on an aircraft, but if they start racing up and down the aisles, climbing over seats, crying, moaning, whinging, and I am on a 14 hour flight, it is wrong for me to have to put up with somebody else’s brats. I should not be discriminated against for not having children. We are not talking about child free flights, we are talking about the first 7 rows of economy class on long haul aircraft – they are hardly being discriminated against – its allowing those that have paid the exact same fare as the parents with the children to enjoy the same level of service that they are entitled to. Bear in mind, this would not be necessary if parents kept their children under control, and obviously, airlines are getting complaints about this, and they are rightfully acting on it.
I have paid for my flight, I am entitled to have my complaints and concerns heard just as much (if not more so) as the husband and wife with three unruly children. If you don’t want to be discriminated, be a parent and look after your own children.
Hit wrong reply button. Michael, a response to your comment is above.
@The Viscount, I’m not referring to babies – nor to toddlers – I’m referring to school going children. I know babies cry – it’s one of their only methods of communication with adults, they’re gonna cry, I can accept that no problem. (I can’t accept it when they are ignored, but that’s not for here).
My problem is when a mother and father sit down and forget that they have an 8, 6, and 4 year old trio, and I, being the closest passenger to them, have more of an effect over their children than they do.
Air Asia X is a long haul airline, it operates 2 types of aircraft, the A330-300 and the A340-300. On the A330, if you have a child under 12 and fly with AAX, you can sit from row 15 back (in most other airlines, the section up to row 15 is business class anyway), and on the A340 you can sit in the front 3 rows, or anywhere behind row 22 (again, in most other airlines, these areas are first class and business class).
Parents are not being asked to sit in the back 2 rows with all the other parents, they are being asked to sit in what is essentially the back half of the aircraft – in most airlines this is the economy area of the aircraft anyway, so this is where they would be sitting, regardless.
Most aircraft have a galley space between classes, with toilets and such, so there is a gap between the two spaces, so the 7 row child free zone doesn’t apply. It applies on AAX because there is no space between classes.
With regards to complaining to parents or to air stewards – would you complain about somebody else’s parenting skills, with the parent in front of you? Bear in mind it’s a long haul flight, you’re going to be sitting beside them for 12+ hours. It makes us childless folk awkward – because we know that we certainly wouldn’t like somebody complaining about our parenting skills.
It’s not discrimination, it’s experience. Not all parents raise their children with respect for others, not all parents remember that they are not the only passengers on the flight. I said it below – if you have a child under the age of 18, you as a parent are responsible for them, whether you like it or not. It’s not just about how much you have paid for your family’s flight, I may have only paid for one seat, it’s about you raising your children with respect for everyone around them, and while you may do so, it’s important to remember that not every parent does so.
+1 Michael, and I’m a parent BTW
Michael, no need to complain in front of the parents, you could do it discreetly when the staff are further down the plane etc. If they refuse to act, you can complain to the company, and if unsatisfied seek legal redress for a refund.
And yes, I would do it, and have done, but I have the courage of my convictions.
And I disagree, clearly you do have problems with kids but you just dont see the error of your ways if you tar all kids with the same misbehavior brush.
@The Viscount, I didn’t tar all children with the same misbehaviour brush. It’s not the child’s fault, the child has nothing to do for 10 hours except run around or watch telly or cry or hop around or whatever. It’s to do with parents and their parenting. I’m not ticking you off as a parent, I’m saying that there are parents who forget that they are parents, and leave the parenting to everyone else. You can’t deny that, because they do exist, you know that.
It’s not about discrimination, it’s not about singling every child, parent, single person out. It’s about tolerance, it’s about being 40,000 feet in the air in a confined space for 10 hours, where everybody’s temper can become short circuited. The only way to bypass that is by dealing with the most common cause of in flight arguments and complaints – children and parents. You have to realise that other passengers are slow to complain in-flight, and invariably save the complaint for when they touch down, by which time they’ve already sat through 10 hours of hell, and are never going to fly with that airline again.
There are several airlines who do not allow children into first or business class, as I said, this measure merely allocates the rear half, or the standard economy section of the aircraft to parents with children.
As I’ve already said, you might raise your children with respect, not everybody does. I am not anti-child, quite the opposite – but I do not like it when I have to contend with their parents apparent lack of interest in their activities.
Now The Viscount, I think we are going to have to agree to disagree and leave it there.
Regards.
As pointless as the smoke free seats aeroplanes used to have. Noise, like smoke, travels into areas it’s not supposed to be in.
Treat yourself to some noise cancelling headphones in the duty free before you travel.
Good idea but as a compliment to one particular two year old I had the pleasure of flying with………”They don’t work!!!!!!!!”
Not good enough if you cant afford noise reduction headphones or sit between two very lively kids.
As a frequent Business Traveller I think its an excellent idea! Flew back from Dubai recently with a newborn who screamed for over 7hrs without let up, baffles me why any parent thinks its a good idea to take a newborn on a long haul flight!! Judging by the amount of screaming, the kid certainly wasn’t having a happy holiday!
And in business class! Don’t care how much money they’ve got. No kids in business class. I work darned hard for the privilege.
the clue should be in the name “business class” :-D
And possibly a wall and door between the no-kid zone and the rest if the plane!!!? Nothing worse than waiting to board and that realisation that there are children everywhere!! I understand that parents obviously don’t have a choice in the matter and can’t do much about it, but it really annoys me!
Certainly don’t mind paying for this on a long haul flight, providing it works,
And for paying for it u would expect the airline to throw in some toys/puzzles/
Toys and puzzles dont do much good, video games and kids cartoons / films work much better at keeping the kids quite.
Totally agree. its the little screaming attention seeking brats that grind my gears! If only buses trains and shopping centres could do similar!
It’s not just the noise though, it’s the seat kicking, clambering over seats, running up and down in aisles, the extra bags some parents accidentally hit you with or throw on you while they’re re-shuffling everything without an apology.
It’s obviously just some people who are like this, but it’s always these ones you’ll remember and will make a stressful journey a lot less bearable.
It’s only a few rows: Not enough to add on a lot of time to disembarking the plane, and just enough so that passengers at the front won’t be too affected by any disruptive kids.
Sounds to me like cases of poor parenting. Children will do what they are allowed to by their parents. Who’s in charge? The parents or the kids?
The children, usually!!
I like the idea but no extra cost please especially on long haul Economy class flights……there is nothing worse than sitting next to a crying baby or an unruly child.
Try a grumpy git.
I note the child-free zone is the FIRST 7 rows of economy…is this to push the noise back even further from sensitive Business and First Class ears?
Probably Niamh, but what the heck, Michael will never do this:-))))))
No on Mick’s tin cans the first seven rows will carry a trumpet and scratch card haggling free section…
So what happens when the children need to go toilet? Do they have to go all the way down the end of plane.
Pressed enter to quick! I think it’s a ridiculous idea, as the mother of a 2 and a half year old. I love getting seat up the front as it makes it easier to get on n off. Nothing worse then hanging down end of plane waiting for every1 to leave when you have bored toddler
Calpol (or similar) works. Travelled long-haul from New Zealand once, not in economy, and had grizzling children all the way. Parents gave Calpol equivalent and we had a couple of hours respite.
Brandy can work a treat too.
Statistically your more likely to die in a plane crash if you sit at the front of the plane. Looks like by shoving the kids to the back they are taking care of the future generation :-)
I don’t have kids but I think it can be painful for babies during take off and landing. I know sometimes I get an incredibly painful inner ear and I can’t imagine how a baby could communicate that other than screaming. I do think airlines as a rule should put all kids relatively near each other, I’m sure it would give other parents a bit of moral support too!
have your say