Nearly 60 percent of people who travel want families with children to fly in a separate section of an airplane, says a new poll released by a Skyscanner, a fare-comparison website. And 20 percent said they'd prefer to board child-free flights altogether.
Putting aside for a second the impracticalities of such a scenario -- creating a family-only section would pose some logistical challenges for airlines since it's impossible to know how many families will be on a given flight; it's difficult to set aside any seats for any reason in this age of overcrowded flights; and it isn't as if putting cranky kids in a separate section will create some kind of magical cone of silence around said children -- I'd say a bigger problem posed by segregating families into a separate section is that not all kids are alike.
That's right: Some kids, no matter what age, might be unruly, loud, and unpleasant traveling companions. Others, like my child, are the kinds of kids who can sit quietly for two or three hours and read a book.
Sure, babies, toddlers, and younger kids naturally have a difficult time sitting still for an extended time. They may feel cranky and tired and just out-of-sorts while on a cramped airplane (hey, we adults can feel this way, too!). And they'll most certainly need distractions to keep them entertained during the flight. So could they -- and their parents and other fellow passengers -- benefit from a separate section? Maybe, especially if there are a lot of kid DVDs and snacks there to keep kids occupied.
But when we are talking about older grade-school age kids -- say age 6 and up -- we are talking about kids who can for the most part sit quietly and watch a movie or read books or play games. Should they, too, be stuck with cranky kids who are screaming and crying?
Perhaps a better solution might be to designate an area of an airplane as a quiet corner, where parents can bring children in case of meltdowns. This area can be outfitted with kid DVDs and perhaps curtained off so that cranky little ones can take naps. Airline cabin crew should be trained on how to handle unruly kids and parents who are disturbing other passengers. And perhaps most important, parents should be considerate and prepare for air travel by reading up on tips on flying with children.
And hey, while we're at it, this could be a great time-out area for unruly grown-ups who get drunk and obnoxious during flights (I've seen that too, and I don't see anyone suggesting separate sections for those folks).
What do you think? Should airlines have separate family sections?
Why not make a section for those 60pct of the people who want a family section. A business section…. Oh Wait.. there already is one.. make them pay more money for the peace and quit in the front of the aircraft.. (and don’t allow families.. but that might get rid of all those rich families that like to sit in that section)
I’ve flown pre-children and post children, and it makes no difference to me. If the child behind me is kicking my seat, I calmly ask them to stop. I’ve tried to help a grandfather comfort his crying grandchild because he didn’t have a clue how to handle the child who was having problems with ear pressure.
My 3 children have all flown since they were very small. the problem these days is that the airlines are starting to block more and more seats and requiring passengers to “pay for the privalege” of pre-reserved seats.. that means a family of 5 pays lots more money just to sit together. Sooo.. in my mind.. the airlines should allow for pre-seating for families traveling together and that way.. the guy who doesn’t want to sit next to my child, will not have to ..
No matter what you do you can not please everyone. My self i have two kids and i have flown a plan with both of them. The problem with most of the kids is that their parents do not ingage their children in activities. One my first flight with my daugther at 11 months her ears never poped so she was crying and i had a stupid flight attendent tell me can’t you giver her some medication to shut her up. Like how stupid. On my last flight neither on of my kids had any fits or anything but the stupid lady in front of me complained to the flieght attendent about my reading out loud to my kids while in flight. The lady he sat behind told me dont worry about your kids where the best i have had a flight. Whom i think the real problem is the people who will complain about anything no matter what is done. So if you want a kidless flight try to flieght early in the morning of late at night NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There should be adult only flights, that way we can avoid kids completely. It’s no picnic travelling with crying, screaming unruly kids.