The Singaporean airline Scoot is the latest company to ban children 12 and under from areas of its planes. Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia X previously established child-free sections on their planes, and it’s part of a larger, ongoing trend of businesses with “no kids allowed” policies.
Here’s more on Scoot’s child ban from ABC News:
For a $14 upgrade, Scoot passengers can sit within the “ScootinSilence” area, a 41-seat cabin prohibiting anyone under the age of 12 under. The child-free zone advertises itself under the auspice of ensured peace and quiet. It also offers additional legroom via Super or S-T-R-E-T-C-H seats, “offering 35″ pitch – “4 more inches than the standard economy seat,” according to the carrier’s website.
Scoot is not the first to kick kids out of certain areas. Malaysian Airlines has long denied children access to first class and introduced an adults-only section in economy in 2012. Meanwhile, AirAsia introduced a “Quiet Zone” to its aircrafts last year.
While offering child-free zones may seem extreme to some, it beats being bumped off a flight for tending to an unruly toddler. That’s what happened to a Rhode Island family flying back from Turks and Caicos last year on JetBlue. At the time, the airline said the decision had been made at the captain’s discretion after a prolonged period of disruption prior to takeoff.
The anti-kid trend is reflected in other areas of the hospitality industry, with an increasing number of restaurants banning children.
Readers, what do you think of child-free zones on airplanes?
Image: Toddler on plane, via Shutterstock
