Airline's new 'quiet zone' moves babies to back of plane

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Budget airline AirAsia is to offer a child-free 'quite zone' on its long-haul flights from February.

The Southeast Asian airline will reserve the first seven economy class rows 'exclusively for guests age 12 and above', NBC News reports.

And the new option won't cost you more than the regular fee charged for seats with extra legroom.

The section, which is separated by bulkheads and toilets on one side of the coach and has the premium cabin with mostly adult travellers on the other side, means that passengers opting to sit in the Quiet Zone are likely to be far from babies and young children.

Advertising the new option, AirAsia's website reads: 'Because we know that sometimes all you need is some peace and quiet for a more pleasant journey with us.'

It does, however, come with an exception: AirAsia may allow travellers younger than 12 to sit in the Quiet Zone when 'necessary for operational, safety or security reasons.'

This means that passengers sitting in the special section are not guaranteed a quiet flight, argues founder of American website Airfarewatchdog.com, George Hobica.

He told NBC News: 'Logistically, it's a nightmare for an airline to allocate certain seats for certain people.

'The last time they had to do this was back when there were smoking and non-smoking sections. Even if you were just one row away from the smoking section, you still got the smoke and you'll still hear the screams... if a child has strong lungs.'

There's also the backlash from parents that could prove an issue. Speaking to NBC News, blogger Brett Snyder, of The Cranky Flier blog, said: 'It's already hard enough for families to find seating together so this would take another chunk out where they have fewer seats to choose from.'

'I think you would see some family groups up in arms and would probably see lawsuits... it would be ugly.'

This April, Malaysia Airlines was the first Southeast Asian carrier to introduce a child-free zone, restricting families with children from sitting in the upper deck of its Airbus A380-800 on the Kuala Lumpur to London route.

What do you think about child-free zones on planes? Leave a comment and let us know.

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