European airline's introduction of child-free zones on planes sparks anger

21.10.2023 - 00:05 / euronews.com / Atilay Uslu / Rebecca Ann Hughes

If you’ve ever had to sit through a flight with a crying baby or screaming child, you might have wished for an adult-only airline.

Turkish-owned Corendon Airlines has come to the rescue. The company has just announced it is introducing child-free zones on one of its routes.

The so-called ‘Only Adult’ zone will be accessible to passengers over the age of 16.

Corendon is the first European carrier to offer this service, following the lead of some international carriers like AirAsia.

While it sounds idyllic for some, the decision has sparked an angry debate online. 

Turkish airline Corendon is introducing Only Adult zones on flights between Amsterdam and the Caribbean island of Curaçao. The company will begin offering the service this November.

The child-free area will be located at the front of the plane and will have 93 seats reserved for travellers over the age of 16.

The zone will be separated from the rest of the plane by walls and curtains. To purchase a seat in the Only Adult area, passengers will need to pay an extra €45 one way.

There are also nine seats available with extra legroom which cost an additional €100 per flight.

Corendon founder Atilay Uslu said the child-free zone aims to “accommodate travellers looking for extra peace during their flight.”

Uslu says it also means parents travelling with children can feel less concerned about disturbing other passengers.

“They can enjoy the fight without worrying if their children make a little noise,” he said.

Corendon already offers adult-only hotels in number of destinations including Curaçao, Bodrum and Ibiza.

Plenty of other posters on social media have praised the policy.

"Having sat near to a badly behaved child for 10 hours whilst the parents sat reading I think this is a fabulous idea, bring it on!" said one. 

Not everyone is in favour of the move, however. Other commenters on social media described it as 'disgusting' and 'weird'. 

“So apparently airlines are considering making ‘child-free zones’ on planes, and I can’t decide if this is a dystopian shift or not, but generally it’s really sad how little tolerance people have for children and babies - even acting like they shouldn’t be in public,” one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Corendon is the first airline in Europe to offer adult-only zones, but some international companies already have this service.

AirAsia X has a Quiet Zone on its A330 long-haul flights which is reserved for passengers aged 12 and above.

Scoot, a low-cost Singapore-based carrier, features ScootinSilence cabins on its 787 flights. These are also only accessible to travellers over 12.

TUI, KLM, and Transavia told the Dutch newspaper NU.nl that they have no current plans to exclude children from parts of their planes.

But