by The price-comparison website Skyscanner surveyed travelers this week as to their feelings about traveling alongside other people’s children. Nearly 60% of the 2,000 respondents recommended that airlines institute “families only” sections on flights, giving other travelers the chance to enjoy the peace and quiet of a child-free atmosphere. Nearly 20% supported the prospect of entirely child-free flights.Sitting in the vicinity of any child – other than your own – has long been a pet peeve of flyers. But recent incidents have brought the issue to the fore. In July, Quantas settled a lawsuit with a passenger who claimed to have suffered hearing loss due to the screaming three-year-old seated next to her on the long trip from New York to Australia. AirTran took an entire family off a Florida flight in January because of the problematic behavior of their toddler.Families with children might also benefit, as a family-only section would decrease the stress parents feel to keep their kids quiet at all times; hence many parents also supported the concept.The concept actually does have precedence in Congress: North Carolina Representative Health Shuler introduced a bill in 2007 to mandate family-only sections on aircraft. The Democratic Congressman, however, was motivated by a desire to protect children from viewing violent films while traveling, rather than by concerns about the noise they make. The bill has not yet come to the floor for a vote.In any case, in the current difficult times for airlines, where economics and security continue to create ever greater challenges, the chances are very low of family-friendly and child-free sections being implemented on commercial air flights in the near future.
