There seem to be two types of flyers:
- Those who would rather die than sit next to a kid on a plane (and, let’s face it – those could even be the kids’ parents. I don’t judge LOL)
- Those who don’t mind sitting next to a baby or child on a plane
Of course, we all know that there are more people who’d just as soon not sit next to, or even near a kid on a plane.
In fact, according to Airfarewatchdog’s Annual State of Travel Survey, more than half (52 percent) of the 4,000+ people they surveyed a few years ago felt that families with young children (age 10 and under) should be required to sit in a separate section of the plane.
The concept of “Adult Only Zones” on flights has been tossed around for years. And a small handful of airlines, have heard the silent cries of their passengers, and even made some accommodations for the same, with child free areas and quiet zones.
There are five such airlines. And now there are six.
Founded in 2004, with flight operations starting in 2005, Corendon Airlines is a Turkish leisure airline headquartered in Antalya and based at Antalya Airport. It has sister airlines, Corendon Dutch Airlines (founded in 2011) and Corendon Airlines Europe (2017), which are based in The Netherlands and Malta, respectively.
Corendon is considered to be a low-cost carrier. They have 19 planes (14 Boeing 737-800s and 5 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, with 4 more of the latter on order.
Corendon has just introduced something new for its flights between Amsterdam and Curaçao: an exclusive “Adults Only” zone. These flights will begin on November 3, 2023 and the Adults Only zones will be available on all flights between Amsterdam and Curaçao.
The Adults Only zone will be located in the front of the plane. It will include 93 economy seats and 9 extra large seats, the latter of which will offer extra legroom. Corendon says the zone will be partitioned from the rest of the cabin via walls and curtains, to help make a more peaceful flight.
The area will be limited to travelers aged 16+.
Atilay Uslu, co-founder of Corendon, was quoted as saying: “On our flights, we always strive to address the diverse needs of our customers. We are proud to be the first Dutch airline to introduce the Only Adult zone, as it caters to travelers seeking some extra tranquility during their journey. We also believe that this offering will have a positive impact on parents traveling with young children, allowing them to enjoy their flight without apprehensions when their little ones make a bit more noise.”
Economy seats in the Adults Only Zone will cost €45 (U.S.$48.67) per one-way trip. An XL seat in the zone will be €100 (U.S.$108.16) per one-way trip. Prices are, of course, above the cost of the flight between Amsterdam and Curaçao.
The brand is a part of Corendon Tourism Group. The company already offered child-free hotels.
According to the NL Times, other airlines that service Amsterdam, including KLM, TUI and Transavia, said they were not contemplating banning children from their flights.
Could Adult Only Zones on planes happen in the U.S.?
Doubtful 😉
PhotoAid, an only photo company, surveyed 1000+ Americans this year to ask how they felt about Adult Only flights. These were their key takeaways:
- About eight in 10 travelers want adult-only flights, and 64% are willing to pay an average premium of 10–30% or more when taking a long-haul ride.
- 89% of the idea’s proponents still advocate for kid-free flights, even after realizing it’d lead to more CO2 emissions.
- Passengers usually blame parents (36%) for being unable to handle their children. Another 25% hold both responsible and 24% lay the blame on youngsters.
- Of 18% of Americans who previously indicated they were against adult-only flights, 69% are OK with child-free seating zones. That could be a good compromise.
- As much as children can be a nuisance to some, 60% of flyers would rather be seated with a crying, wailing, or otherwise “misbehaving” child than a rude, hygienically challenged, loudly talking, or in any other way annoying adult.
Earlier this year, Newsweek also surveyed a group of Americans – 1,500 of them – and asked if there should be child-free areas on public transit. Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed agreed that a child-free zone on planes and trains would be a positive thing, while 27 percent disagreed and 14 percent were unsure. Here are the age breakdowns:
| AGE | 18-24 | 25-34 | 33-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ |
| Yes | 61% | 69% | 68% | 49% | 53% | 54% |
| No | 27% | 26% | 24% | 31% | 27% | 29% |
| Don’t Know | 12% | 5% | 8% | 20% | 20% | 17% |
There have been other surveys over the years, equally as small, but with equally as intense emphasis that yes, American adults would love if there were Child Free Zones on planes (to be fair, many people also said they would like to have access to Drunk Free zones and Entitled Passenger free zones, too).
Although there’s lots of online discussion about Child Free Zones, there’s comparatively little out there that discusses what the airlines have to say about it. However, Skift did document, back in July 2013:
Spokespeople for US Airways, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines tell Skift the idea of child-free zones on their aircraft is not under consideration.
The most spirited defense of kids roaming its planes without seat restrictions comes from US Airways.
“No we have not considered offering any child-free zones on our aircraft,” says US Airways spokesperson Andrew Christie Jr. “We at US Airways value all of our customers, including our young adventurers, and our goal is to ensure all of our customers have a safe and pleasant flight experience with us regardless of where they are seated.”
Asked if United Airlines is considering child-free zones on its planes, spokesperson Rahsaan Johnson says: “Simple answer. No.”
There’s similar sentiment about the issue at American Airlines, with a spokesperson saying: “While this question has been asked of AA periodically, we have no plans to create child-free zones and do not have anything to comment on further at this time.”
Delta spokesperson Paul Skrbec says: “It is not something we are considering.”
Southwest Airlines isn’t considering child-free zones, a spokesperson says, adding that A-List RapidRewards members and passengers purchasing Business Select tickets board prior to family boarding, which occurs after boarding group A and before boarding group B. Presumably the early boarders can seat themselves away from the kids, who board later.
Frankly, I doubt any of them have changed their minds in 10 years (well, except U.S. Air, which doesn’t exist anymore). But if they did…yeah, I’d be willing to pay extra for that. Sorry not sorry, kids.
Feature photo (cropped): Pexels
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