A survey of UK travellers has found that 53 percent want more child-free zones on planes, with the majority willing to pay extra for the privilege.
The survey of 1,500 UK adults revealed that 63 percent of UK travellers who wanted more child-free zones said that they would pay extra to ensure a more quiet and peaceful flight.
The research by UK-based online travel company, Globehunters, follows the introduction of child-free zones by airlines, including Scoot Airlines and Air Asia, designed to allow people travelling without children to enjoy quieter flights. A seat in Scoot Airline’s ‘ScootinSilence’ cabins costs £9 extra, whilst Air Asia passengers can reserve a ‘Quiet Zone’ seat for an additional charge of £8.30.
The Globehunters survey found that British travellers are actually prepared to pay even more, with 41 percent of those wanting more child-free zones on planes saying that they would pay upwards of £10 to be seated in one.
The survey also found that frequent flyers are especially keen to avoid children, with 69 percent wanting more child-free zones.
The over 50s were also eager to avoid travelling with children, with 64 percent in favour of the zones. Of the people who usually travel with their children, only 28 percent were in favour.
Globehunters head of Marketing, Leon Warner, said: ‘It seems people are happy to pay extra to sit in child-free zones on planes to ensure a quieter, more relaxing flight, with many prepared to pay more than the current asking price.’
However, ‘If child-free zones on planes do become more commonplace, this will mean an extra fare class being created. This will leave fewer seats available in the basic fare class, which means less choice for people that are simply looking for the cheapest seats,’ Warner added.
