IndiGo's 'child-free zones' leave some fliers worried

Those who often feel annoyed by the sound of screaming children next to their seat during air travel can now heave a sigh of relief. Budget carrier IndiGo is coming up with premium seats in ‘child-free zones’ restricted to children above 12 years of age.
 

“Keeping in mind the comfort and convenience of all passengers, row numbers one to four and 11 to 14 are generally kept as ‘Quiet Zone’ on IndiGo flights. These zones have been created for business travellers who prefer to use the quiet time to do their work,” IndiGo said in a statement according to Indiatoday.
 

There are travellers who are not comfortable sitting next to kids. Some might want to take a rest during flights or those heading for a holiday trip might not want to be woken up by a child refusing to be fed.

While the move has been welcomed by some, others have termed it as discriminatory. Social media has been abuzz with reactions both supporting and rejecting IndiGo’s move.

But not everyone is happy. Mothers who often travel with their infants or young kids have raised the alarm, saying adults should be more tolerant and such moves would set the wrong precedents for places like restaurants, malls, theatres, and parks to also follow. One Twitter user mocked the idea, saying “most children behave better than adults and #childfreeflights are a dumb idea”.







 

Interestingly, the Mirror reported that a 2014 survey found 70 per cent of passengers backed child restrictions and 35 percent would pay extra to travel on child-free services.