Air Asia Will Soon Offer Baby-Free ‘Quiet Zone’

Are you tired of hearing babies crying while you’re trying to sleep on the plane? What about that child kicking the back of your seat? Well, for those of you who are tired of this, AirAsia has a solution: baby-free “quiet zones” that are only for people 12 and older.

The low-cost southeast Asia airline — which has hubs in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia — has started advertising a “Quiet Zone,” which will be offered on longer flights beginning in February, reports NBC News.

The first seven economy class rows will be reserved “exclusively for guests age 12 and above,” according to the company’s announcement on its website. There will be no extra cost for passengers to book in this section besides the regular fee that is charged for seats with extra leg room.

Because bulkheads and lavatories will separate the quiet section from the rest of coach, travelers in this zone will not usually sit near babies or younger children.

On its website, AirAsia states:

“Because we know that sometimes all you need is some peace and quiet for a more pleasant journey with us.”

It should be noted that the service comes with an asterisk, which says that the airline may allow passengers younger than 12 to sit in the special zone if it is “necessary for operational, safety or security reasons.”

So, how about a quiet zone on all aircraft? As appealing as that idea may be for some frequent fliers, Tulsa World notes that that kind of arrangement in the US would likely be a pain. George Hobica states, “Logistically, it’s a nightmare for an airline to allocate certain seats for certain people.” Hobica adds:

“The last time they had to do this was back when there were smoking and non-smoking sections. Even if you were just one row away from the smoking section, you still got the smoke and you’ll still hear the screams … if a child has strong lungs.”

Along with the sound issue, the specialized seating could interfere with families who want to sit together in the already limited space available.

Do you think that US airlines should implement a baby-free quiet zone?