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A child-free sitting area might go over seemingly well abroad but probably not here, says one airline industry watcher after AirAsia announced it would start offering a “Quiet Zone” on its long haul flights in February.
Come next year, the first seven economy class rows will be exclusively for guests ages 12 and older, the Southeast Asia carrier says on its website.
“Because we know that sometimes all you need is some peace and quiet for a more pleasant journey with us.”
Passengers wanting to sit in the new zone wouldn’t have to pay anything extra for the section beyond the regular fee charged for seats with more legroom.
As appealing as that might be for some frequent fliers, that type of arrangement being instituted in the States would be a pain, airfarewatchdog.com George Hobica told NBC News.
“Logistically, it’s a nightmare for an airline to allocate certain seats for certain people,” Hobica said.
“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.”
Not to mention a wide range of concerns including families wanting to sit together in what limited space is already available and myriad potential distractions that are part and parcel of traveling in confined quarters with lots of folks.
Too-loud music spilling out of headphones. The awkward tension over who’s going to use the arm rest and who will have to be satisfied with resting their arms in their lap the duration of the flight. The list goes on.
Says
The Atlantic’s John Hudson: “For now, it seems the coach section will remain democratically heterogenous (sic), full of screaming infants and arm-rest intruders. Just as the Founding Fathers would have wanted.”
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