An adult-only flight would be very tempting, wouldn’t it? I wonder what the premium would be?!

I have been at both ends of the spectrum, though now my son has left home I’m no longer a ‘traveller with children’. But I used to go on flights with my own screaming toddler, and oh the stress!

And now I do a lot of long-haul sat near to wailing children, and oh the stress!

Maybe a more realistic option would be to board families together in one part of the plane with other families – thereby all the kids can scream together? And parents would feel less frazzled then cos they all understand.

I’ll be taking my very unruly nephews on a holiday to Greece in May – aged 7 and 8 and very wild. I must be a glutton for punishment, but I’d welcome a family space on a flight, where I don’t have to look at the ashen faces of childless travellers (like mine often is) wishing the kids would somehow fall off the plane.

Report this comment

The solution for me, tried and true: foam ear plugs. These are the kind you roll between your thumb and forefinger and insert, the foam expands sealing out about 99% of the higher frequency sounds, right in the baby/children screaming spectrum. I even request a bulkhead seat for the extra legroom which is where they tend to seat parents with babies.

I read somewhere that one reason First is more relaxing is simply because it is quieter being further away from the engines. Since I’ve been using the ear plugs (about 10 years now) I feel more rested when I get to my destination.

Report this comment

A topic or discussion close to my heart. The reality is that it will never happen.

Remedy, If the execs want peace why not charter an aircraft or move to first on a long haul!

I know personally it can be stressful for everyone, but at the end of day majority of the kids that fly are good. For the others that muck up it’s matter of parents not preparing their kids for the flights, parents lost control of the kids along time ago, or the kids are slightly freaking out about sitting next to a snotty gold frequent flyer!

I’m sure we have all sat next to some adults which should have been left in the child care center, and act like babies. I hate those “seat reclining” adults with a passion!

James

p.s I bet that 83% poll was conducted at business execs. What does a mole do, diggs dirt I’m sure the same could be said for the travel mole.

Report this comment

Sounds like a good idea in principle, but how much more would you have to pay for the privilege? If I’m on a short haul flight I would rather pay less and put up with the inconvenience (although my patience is sorely tested when the little angels start kicking the back of my seat!).

Report this comment

If you find yourself sat next to (or near) a toddler with trembling lips and that I-can-go-Gollum-indefinitely look on his/her face, remember this:

You’re about to be flying through the air like magic in an armchair with some reasonable creature comforts.

So, suck it up, pop in those squishy earplugs and make the best of the situation.

There’s absolutely no need to add to the stresssss and anxiety of those around you, including the mini misssssscreant.

Report this comment

First, can we fix: People who reek, noisy people on cellphones (which should or should not be used) people who are dimensionally challenged and refuse to get another seat, terminal halitosis, people who insisist that their overweight bag isn’t, arrogant types in cattle class who reckon airlines owe them something… shall I go on?

Remember this: We were all kids, once!

Report this comment

James – have you got kids? I can promise you there are a few more reasons that that children can disturb the peace….

This is comment goading Darren – bad as the guardian website! It aint gonna happen and we all know it as it will enver fit with airline pricing models. Bendos71 is right on the money – people who moan about flying really bore me. It is an incredible, fantastic and until recently completely unimageinable privilege. Pop a vallium, stick the ear plugs in, fly business (not 100% but generally works in avoiding kids), suck it up but just get on with it or stay at home.

Report this comment

True about objectionable flying behaviors from adults, but those deserve their own separate blog rant. Darren decided to pay attention to just one objectionable niche here in this blog, which is obnoxious children. And no, Sam Clark, flying is most certainly not any “incredible, fantastic …privilege”, it’s a longtime fact of modern life, it’s something people usually dread nowadays for any numer of reasons. If you prefer to be a cattle that enjoys being shoved into a cattle car then maybe you would also have enjoyed being enjoyed shoved into a cattle car and shipped to a concentration camp in WWII? – that’s what modern flying is just one step away from. The rest of us will probably go on standing up for our right to a human and humane space in the air in the meanwhile.

Report this comment

I think that this could only be implemented on short very busy hauls, but I cannot see it happening. As you mention, children aren’t the only ones who can irritate one. What would the next step be – no alcohol on flights? No large people on certain flights?

Report this comment

I’d gladly pay a premium to fly with no kids! I love them, but it would be great not to have to deal with all that crying on long trips!

Report this comment

Ban kids on flights? I don’t think so… i agree with your post adults sometimes act like kids.

Report this comment

Its pretty understandable how some might prefer an adult only flight. But most of the kids do behave reasonably well, and those who don’t have the perfect excuse – they’re kids! Maybe the flights could be more kid friendly to keep them under wraps…

Report this comment

Gareth said: What would the next step be – no alcohol on flights? No large people on certain flights?

I would welcome alcohol free flights – that is the root of ‘plane rage’ — sober passengers can get upset — rightly so, in many cases, but sober passengers rarely become violent — inebriated ones frequently do!

Rather than rejecting ‘large people,’ why don’t airlines introduce a gross weight tariff? You know, everybody is allowed to bring on board, let’s say 125kg — including SELF and BAGGAGE! — then I would have a 50kg baggage allowance, and my wife would have, well even more baggage allowance than I.

Report this comment

There are naughty kids and then are really naughty kids. It all depends on us how we make them feel. Even some of us are irritating, it not always the kids.

Report this comment

I have experienced a solution………A couple of years ago I flew to (I think) Rhodes. The seats were allocated adults only from the rear of the plane, and parties with children from the front. It meant only one row of adults-only were near children. Without having adults-only flights it seemed a pretty sensible and easily inplemented idea. I don’t understand why more airlines don’t do this.
It’s a pity this wasn’t the case on my flight to Majorca three weeks ago when I spent two and a half hours having the back of my seat continously kicked.

Report this comment

The only reason kids become annoying on flights are because some people have become less tolerant to too many things. If any person has a small child in their home they already know how embarrassing(don’t get me wrong) it is to have a small child boss you around(holding back on whipping out a belt or paddle). Let alone, it is much more embarrassing to have people just stare and expect you to do something, but with a firm voice. In a nutshell, kids are not the problem, too much coffee and staying on the edge may be a cause to why we get irritated by kids in the first place.

-I hate my job

Report this comment

Adult only flights do certainly sound tempting, especially having spent an entire red eye flight awake because of a screaming toddler, but sadly I don’t think the will ever happen. I like the solution mentioned above though, with adults only in one section and families in the other. I don’t see either why people would object to that.

Report this comment

I took my child on a plane when he was a baby and he started crying and wouldn’t stop. God I was so embarraced I would have got off if I could. So When I see a kid on a plane kicking off I feel sorry for the parernts. However it would be better if ther was a no kids plane I’d be on it like a shot.

Report this comment

Well, everybody has covered pretty much everything to be said about this interesting topic. Although I would just like to add that even though an adult only flight does sound appealing, one more reason why it will never happen is because it might detour people with children from flying. In other words, it comes down to money, and we all know that money speaks volumes. Even if airlines had half of their flights designated for only adults and the other half for families, some people with children might stop flying all together–which the airlines, of course, don’t want.

Report this comment

I think a lot of the problem is that we feel entitled to a quiet flight, and let the fact that there is a noisy kid annoy us more than the noise itself (if that makes sense). I find that if I just accept the noise, the kids tend to quiet down soon enough.

Report this comment

Hi,
im guessing someone doesnt have kids here? i know travel especially flying is not a nice experience, for me anyway. Imagine how it must feel for a child who most are very active and more than 15 minutes sitting still is a nightmare. I think a bit of patience is needed.
Danny

Report this comment

Awesome idea! An adult only flight would be right up my alley. Bet you it would cost an arm and a leg though. I do agree with the ear plugs, they really do make a world of difference.

I once had gotten on a ten hour flight, which I made damn sure I had a window seat for so I could lean up against it and get some sleep. When I got to my row there was a young mother with her 6 year old son. The little boy was in my seat. I figured once I told her that that was my seat the problem would be solved. But no. She made a big deal about it being his first time flying and it would mean so much if he could stay there for a bit.

For the next ten hours it was them pushing me out of my seat to use the bathroom every hour. A lot of the time he was curled up in a ball sleeping. He could have done that easily in the middle or isle seat since he was so small he had acres of space.

Worst flight of my life. I won’t be giving up my seat for any kiddies from now on. And as for the child less flight. Count me in.

Report this comment

few times i faced this too, one time i remember there was a kid nearby me, maybe he’s about 3 or 4 years old, he was keep asking questions from his mother for a long time and it was not comfortable for me.

Report this comment

We have a hyperactive 3 year old and we travel a lot. Flying is the worst part of our travels as we become a nervous wrecks worrying sick about what sort of tantrums he would throw and the stares we would get from the fellow passengers. In all other places, we can find a quite corner to calm the child. We cannot do that in a flight and it only makes things worse for everyone.

We fully support the concept of adults only flights. That way, we can at least be less stressful thinking that the fellow passengers at least had a choice to avoid the misery…

Report this comment

Banning kids is a bad idea… they deserve to travel too… Just bear with the noise or better go get a secluded cabin where you can’t hear even a whisper.

Report this comment

Of course kids deserve to travel. Nobody is saying that they shouldn’t be allowed on an airplane ever. We’re just saying that it would be nice to have the option of adult only flights. There are adult only resorts, that doesn’t mean that kids don’t deserve to go on vacation. They just go to resorts that are more suited for them. There are also adult only apartment buildings and condos. That doesn’t mean that people are saying children don’t deserve to have a roof over their heads. It’s just an alternative for people who choose to live child free.

And I’m pretty sure the general population is very patient with children (especially on flights) but if the option were available to have adult only flights i’m sure it would be nice for some single childless folk. Everybody looks out for their personal comfort. If kids make you uncomfortable than it would be real swell to have the option of travelling without them.

Report this comment

Just returned from a four and a half hour flight from the Canaries surrounded by five children under ten and their ghastly families. How one of the mums thought i was a good idea to pump them full of chocolate and sweets straight after dinner i will never know. Four and a half hours of sheer hell. Bring on the adult only flights ASAP i’ll be the first to book even if it means re mortgaging to pay for it!!!

Report this comment

I’ve been on both sides of the ‘isle’ of this argument, so to speak. Literally. My son is now 8, so he’s (mostly) a pleasure to travel with. The toddlers and younger are the ones that can ruin a flight. But if you start with restricting passenger age, where does it stop? Passenger weight, for example? What about their smell? There are plenty of things that can impact your enjoyment of a flight besides just an unruly young passenger.

Report this comment

Haha this post made me smile. However I don’t like drunk people on flights either, but perhaps they are driven to drink because of the kids.

Another thing I would welcome is no oversized luggage under the chairs. I’ve been sat in my chair with someone sharing my foot well on more than occassion because they have oversized luggaged crammed in front of them.

Report this comment

Im a father of 3 children and we try to tailor our flights around the childrens bedtime.
We fly 3 times a year and we will never fly longer than 2.5 hours while the boys are young.
one of the worst sounds known to man is a baby crying especially when the baby isnt yours.lol.
i dont like the idea of an adults only flight, that would be a good excuse for a price hike, lets face it some adults are bigger babies and more annoying to sit next to.!!!

Report this comment

[...] ¿Qué opinas tu? ¿Deberían existir vuelos sólo para adultos? ¿Cuál sería la solución?Vía Travel RantsImagen Miguelvar linkwithin_site_id=307752;var linkwithin_div_class="linkwithin_hook"; In: [...]

Report this comment