ANTALYA – In a bid to facilitate adults travelling, a European airline has introduced a ‘child-free zone’ on its plane, following the footsteps of other carriers.
Turkish-owned Corendon Airlines is the first European carrier to offer this service, announcing the launch of the service on one of its routes.
The so-called ‘Only Adult’ zone will be accessible to passengers over the age of 16 on flights between Amsterdam and the Caribbean island of Curaçao. The carrier will begin offering the service this November.
According to the details, the child-free area will be located at the front of the plane – separated from the rest of the plane by walls and curtains – and will have 93 seats dedicated for travellers over the age of 16.
To purchase a seat in the adult-only area, passengers will need to pay an additional €45 one way. Moreover, there are also nine seats available with extra legroom which cost an additional €100 per flight.
Commenting on the initiative drawing mixed response, Corendon founder Atilay Uslu said the child-free zone aims to “accommodate travellers looking for extra peace during their flight.”
Uslu said it also means parents travelling with children can feel less concerned about causing disturbance to fellow flyers.
“They can enjoy the fight without worrying if their children make a little noise,” he said.
Interestingly, Corendon already offers adult-only hotels in a number of destinations including Curaçao, Bodrum and Ibiza.
Although Corendon is the first airline in Europe to offer adult-only zones, some international companies already have this service. For instance, AirAsia X has a Quiet Zone on its A330 long-haul flights which is reserved for passengers aged 12 and above.
Scoot, a low-cost Singapore-based carrier, also offers ScootinSilence cabins on its 787 flights only accessible to travellers over 12.
On the other hand, TUI (German leisure, travel and tourism company.), KLM (flag carrier of the Netherlands), and Transavia (Dutch low-cost airline) told a Dutch newspaper that they have no current plans to exclude children from parts of their planes.
