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Is Childfree Travel a Growing Trend?

Picture this - for several years, you’ve been dreaming of an adventure in Paris. You’ve decided that this is your year to make it happen - you’ve spent hours comparing and selecting flights, hotels, and restaurants for the most epic Parisian vacation. You started packing a week in advance out of excitement.

And now, today is the day! You’re finally boarding that flight; you could just pinch yourself!

You step onto the plane and start looking to get settled in seat 23A for your long-haul flight. Further down the aisle, you spot an unruly toddler crying and screaming. You think, “I’d hate to be the one sitting next to that kid.”

You continue down the aisle, counting the rows...17....18...19...then, the fear sets in. “No, no no, please don’t let that be my seat...please, please anywhere but there.”

Sure enough - you arrive at row 23 to find that your seat is right next to this squirming, yelling child. You check your ticket one more time, hoping it was a brief moment of dyslexia, thinking “Maybe I misread the ticket; I think I’m actually row 32 instead,” but alas. Such is your fate for this flight.

Has this ever happened to you? Such a negative flight experience is enough to derail the pleasure and excitement of any holiday.

Airlines that Accommodate Childfree Travel

Resorts and hotels have known this for a long time, consequently offering adults-only options for childfree travelers. But airlines have never seemed to pick up on this trend. Not until the past decade.

The growing demand for childfree travel has finally been heard, and certain airlines are offering options for travelers who’d like to fly in peace. It’s a modest few today, but there is the possibility for more to come.

AirAsia X Quiet Zone

AirAsia X flights offer a “Quiet Zone,” between rows 7 and 14 where children under 10 are not allowed to sit. This zone is located behind the Premium cabin and is said to have minimal noise with no disturbances.

Scoot in Silence

Scoot flies from Melbourne to Singapore five times a week. It’s an 8 hour and 15 minute flight. “ScootinSilence” is a quiet zone in their 787 Dreamliners where children under 12 are not allowed. This 33-seat compartment sits between business and economy.

IndiGo Quiet Zones

In 2016, IndiGo announced its “Quiet Zone” for business travelers where children under 12 are not allowed to sit. Additionally, children are not allowed to sit in rows 1, 12, or 13, where emergency exits are located, or rows with extra leg room.

Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines banned babies from first class on their 747 and A380 aircraft in 2011. Though their site does not explicitly report a ban on babies in first class but when booking, a pop-up window notifies the purchaser that no bassinets are available in this section of the plane. This resulted from many complaints received about flyers spending money on first class seating but being unable to sleep on account of crying infants.

Developments in Childfree Travel and Future Possibilities

Though it’s a hot topic when debated, there seems to be a significant number of people who would be willing to pay more if they could sit in a childfree travel zone, just as you would pay extra for additional legroom or an upgraded class.

In 2017, Airfarewatchdog’s Annual State of Travel Survey reported that 52% of respondents felt that families with young children (age 10 and under) should be required to sit in a separate section of the plane. More than 4,000 travelers were polled for this survey.

Although we may never see a completely childfree airlines service, airlines are trying to get more creative with meeting their travelers’ needs for peace and quiet. For example:

Japan Airlines’ website features a “baby map” to inform people where young children (between 8 days an 2 years old) are sitting on a plane as they are booking their seats.
Etihad Airlines offers a “Flying Nanny” for long-haul flights to keep children entertained with games, face-painting and competitions.
Lufthansa’s design team, Technik, has developed “soundproof curtains” that prevent gallery noise from entering the First Class cabin; this development could be used for quiet zones in the future.
Thomson Airways developed booth style economy seats for planes where parents could sit face-to-face with their children around a table, similar to layouts found in trains.
Richard Branson was quoted saying that he, “would love to introduce a kids’ class. It would be a separate cabin for kids with nannies to look after them.” This has yet to become a reality though, due to the risks involved regarding how to reunite the parent with the child in the event of an emergency.
China Airlines had tried offering the “Family Couch” zone in one section of their 777 planes to create a more comfortable play zone and area to sleep, though this feature is currently suspended.

Childfree travel will continue to be a controversial subject, however awareness around the issue is increasing, with some select airlines making changes to accommodate this group of travelers.

If airlines are unwilling to offer quiet zones and adults-friendly amenities, there are at least new developments outside of airline offerings, such as the introduction of a new app in beta called “TemptedYou” that allows you to search hotels, restaurants, and activities with an “adults-only” filter option.

In the meantime, while the childfree community waits for an adult-only airlines to debut, remember to pack you noise-cancelling headphones!