New Airline Introduces ‘No Kids Zone’ on Long-Haul Flights

A Turkish airline just announced a unique policy on a specific route to the Caribbean — a no kids zone on one of its long-haul routes.

On Corendon Airlines’ 10-hour flight from Amsterdam to Curacao, passengers will have to be at least 16 years old to sit in the front of the aircraft, the carrier announced this week. The policy will go into effect on Nov. 3.

The section will comprise of nine seats with extra legroom and 93 standard economy seats, with curtains and walls separating it from the family zone in the rear of the aircraft. The larger seats in the child-free zone will cost €100 each way, while standard economy seats in the section will cost an extra €45 each way.

While children — and particularly infants — certainly don’t mean to disrupt a flight when they make noise, some passengers might find that noise particularly irritating, especially if they’re trying to sleep. As such, Corendon believes keeping parents traveling with infants and child-free travelers separate might bring peace of mind to both parties, acknowledging the stress that many parents feel bringing their children onboard.

“This can have a positive effect on parents traveling with small children. They can enjoy the flight without worrying if their children make more noise,” Corendon founder Atilay Uslu said in a statement.

Corendon isn’t actually the first airline to test out a child-free seating arrangement. Singapore-based low-cost carrier ScootinSilence has a section for passengers 12 years and older on its Boeing 787 aircraft, while Malaysia-based low-cost airline AirAsia X offers the same age cutoff in a section on its Airbus A330 aircraft when it’s flying long-haul routes.