This is a pretty innovative concept, which I think many people would be happy to see spread to other airlines.
In this post:
Corendon Airlines adds A350 adults only seating zone
Leisure carrier Corendon Airlines will start flying between Amsterdam (AMS) and Curaçao (CUR) as of November 2023, using an Airbus A350-900 that’s being leased from Spanish charter carrier World2Fly. The plane has 432 seats, and is in an all-economy configuration.
With this new long haul service, the airline is trialing a new concept. Specifically, Corendon Airlines is introducing an adults only zone on board its flights, for those 16 years of age and older. As the airline describes it, this is intended for travelers without children, and for business travelers who want to work in a quiet environment. The airline also argues that this will have a positive impact for parents with children, as they don’t have to worry about disturbing others as much.
How does this concept work? Well, the forward cabin on the A350-900 between doors one and two will be the designated seating area for adults. This consists of a total of 102 seats, including nine extra legroom seats and 93 standard seats.
As you might expect, there’s a fee to sit in this space:
- The cost is €45 one-way to sit in the adult zone in a standard seat
- The cost is €100 one-way to sit in the adult zone in an extra legroom seat
Here’s how Atilay Uslu, founder of Corendon Airlines, describes this initiative:
“On board our flights, we always strive to respond to the different needs of our customers. We are also the first Dutch airline to introduce the Only Adult zone, because we cater trying to appeal to travelers looking for some extra peace of mind during their flight. We also believe 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.”
This seems like a smart and fair concept
I think a lot of people have unrealistic expectations of other peoples’ children and babies when traveling. Does anyone like sitting next to someone else’s baby? No, probably not. But ultimately air travel is a form of shared transportation, so you have to deal with all kinds of people, from crying babies, to self-entitled business travelers, to people who might have had a couple too many drinks.
I’m always a bit amused when people baselessly huff and puff when they see a baby near them (whether it’s in economy or a premium cabin), because it’s just unrealistic to expect that you can control who sits near you when flying.
All that being said, I think this concept is a great idea:
- It’s reasonable for airlines to charge a premium for seats toward the front of the cabin
- It allows people to self-select a bit more, and if someone is the type of person who is going to be really annoyed sitting next to someone else’s kid, then this gives them a great alternative
- Nothing is being taken away from families, as there are comparable seats in the rest of the plane
Bottom line
Corendon Airlines is trying something new on its upcoming Airbus A350 transatlantic flights between Amsterdam and Curaçao. The airline is designating the forward cabin as being exclusively for adults, meaning that there are 102 seats that can be booked at an extra fee to ensure you sit at the front of the cabin, and not near young travelers.
I think this is a totally fair initiative, and it’s a win-win. Those who feel strongly about not wanting to sit near a young traveler can pay extra for the privilege, and nothing is being taken away from families either.
What do you make of the concept of an adults only seating zone?
It’s not necessarily going to be peaceful. If you’ve ever been on one of those leisure flights to Majorca etc, most adults are getting drunk and are far from peaceful! So given that this route is similar you’ll end up wanting not to pay to have more peace in the kids section rather than being in the potentially rowdy drunk cabin!
To be perfectly honest I have frequently been more affected by adults who can’t behave in a civilised fashion than I have children on a flight. The kids generally do what they are told whilst I’ve encountered adults who have less social skills a fox in a chicken farm ! So seems fine to me save the kids from putting up with the shitty adults :)
This is a great idea!! I’d love to see this on the US flag carriers
Biden had requested families sit together on flights.
If the US airlines handles this correctly, it could become the kid zone. Back of the jet, mandatory IFE or WIFi to keep the young amused, a bulkhead would add to the ambiance.
Reminds me of when we were kids and there was still a smoking section on the plane. Our parents would sit back there but we would sit further forward in the non smoking section because they didn't want to waste two of the few smoking seats on us.
Omg yes please!!
Nothing worse for someone who's scared of flying than a toddler kicking the rear of your seat over and over again reminding us that we're in a crammed in airplane while in meditationteying to relax. And the parents doing noting about it. Good thing I'm not shy and am a good example of the real world....
Woowww you got kicked oh noooo. You sound insufferable. You aren’t an example of the real world you are just someone who think you are better then the screaming upset kids
What a dolt, 'Jack.' Nobody is being entitled with this configuration. It's just aimed to meet the needs of different passengers in a reasonable way where everyone wins. It's not discrimination, as you seem to imply. Get off of your polemic-baiting horse.
❤️❤️❤️
Love love love!!! Win Win for everyone!!
I love the concept. Hope it works well enough for other airlines to pick it up as well. I'd gladly pay.
This is a FANTASTIC idea! I would gladly pay extra to have a bit of piece and quiet and no one kicking the back of my seat!
I would pay gladly to seat in a No Kid zone on any plane!
Detail - Corendon is not Dutch, it's Turkish.
But yes, I'd pay, especially knowing that all the kids will be crammed into the rest of the plane!
This is a win win for all parties with no downside. Those who want peace and quiet can pay for it. Parents/children lose nothing. Extra revenue for the airline.
Any complaints must be coming from insufferable, sanctimonious and deluded parents who think the whole world shares their love of their hellspawn.
There’s actually several child free people complaining and saying parents should have to pay the fee instead… which makes zero sense. Parents already pay per person, themselves and their child/ren. This would be a nice accommodation for CF people, yet some are still complaining because it isn’t free??
I would pay double that amount to not be next to a screaming kid. I've been on too many flights with too many parents bringing kids too young to deal with being immobile/popping ears/etc. Trains have quiet cars, why can't planes? Sign me up.
P.s. I've had this experience in first, business and economy. This transcends class...
So because you think they have no business flying means they shouldn’t get to family or go on vacations because it bothers you oh so much.
YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!
I've always felt that there should be a kiddie zone in planes. It would be so much better for them to be able to play and enjoy their time. Ditto for the passengers who do not want to hear them. Truly a win-win.
Meh. Crying infants or excited kids are the least of my worries. How about a section where nobody is allowed to run their TVs, have the shades open or have their lights on overnight or on Long Hall flights?
How about a no drunk people section? How about a section where there's no tall people? No obese people? No people with shoulder with wider than the seat? No people with disgusting bad breath?
I...
Meh. Crying infants or excited kids are the least of my worries. How about a section where nobody is allowed to run their TVs, have the shades open or have their lights on overnight or on Long Hall flights?
How about a no drunk people section? How about a section where there's no tall people? No obese people? No people with shoulder with wider than the seat? No people with disgusting bad breath?
I fly a lot. Truth is, if there's an upset child on the plane you can hear them anywhere on the plane. If you don't want to be near infants, learn which rows in the cabin don't have the extra oxygen mask because that's where infants are normally seated.
Anyway, people in general aren't very smart when it comes to air travel. They will all buy these seats up and then two rows behind them in the next cabin there will be disruptive crying kids. Or even worse, within their no-child cabin, there will be a few loud drunks.
I fly a lot, too. I have never had anywhere near as many issues from ADULTS with bad breath, drinking, or devices as I have had with CHILDREN who don't understand personal space, headphones, or have good parents. You will be able to book in advance, and a well-traveled person such as yourself won't have to worry about not being able to find a seat because you'll have purchased your ticket already. You'll also have...
I fly a lot, too. I have never had anywhere near as many issues from ADULTS with bad breath, drinking, or devices as I have had with CHILDREN who don't understand personal space, headphones, or have good parents. You will be able to book in advance, and a well-traveled person such as yourself won't have to worry about not being able to find a seat because you'll have purchased your ticket already. You'll also have a mask, noise-cancelling headphones, and probably sleeping medication, right?
They should charge those fees for the cabin dedicated to kids... lots of extra requirements, drama, and long wait times for the restrooms
Fully agree. Why should the quiet and decently behaving passenger be slapped with an extra fee while those unruly miseries of kids plus their selfishly ignorant parents travel for free.... Turn it around and it will work!
Think it’s a great idea
It’s about time to have some peace and quiet on a flight without worrying about children screaming or kicking when it’s hard enough trying to sleep on a long haul .
What’s wrong with areas for families and others for adults only … why should we pay extra .
Because you guys are taking PUBLIC transportation and your being worse then a child crying because you are being a cry baby. Sooo if you don’t wanna deal with kids don’t take public transportation or pay the extra fee
The parents pay an extra fee already. It’s the full price of extra seats. Yes, the same price you pay for regular seats, kids do to. Kids don’t fly free, nor do they fly at discounted rates. Pay your little extra fee for your priority seating. Thought you childless people always brag about all the money you save not having kids. So cough it up lol.
Apartment compleses used to have this but then it was ruled as discrimination and not allowed
Great idea! I am sure ALL the other airlines will eventually follow....
Thank God. Someone with a great idea and common sense. Also an adults only airline would be great! Or at least one that sedates unruly passengers.
There needs to be an entire plane for adults only.....
I hope more airlines will consider this option in the near future. I would pay €45 for this facility on a long haul flight.
But the adults are the ones most likely to misbehave......
This is the most untrue statement on the internet today.
I like this idea but I fear it will create a smaller area of the cabin where all the families with children are clustered. That will probably help sell the child free zone. I wonder if they add a separate section for alcohol free ? Then the screaming infants and drunks can all be seated together.
I am not sure about this plan. Would more people buy Economy Plus seat if children are prohobited in Economy Plus cabin?
Somehow I think people will prefer not to spend extra money but that might be just me.
In truth, it isn’t children that annoy me the most on a plane, it’s the adults who act like children.
Exactly right JBM.
I DEFINITELY remember my 1st trip to Europe in BUSINESS CLASS, where a CRYING child CRIED for what seemed like an ETERNITY. Finally, someone in the cabin shouted out so ALL could hear, "can't you DEAL WITH YOUR CHILD! SO WE CAN GET SOME SLEEP!" Shortly after, the crying stopped and we had peaceful sleep in the uncomfortable beds we'd paid BIG BUCKS to "enjoy".
Sounds pretty typical. From my experience, many, not all, but MANY parents just ignore the kids and let them scream, squeal, holler, cry, cut up, and bother everyone around them while the parents just do little to nothing. Good for the person who shouted out to the ignoring parent and actually got them to their job...parenting.
A child stops crying on command?
While many of us that read this blog travel in the front cabins, that doesn’t excuse the entitled idea reflected in the “we’d paid BIG BUCKS to enjoy”…that just screams entitlement and ME ME ME. An airplane is a shared space…live with it or find another means of transport.
Exactly, it's a shared space. That means you have to act with a respect towards other people who are sharing it with you. Just like I don't play loud music, and try to keep my voice down, I expect other to be courteous too. If you can't, it's you who should find another means of transport.
This reminds me of an incident many, many years ago. I had three kids in my early 20's, about 18 months apart. I went out to eat with a co-worker who had no children. We went to food court mall loaded with kids.
Halfway through the meal he told me he wished parents could manage their kids better.
It was at that time I noticed that I didn't realize there were even kids there.
When I worked for a Top US3 carrier back in the day, we use to seat passengers with unruly kids at the back, keeping them away from First Class and other passengers. People used to arrive at check-in without seat assignments back then. Occasionally, we would switch the pre-assigned seats to the back if the kids were awful and blame it on RES. If they complained, a $25 voucher made them happy. Win-win for all.
...When I worked for a Top US3 carrier back in the day, we use to seat passengers with unruly kids at the back, keeping them away from First Class and other passengers. People used to arrive at check-in without seat assignments back then. Occasionally, we would switch the pre-assigned seats to the back if the kids were awful and blame it on RES. If they complained, a $25 voucher made them happy. Win-win for all.
I could give the international airline and airport, but will not lol. They were Top 3 then and now :-)
Cost be should be double that
Agreed. Parents should have to pay twice as much for disturbing polite and respectful passengers with screaming children, smelly diapers and baby food, and unruly toddlers running around and causing chaos for employees. There should be childfree airlines.
FYI….. parents pay an extra fee. It’s called the full price ticket of additional seating. Do you think kids fly free or something? Discounted rates? No. Full price. Pay your small extra fee for your priority seating.
Seems as logical as when there were non-smoking sections. LOL
25 years ago, as a consultant to United Airlines, I suggested that they dedicate some long-haul flights to being adults only and others to be family-focused. Redesign the seating and amenities for both groups. My comment was politely dismissed (what do consultants know?!). 25 years later, I still think this is a good idea.
Wowza. Just wowza. And they paid you to be a consultant? In no galaxy does your idea make any sense.
I formerly looked after several areas of a major airline. One of the ad agency folks suggested the airline always fly 100 feet above the approved clearance, so as to claim “we fly higher”. I made sure he was quickly off the account team…nonsense is nonsense
As a consultant myself, this idea makes an incredible amount of sense, especially in a society where the upcoming generations are having less children. Ever hear the phrase "know your audience?" Well, millennials and Gen Z travelers are generally childless and will pay to have a childfree traveling experience. Airlines could absolutely capitalize on this idea...childfree groups have been begging for it for decades. It is a highly missed group of people... childfree travelers? WE...
As a consultant myself, this idea makes an incredible amount of sense, especially in a society where the upcoming generations are having less children. Ever hear the phrase "know your audience?" Well, millennials and Gen Z travelers are generally childless and will pay to have a childfree traveling experience. Airlines could absolutely capitalize on this idea...childfree groups have been begging for it for decades. It is a highly missed group of people... childfree travelers? WE ARE YOUR DISPOSABLE INCOME. We are the ones who do most of the traveling...expensive traveling, anyway.
So what happens if….
The ONLY seats left on the plane are in the adult only section, and the family with toddler twins are seated there, and those kids make noise….?
Will the others in the cabin get a refund?
No... the family gets shoved in the back, and 2 adults seated together in back will get moved up front. Common sense.
I would much more prefer a no fat people section to prevent losing 20% of my seat to the person next to me, or a making sure people don't wreak of perfume or BO section. Can I get a no entitled business travelers who are going to complain about not being treated like an entitled dbag section? I would gladly pay more for any of those. Seriously , we all made an agreement to get...
I would much more prefer a no fat people section to prevent losing 20% of my seat to the person next to me, or a making sure people don't wreak of perfume or BO section. Can I get a no entitled business travelers who are going to complain about not being treated like an entitled dbag section? I would gladly pay more for any of those. Seriously , we all made an agreement to get in that little metal tube to travel somewhere, well everyone except the kids. At some point everyone has probably been "that person" on the plane. Just deal with it.
It’s the families with their misbehaved children who should have to pay a fee. Sit them in the back of the plane with a participon.
This seems like a money grab and I wonder if they'll pull this off in the long run. The thing is, quite a few Dutch (I'm Dutch as well, btw) are on the cheap side. If they don't have to pay more for a similar thing, they often won't.
Consider also that the cabins are only separated by a curtain. A few weeks ago, I was on a KLM flight from AMS to MSP. I...
This seems like a money grab and I wonder if they'll pull this off in the long run. The thing is, quite a few Dutch (I'm Dutch as well, btw) are on the cheap side. If they don't have to pay more for a similar thing, they often won't.
Consider also that the cabins are only separated by a curtain. A few weeks ago, I was on a KLM flight from AMS to MSP. I was sitting in 3A and despite being almost in the front of the plane, I could still hear kids from the next cabin. Like others said, use noise cancelling headphones. It may be a different cabin, but people will still hear the kids if they don't use noise cancelling headphones. So why pay extra at all?
It's said that the family cabin will have similar seats, but will extra space seats be available? I haven't seen that information.
I never flew this company, but, do they have business class/first class/premium economy? If so, are kids banned from there as well? Will other companies follow, and what will they do with their premium cabins? The reason I'm wondering about this last point, is because I frequently fly with my now 14 yo, been flying with her since she was 6 mos old and most of the time fly a premium cabin. She never cried and knows really well how to behave, hence premium cabins were never an issue. I dont think I'll ever fly Corendon, but I'd hate to see something like this implemented into other companies.
My opinion is that kid screaming annoyance increases exponentially in the last few feet. In other words, the 2 rows just in front of the yelling kid are exponentially more annoying than the seat 5 rows away. You still heard the kid, but it wouldn't be much more annoying than some adults talking nearby. This is especially true on an airplane, where the engines' white noise drowns out noises somewhat.
I will agree with you...
My opinion is that kid screaming annoyance increases exponentially in the last few feet. In other words, the 2 rows just in front of the yelling kid are exponentially more annoying than the seat 5 rows away. You still heard the kid, but it wouldn't be much more annoying than some adults talking nearby. This is especially true on an airplane, where the engines' white noise drowns out noises somewhat.
I will agree with you that the whole knee-jerk reactions over kids crying are really overblown. Most babies do fly relatively well (as someone else points out, an oversized neighbor might even be more difficult to deal with than a kid). And even if they cry, some walking would help (which reminds me: are kids allowed to be walked/carried into these areas? Because it helps, you know?). But hey, if people are so scared of babies that they are willing to pay to put space in between, well, good for the airlines.
Airlines have a way of screwing up passengers. They could provide this service for free. They do not have to add a surcharge for this. I find this as a way to make more money for the airlines, and we simply accept it. Ridiculous.
What a strange whine.
It's a commodity that takes effort to coordinate/maintain, and it's something that people not only want, but would be more than willing to pay for. Why should they give it to you for free?
I would have written a comment, but you've summarized it best!!
My reply intended for @ConcordeBoy
This is a great idea for large aircraft.
All business travelers have had the screaming child next to them. On a long haul flight this can cut down on this problem. As you stated air travel includes everyone. Smaller short haul planes have been a problem since the first time one carried passengers. Some people are more tolerant.
I have 11 years experience. Some weeks four flights. Many crying children seated nearby. Saturday was by far the worst.
Yes, yes, yes! I have Curacao on my list for the winter, and I'm willing to give up flying in C just for this.
It does not prevent from being annoyed by noisy kids a few rows behind.
Recently travelling premium eco, no kids in the cabin, but the one screaming at the second row in economy could be heard from the back of the plane to business class.
The only solution is an adult only flight.
I think they should have them just charge 2x and subsidize normal flights. Everyone wins
Air asia has an adults only zone on their New Zealalnd to Australia flights as well and there is more likelihood of it being emptier, I’ve heard.
I agree that noise cancelling headphones are all you need to cut out any unwanted noise on a flight. I’m more concerned about overweight passengers sitting next to me who are infringing on my space, than noisy kids.
I wonder what ages they'll qualify as a child... Because certainly a tween or teen causes less disruption than a child between 1 and lets say 8 years old...
From the article, "for those 16 years of age and older".
This seems like a good concept except what happens with IRROPs or even for customers who chose not to get assigned seats. If a customer with a child needs a seat and the only available seats are in the adult only zone are they going to go through the trouble of doing a big game of musical chairs finding passengers from coach they can move to this cabin or just put people in empty seats? I'd guess the latter.
@Dan,
I don't see how that's particularly complicated:
All they have to do is Op-Up people (especially single travelers) from the Kids section (who don't have kids) into the Adult section, then place the families in their former seats. Problem solved.
Helps to actually read the article: says it, clear as day. :)
Seems a bit steep since all you're doing is avoiding the chance of having a child next to you. They should be all extra leg room seats plus no kids.
News flash. Noise canceling headsets are no match for a screaming child.
Or screaming Karen .. or Ken
I use the Sonys and find that they do, indeed, handle crying children as long as the kids aren't in the same row, or the rows immediately in front of and behind me. I need to be playing something through the headphones, not just using the noise-canceling feature.
News flash, pay for proper noise cancelling headphones. Sure it does not remove 100%, but well enough to not be disturbed. :-)
This is an awesome idea. I'd love to book seats with my colicky infant immediately behind the child free zone. Imagine being one of the suckers who pay extra to sit right in front of my crying baby!
The adults only zone is actually a separate Cabin. You'll have to figure another way to seek your perverted revenge by unleashing your screaming brat.
Thanks for the reply. I forgot sound doesn't travel between cabins on an airline.
Excellent plan. Know that the entire passenger list hopes your infant gets relief due to the pressure change and sleeps peacefully on the flight, but destroys your entire vacation. We already know you made this bitter revenge plan because you're upset that your sticky life decision has already destroyed your youth and future plans.
Better just to use NC headset or ear plugs.
News flash. Noise canceling headsets are no match for a screaming child.
Not really, my Bose 35 headphones have always been up for the challenge. People with kids are usually trying to control their kids from screaming their heads off for any length of time.
Paul is angry he is not able to reproduce.
That's pretty exorbitant pricing IMO. Considering some Asian carriers show during seat selection of there is a baby in that area so one can avoid selecting seats in that area for free.
Yes pretty much a win/win. Interestingly I remember back in the 90s before seats became monetized airlines would seat families with young children in the back of coach.
If anything I'd be game for the adults section being 24 and above. At least in the US I've had more disruptions from college kids on spring break type trips than 12 year olds.
I've always thought that there is an opportunity to do something interesting with a "family cabin" on planes. Seats would face each other (like on a train) with the possibility of smaller seats for children and possibly a table between the seats. The problem would be maintaining flexibilty for the number of family set-ups and "regular" passengers on each flight. But I think this would make travel more convenient for famlilies (and therefore less distrubing...
I've always thought that there is an opportunity to do something interesting with a "family cabin" on planes. Seats would face each other (like on a train) with the possibility of smaller seats for children and possibly a table between the seats. The problem would be maintaining flexibilty for the number of family set-ups and "regular" passengers on each flight. But I think this would make travel more convenient for famlilies (and therefore less distrubing to other passengers) and possibly even allow the airlines to densify their flights a bit.
That would be another way for airlines to lose money....everything the idea is uneconomical and a huge/impossible operational headache.
I don't understand your comment, @Leigh.
Seats facing back is not new. It's not necessarily more uneconomical than all-facing-forward either (Indigo, for example, has backward facing seat as bulkhead, I think).
Smaller seats for children should be *more* economical than regular seats for children, provided that you can get regulatory approval. If you *know* (pulling numbers out of my behind here) 10% of your flight will be children under 10 (and airlines should know), you...
I don't understand your comment, @Leigh.
Seats facing back is not new. It's not necessarily more uneconomical than all-facing-forward either (Indigo, for example, has backward facing seat as bulkhead, I think).
Smaller seats for children should be *more* economical than regular seats for children, provided that you can get regulatory approval. If you *know* (pulling numbers out of my behind here) 10% of your flight will be children under 10 (and airlines should know), you can put 5% of the seat smaller and sell it at slightly cheaper (says 10% discount for 25% smaller seat). It saves on weight, and if you put it cleverly enough, allow you to put extra seats. What's uneconomical about it? (beside, again, regulatory requirements).
Tables between seats sound like huge space, but then every seat right now has (fold-out) table. So....... what's the problem?
Hi @magice...hope you're having a nice day:)
To my knowledge and experience, only Southwest (WN) ever offered backward facing seats row to row in economy. Those layouts were long ago scrapped, so they're ancient history. I've never flown IndiGo, but seat guru.com shows no backward facing rows.
To begin, you have to serve the masses/totality of your passenger base, and no one wants to sit staring at a stranger in the eyes directly across from...
Hi @magice...hope you're having a nice day:)
To my knowledge and experience, only Southwest (WN) ever offered backward facing seats row to row in economy. Those layouts were long ago scrapped, so they're ancient history. I've never flown IndiGo, but seat guru.com shows no backward facing rows.
To begin, you have to serve the masses/totality of your passenger base, and no one wants to sit staring at a stranger in the eyes directly across from you (there are even some business class configs that are horrible this way - pointing at you Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand). There's no way an airline would or should keep seats blocked for families at the expense of revenue, so there would never be any guaranteed seating in this config for families.
I'm also a bit confused by your reference to smaller seats? Again, an airline needs to cater (even if poorly) to all passengers, so I'm not understanding the idea of smaller seats? Hard enough to squish some adults into the current seats, let alone the idea of a smaller seat?
And, yes, there is the thing about regulatory issues. I won't pretend to know such regulatory detail, but I would be surprised if there were hurdles to the concept.
But, overall, I think you and I are likely on the same page to make the whole travel experience better for families w/ youngsters in every way possible. But it needs be both clever, financially realistic, within whatever regulations apply, and also giving consideration to the average pax that fills the aircraft.
Have a nice day!
*were not hurdles"
This issue is number of children on a flight is not consistent. It may be higher during summer, or on particular routes, or on saturdays etc. but it's not consistent. Also, the Dash 8, especially 100s/200s often have the first row of economy backwards facing.
The Dash-8 rear facing seat in the front row is because of the emergency exit door placement. Otherwise they couldn’t put any seats there.
Southwest used to have six seats facing each other. They were great for families, "party" lounges, or if there were only three people in the 6 seats. The only problems were that you didn't really have underseat storage, and your knees often bumped the person across from you (and no way to stretch out).
Air Asia already has this option on their flights between SE Asia and Australia. I have used it a couple of times. The adults only cabin is separated from the rest of the plane by an entry door or a galley - I can't remember which - so even in the last row you aren't very close to children. All passengers in the adults only section must be >10 years old.
Generally a great idea, but 3 bassinet seats are given away.
Not sure what happens if families/children have to be upgraded to the front section due to operational reasons.
Hmm...
#1 Business Travellers to CUR??
#2 All Business Travellers I know fly Full Service Carriers, not Leisure Carriers.
#3 All Business Travellers I know fly Business or First on all Longhaul.
Then it sounds like you know a very skewed selection representing only the vast minority of business travelers.
Fully agreed. My employer isn't paying for business or first class on domestic or international flights. If you're seated up there, you upgraded with your own miles.
Though I'm sure there's some sort of secret clause for the c-suite members to travel up there.
@Sean;
Sorry, forgot to mention I'm my own employer. In my case, in the country I live and my company is based there are no domestic flights. For the rest I have made up the rule, all flights with a duration over 4hrs automaticaly my people fly Business. Which we mostly pay for. There are cases were things are diferent with some Carriers with whom we have Corporate Fares and in those contracts it's...
@Sean;
Sorry, forgot to mention I'm my own employer. In my case, in the country I live and my company is based there are no domestic flights. For the rest I have made up the rule, all flights with a duration over 4hrs automaticaly my people fly Business. Which we mostly pay for. There are cases were things are diferent with some Carriers with whom we have Corporate Fares and in those contracts it's clearly indicated (AUPG) "Upgrade if space available." So if we buy Business and there is First available, we will have it. I never pay for First. And I know in the country I'm based most companies have this policy of the 4+ hours.
Small detail, the service my company offers is always when possible First Flight Out, First Flight In. If the employer want's a longer layover it will be discussed but all extra expenses are at his cost.
Based on the description, I don't think they mean actual business travelers on a business trip. I think they are merely referring to those who want to do some work while they are flying/those with a computer.
This is another way for airlines to extort more money. Since there is no difference in service or comfort, there should be no extra fee. I would appreciate more if they have a dedicated cabin for adults free of charge. That would actually make me choose them over another airline.
From my point of view this is more an effort to say to customers.... pay extra or you will most likely be next to a screaming child.
Instead they can be seated near a disruptive adult. The vast majority of noisy disruptive customers are well over 18.
16 is an adult to the Dutch (it's in the article). That said, who wants to be around a bunch of 16/17 year olds getting drunk on a flight for the first time.
By law, 18 is adult to the Dutch. 16 is an age the company picked themselves.
Customers that sit here are paying extra for the privilege of being among the first off of the plane. That's the way that I see it, and they're just marketing it as Adult's Only for publicity. In my opinion this is no different to literally any other carrier that charges extra to sit at the front of the plane. There's no difference in service or comfort, yet virtually every airline does have an upcharge for similar seats.
I don't understand what you're talking about....and I don't think you do either.
It's a huge benefit for passenger, and is therefore reasonable to charge a fee...it's the same as different rates for seat selection on all US airlines (for those that don't have status on that particular airline...better the seat, higher the seat booking cost.
And if no fee was charged, how in the heck would an airline know who qualifies for the Adult...
I don't understand what you're talking about....and I don't think you do either.
It's a huge benefit for passenger, and is therefore reasonable to charge a fee...it's the same as different rates for seat selection on all US airlines (for those that don't have status on that particular airline...better the seat, higher the seat booking cost.
And if no fee was charged, how in the heck would an airline know who qualifies for the Adult only section...and with no charge the cabin would be swamped by those looking for a freebie preferred seat with no children nearby.
NO sense whatsoever.
Genius.
You otherwise have a “sardine can” layout (432 on a -900!) and have figured out a way to upcharge at no marginal cost to you!
Can they add a section to avoid huffy DYKWIA business travelers?
That would be the entire plane, given the layout.
Also, what a weird whine.
I think it's more of a sarcasm than whine?