Would You Pay $10 For a Plane Seat Away From Kids?

November 11, 2008

We've all been there. You're finally zoning out into something resembling sleep when that angelic baby in the row behind you begins wailing louder than you thought possible. Don't judge the baby (or the parents), hate the plane.

Canadian airline WestJet asked its customers if they'd pay $10 for a seat away from parents with babies or small children on board. Would a seat separated from kids be worth your $10?

Source

34 Comments

ThePerfectScore 4 years 26 weeks

I would love that... some kids voices travel up to first class... haha so I would love a kid free flight.... that would be nice...

EastVillageAmy 4 years 26 weeks

I would love this, I've long been wondering when a child free airline was going to turn up. I agree the parents should have to pay extra, not the people that just want a peaceful flight. I've always thought it would be great if parents had to give their kids a mild sedative to their kids when they check in that way a peaceful flight could be assured for all. Maybe I've just been stuck near too many vile children on airlines.

ilanac13 4 years 26 weeks

it really depends on the flight. i've taken 3 hour flights and i can deal with a screaming child but i was on a 10 hour flight and i literally wanted to figure out how to jump out of the plane. i think that if it's a longer flight then sure - i'll sacrifice the $10

Savs 4 years 26 weeks

Once they start screaming, no seat is far enough away...

jessie 4 years 26 weeks

what happens when they tell you that they can't move you anywhere and you're stuck by the kids? is it a first come first serve basis? hell....i'll pay $10 and sit somewhere else...i'll let hubby sit with the kids! all i gotta say is a roll of duct tape does wonders....and i have kids! ;) its just one more thing to have to pay for.

bchicgrl 4 years 27 weeks

It would really depend on how long my flight would be. If its only a couple of hrs then no I wouldn't care but if I was flying across the country then I most definitely would.

lickety split 4 years 27 weeks

depends on the child, lol. but i'd pay extra not to be next to the person who takes part of my seat, uses the arm rest the entire time, talks non-stop, smells of b.o., etc. air travel can be unpleasant for lots of reasons, some reasons we can control and some not so much.

hihowareya 4 years 27 weeks

Aside from the screamies, lil' kids offer some free in-flight entertainment for me :-P

Flack 4 years 27 weeks

Mmm, so happy I'm flying West Jet to head back east next month :D

TheStyleElite 4 years 27 weeks

YES & YES

inertia 4 years 27 weeks

YES and I'd consider $10 a fabulous bargain. I just got stuck next to 2 children on a 13 hour flight from NYC to Tokyo. The children had friends in the back and they were all running all over the place, and squirming and restless and chattering whenever they were in their seats. Had they been an American or Japanese family I'd have asked them to please settle down, but they were Russian and the language barrier made it impossible. I wouldn't have cared much on a short flight (under 5 hours) but it was awful being kept awake by those kids for 13 hours.

sfbutterfly24 4 years 27 weeks

A kids area would be great. I travelled a LOT as a child but I was never allowed to be those kids that yell scream and run around. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be on a kid free flight as well. Please dont get me wrong I love kids BUT on a plane I dont even like myself let alone kids!!

sfbutterfly24 4 years 27 weeks

quivondra 4 years 27 weeks

Oh my god, I would love to see this thread on lilsugar... parents would go nuts. I'm just about to have my own kid and I'm already thinking about how I'm going to deal with flying with her. I think the problem these days is that parents are so self-centered and actually expect others to deal rather than discipline their kids. I used to travel a lot as a child and back then, I was well aware that I was in an adult environment and that a plane wasn't my playground. Kids are so freaking spoiled these days.

sweetpeabrina 4 years 27 weeks

After getting kicked and almost cheeto-ified on a flight from Miami to Atlanta, I sure as hell would pay extra money not to be next to kids.

True Song 4 years 27 weeks

Yes, yes, yes. Funny, when this was posted on Citizen, the thread went nuts.

GlowingMoon 4 years 27 weeks

No, generally, I like kids, so I don't mind being near them.

saramay 4 years 27 weeks

It would depend on how long the flight was... more than three hours, yes!

absolutromantic 4 years 27 weeks

I'm with those who think parents should be the ones paying for the privilege to bring their kids on board.

starangel82 4 years 27 weeks

I'd pay it. It's not that I don't like kids, but flying with other people on a long flight, much less kids is grueling! Maybe we could all pitch our $10 in to buy Benadryl for the kids. (Kidding! Kind of...) Or maybe Valium for the adults. I so hate flying.

longhornlass04 4 years 27 weeks

I would pay $50 if i had to. I recently was on an 8 hour flight to Kauai and there were only 4 kids on the flight. All 4 were sitting either next to me or behind me, no joke. I just can't handle that again. Actually, even if an airline doesn't offer this, i'd pay parents $50 to put a muzzle and a straight jacket on their kid for the flight. I need my personal space, please. *obviously i'm joking about the muzzle/straight jacket, so please don't comment about the inhumanity of it.

geebers 4 years 27 weeks

I agree- why should I pay for what I should be getting? But I think kids should probably be seated near other kids. I really really really cannot stand unruly kids.

Renee3327 4 years 27 weeks

I would absolutely pay an extra $10. It always amazes me that some parents let their kids run up and down the aisles. Just because they decided to procreate doesn't mean I should have to deal with their loud, obnoxious children.

TiffanyM 4 years 27 weeks

Berlin is right, it should be the other way around. Maybe instead of an upfront fee to parents, they should get charged $10 every time their kid is a nuisance to others. That way if you are a good parent with well behaved children, no problem. But if your kid is a spawn of the devil, then you should definitely have to pay more.