Brits say no to turbulent tots on planes
A TripAdvisor poll* of over 1,200 travellers reveals the majority of Brits would pay a premium to fly on a child-free plane.
Over half of respondents (53%) said they would pay extra to fly on an adults-only flight, while a minority 46% don’t begrudge sharing the plane with tiny travellers. An additional poll question revealed 55% of respondents revealed that, when it comes to first class cabins, young children should be banned entirely.
“Many travellers experience discomfort and frustration when faced with noisy children on flights,” commented Emma O’Boyle, TripAdvisor spokesperson. “This has long been a hotly-debated topic and was recently brought to a head with Malaysia Airlines’ ban on babies in first class. It will be interesting to see whether any other airlines follow suit or even go one step further and consider banning children from certain areas in economy class.”
According to TripAdvisor’s family survey***, carried out earlier this year, children on planes are receiving frosty receptions. One quarter (24%) of parents who have flown with children under the age of three claim to have experienced negative reactions from fellow passengers.
Respondents who have not yet flown with their young children are seemingly sensitive to the issue - nearly one quarter (22%) claim they took the decision because it’s unfair on other passengers, while the remaining gave the following reasons for not flying with their children:
· 26% claim it is unfair to their child
· 21% say flying is too expensive with their child
· 32% prefer UK holidays with their child
*Poll carried on TripAdvisor.co.uk from 2nd – 4th August on 1,281 respondents
**Poll carried out on TripAdvisor.co.uk from 19th – 28th July on 8,229 respondents
***Survey carried out in February 2011 on 2,000 parents with school-aged children from 5 to 16 years-old
