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Auggie

(31,193 posts)
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 01:24 PM Sep 2023

Airline testing an adults-only section

DALLAS (AP) — One airline plans to find out if solitude-seeking travelers will pay a hefty extra charge to avoid sitting near babies and little kids.

Corendon Airlines says that it will sell an adults-only zone — no one under 16 — on flights between Amsterdam and Curacao starting in November.

The Turkish carrier says people traveling without children will get quiet surroundings, and parents won’t have to worry that their crying or fidgeting kids will annoy fellow passengers.

Corendon announced last week that it will set aside 93 regular seats and nine extra-legroom seats in the adult zone in the front of its Airbus A350 jets, which have 432 seats in all. A wall or curtain will separate the section from the wailing masses farther back.

https://apnews.com/article/airline-test-adults-only-seats-265894c40e7bc7d716ed80db6b810515

The airline will charge an extra reservation fee of 45 euros ($49) for the no-kids zone. Doesn't sound like a hefty fee to me.



31 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Airline testing an adults-only section (Original Post) Auggie Sep 2023 OP
There are ForgedCrank Sep 2023 #1
Right, 'cause we know the ailines are going to charge more for such a section. brush Sep 2023 #4
A good set of ear buds solves a lot of problems Sympthsical Sep 2023 #19
Why bother Tatertot Sep 2023 #2
*wears my earbuds listening to music on a higher than usual volume* sakabatou Sep 2023 #3
The greedy airlines figure out another way to charge more fees. PA Democrat Sep 2023 #5
How about a no-jerks section? milestogo Sep 2023 #6
Don't the airlines count on that market share? Kennah Sep 2023 #9
Well I might shell out the extra bucks if sdfernando Sep 2023 #7
how about sober and drunk dembotoz Sep 2023 #8
I would rather sit by kids Tree Lady Sep 2023 #10
Same. demmiblue Sep 2023 #23
Airlines testing another way to gouge passengers & pretend it's a service Hekate Sep 2023 #11
The adults-only zone comes with extra leg room too Auggie Sep 2023 #13
I used to travel, before Covid. I'm short, but it got to be unbearable. Finally I decided to use up... Hekate Sep 2023 #27
If it keeps kids away from my seat back, I'll go for it lindysalsagal Sep 2023 #12
I would be totally OK with this! Initech Sep 2023 #14
Yes, the kicking ... Auggie Sep 2023 #16
I haven't had that yet. Initech Sep 2023 #25
Great - one more thing to nickel and dime us to death for. Ms. Toad Sep 2023 #15
It's one airline, not all of them Auggie Sep 2023 #17
At an extra cost. Ms. Toad Sep 2023 #21
We fly Delta usually. Don't get charged for any of those things. we can do it Sep 2023 #29
Delta either hasn't flown - Ms. Toad Sep 2023 #31
Hmmm BannonsLiver Sep 2023 #20
What one airline begins - Ms. Toad Sep 2023 #26
Nah. BannonsLiver Sep 2023 #28
Flight attendant: "Sir, sir. Adults only means no one under 16. Please zip up your pants." Yavin4 Sep 2023 #18
I'd pay an extra $50-100 to know Mr.Bill Sep 2023 #22
"tHis Is WhY I DoNt fLy!!1" BannonsLiver Sep 2023 #24
I'd rather a a plane full of kids KentuckyWoman Sep 2023 #30

Sympthsical

(9,120 posts)
19. A good set of ear buds solves a lot of problems
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 06:28 PM
Sep 2023

I have a pair of Jabras where I have no idea what's going on. Working out, flying, yard work. I'm about to pop them in and vacuum the house. I hear nothing. Grocery shopping is amazing.

And if you need to hear, push the pass through button, then go right back.

I don't even remember what life was like when environmental noise was a thing.

sakabatou

(42,176 posts)
3. *wears my earbuds listening to music on a higher than usual volume*
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 01:35 PM
Sep 2023

The wall/curtain will do very little.

PA Democrat

(13,225 posts)
5. The greedy airlines figure out another way to charge more fees.
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 01:45 PM
Sep 2023

An adults only zone impresses me as the modern equivalent of the old non-smoking section, except they are charging you for the illusion that sound (like cigarette smoke) does not travel.

sdfernando

(4,941 posts)
7. Well I might shell out the extra bucks if
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 01:56 PM
Sep 2023

there was adult entertainment in the adult section! 🤪🫢

Mike high club here I come!! ✈️


for those curmudgeons among us

Auggie

(31,193 posts)
13. The adults-only zone comes with extra leg room too
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 05:54 PM
Sep 2023

It's not gouge. And leg room in coach is virtually non-existence for those of us over 6'2"

Hekate

(90,827 posts)
27. I used to travel, before Covid. I'm short, but it got to be unbearable. Finally I decided to use up...
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 06:57 PM
Sep 2023

…my airline miles on a first class ticket as a birthday present. After all, I had been getting almost daily emails for several years about the grand uses of my miles.

I’ll spare you (and myself) recounting everything, but it was a kind of bitter joke, from the cracked leather seats to the limp lettuce and canned soup. (In a desperate bid for better food I asked for a diabetic meal and was told they didn’t do special meals any more.) The best part was flying home economy class (having used up all my miles just getting from California to NY State) with extra legroom — and I paid $$ extra for it every time the damn airplane hit another airport.

After I got home I went to the local Chase bank and had a human being disengage me from the mileage membership thingy (Chase Visa). When asked why, I told the nice human in detail and they took notes into the computer.

In any case, as I used to tell my non-travelling husband every time he tried to point me toward a cheap flight, the actual airfare is whatever you get when you add every fee onto the advertised special. Do you, a passenger over 6ft, want to travel without your knees hitting your chin? $$. Do you, a 5’4” woman with an arthritic knee, not want to be in agony? $$. Would you like to be able to exit your seat for the lavatory without stomping on your fellow passengers and falling in their laps? $$. Would you, an adult, like to wear something when you arrive besides whatever it was you wore on the flight? $$

When I was a kid, the evening news used to be sponsored by Pan Am, and Cronkite or whoever it was used to sign off with, “Good night and good flying.”

Happy flying to you.





Initech

(100,104 posts)
14. I would be totally OK with this!
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 05:59 PM
Sep 2023

My trip to Maui last year, there was a kid who was kicking my seat the entire flight and it was really starting to get on my nerves by the end. I would happily pay an extra few bucks to avoid that on my next flight!

Also thank god for noise canceling headphones!

Auggie

(31,193 posts)
16. Yes, the kicking ...
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 06:17 PM
Sep 2023

I’ve also been puked on by infants.

On one flight, my companion got up from her seat to visit the head. A toddler from the across the aisle climbed onto the seat cushion and proceeded to jump and down, filthy shoes and all (the mother did nothing to stop her).

Initech

(100,104 posts)
25. I haven't had that yet.
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 06:49 PM
Sep 2023

I have been subjected to ear piercing scream before. That really sucked.

Ms. Toad

(34,093 posts)
15. Great - one more thing to nickel and dime us to death for.
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 06:13 PM
Sep 2023

I have a back injury and now have to request an accommodation to be sure I can be seated in a reclining seat - otherwise I'm in misery for a month. The only other option is to pay to choose a seat in advance of the flight.

I can't sit with my family because they deliberately separate parties who choose not to pay the extortion amount to choose a seat in advance.

I can't check in early to snag a seat in an exit row (or other rows with a bit more room) - they are only available to people paying extra.

I can't take a carry on without paying a $30-$50 fee.

I can't check a bag without paying a $40-$70 fee.

And on, and on.

And now they are concentrating all of the child noise, seat kicking, etc. in one section - so those of us who refuse to pay the extortion fees will have an even greater chance of being kicked for the entire flight.

Auggie

(31,193 posts)
17. It's one airline, not all of them
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 06:20 PM
Sep 2023

And as I noted up thread, the adults-only zone comes with extra legroom— better for passenger who might need to recline for health reasons.

Ms. Toad

(34,093 posts)
21. At an extra cost.
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 06:46 PM
Sep 2023

I should not have to pay extra to to get a seat that is needed for health reasons. (Not to mention all of the people who are suffering because they unaware that they can ask for an accommodation.)

And what one airline begins, most of the rest follow - for example the baggage fees (first), then the seat selection. Nearly all airlines charge fees for carryon, checked lugage, and seat selection now.

we can do it

(12,196 posts)
29. We fly Delta usually. Don't get charged for any of those things.
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 07:11 PM
Sep 2023

Cheapo flights aren’t that cheap unless you add on nothing.

Ms. Toad

(34,093 posts)
31. Delta either hasn't flown -
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 07:32 PM
Sep 2023

or hasn't had anything close to the cheapest flight for anything we've done in the last 2 years.

On the first flight we took after the COVID restrictions were lifted, we got a United credit card, which gave us (that year) free carry on and free checked baggage for two of us (plus a $150 or so discount on the flight). After the introductory year, we kept the credit card at somewhere around $90/year because the baggage fees, alone, on a single flight were more than the cost of the credit card. We still looked for other flights, but to shift to another airline the flight + baggage fees needed to be lower than the United flight. None were. We don't have access to any of the discount airlines, and Southwest (which has typically been significantly cheaper) is now higher than most other flights.

This year we'll take at least 3 flights, all as cheap on United as any other airline. And we avoid the extra fees for a one-time $90 credit card fee. We may take a 4th flight, and that will make it an even better deal.

But I still resent the nickel and dime approach to travel. It leaves those without much money to spend (or ability to get a credit card) in second-class accommodations. Previously, there was at least an odd equity among everyone other than business class - a bit of smarts about timing, and a bit of luck, gave everyone a chance at the more desireable seats, the ability to sit together on the flight, and the ability to arrive at the destination with the clothing needed to survive the trip.

BannonsLiver

(16,460 posts)
20. Hmmm
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 06:39 PM
Sep 2023

Do you frequently fly Corendon Airlines’ Amsterdam to Curacao route? If not I don’t think it’s worth worrying about.

I fly Delta, American, S.W. and United and have never been charged for a carry on. SW allows for checked baggage as well without a fee. The others offer 1 free checked bag per person on international flight.

S.W. also doesn’t charge for seat selection (open seating) and neither do the others unless you book their bargain basement fares and in that case the policies are clear.

If you’re flying spirit and frontier (sounds like that is the case) that falls under sometimes it’s worth a tiny bit more for a better experience. The requirements for exit rows, seating near family and reclining seats is probably well above and beyond the needs of most passengers.

Ms. Toad

(34,093 posts)
26. What one airline begins -
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 06:52 PM
Sep 2023

the rest follow. Luggage policies and seat selection are examples.

United charges for carry-on and seat selection with their basic economy fare, as does American - I believe. Southwest has limited flights - and, recently, charges significantly more on the routes I have been flying. As for international flights - that depends. Mexico, Honduras, and anything else in the carribean (to places other than US territories) are international, and do not come with a free checked bags.

The "bargain basement" fares are hardly bargain basement. They are significantly higher cost (nearly double) than full-service fares were just a few years ago.

All flights should come with carry-on and seat selection, at a minumum. It's hardly a tiny bit more. The changes added the equivalent of what used to be the entire fare in convenience fees - on top of "bargain basement" fares which are still significantly higher than full fare was prior to the changes.

BannonsLiver

(16,460 posts)
28. Nah.
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 07:08 PM
Sep 2023

Corendon Air is not an industry leader. And carriers in the US have attempted this in the past and it went nowhere. Now Emirates getting rid of paper boarding cards? That’s probably going to become common across the industry and will upset some people. To be clear this isn’t the same as it is now where you can get a paper boarding card or use the app. It’ll be app only for emirates passenger.s.

While it would be great if they all did what you outlined, they don’t. That’s just the reality of it. Times change.

Yavin4

(35,446 posts)
18. Flight attendant: "Sir, sir. Adults only means no one under 16. Please zip up your pants."
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 06:21 PM
Sep 2023

I can totally see that happening.

BannonsLiver

(16,460 posts)
24. "tHis Is WhY I DoNt fLy!!1"
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 06:47 PM
Sep 2023

Can’t have an air travel thread without that being said at least once in the thread. It’s a law.

KentuckyWoman

(6,694 posts)
30. I'd rather a a plane full of kids
Sat Sep 2, 2023, 07:19 PM
Sep 2023

Adults are getting so rude that sitting by a screaming baby is a step up.
A not screaming child who just needs little help keeping busy is a wonderful advantage. I'd pay more to sit there.

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