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Airline Introduces Baby-Free 'Quiet Zones' on Flights


KTLA News

10:46 AM CDT, September 26, 2012

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AirAsia is hoping to make flying a more peaceful experience by creating new 'quiet zones' on its planes free of babies and toddlers.

Starting in February, the airline, which hubs in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, is reserving the first seven economy-class rows "exclusively for guests age 12 and above," it says on its website.

When you book a flight on AirAsia, you can scroll across a chart and select a seat in the new quiet zones.

It won't cost any more, except for the regular fee charged for certain seats with more legroom.

The bulkheads and lavatories separate the quiet zones from the rest of the plane.

And since the premium cabin is usually filled with adults, that means people in those rows will be well away from young children.

Some experts say that the idea of quiet zones is not likely to take off in the United States, however.

"Logistically, it's a nightmare for an airline to allocate certain seats for certain people," George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, told NBC News.

"The last time they had to do this was back when there were smoking and non-smoking sections," Hobica said.

"Even if you were just one row away from the smoking section, you still got the smoke and you’ll still hear the screams ... if a child has strong lungs."

Others worry about lawsuits from families who may have even more difficulty finding seating together with the restrictions.