Once boarded and waiting for the other passengers to find their seats, nearly every airline traveler starts their own silent plea: “Please don’t let the crying baby sit next to me. Please let that family with four little kids keep walking down the aisle, far away from me….” The challenges of traveling with children, are familiar to any parent who has tried it. But the challenges of dealing with a screaming infant, whiny toddler, or sugar-inspired kid kicking the seatback are familiar to anyone who has flown.

In response to this nearly universal consumer need, one Turkish airline is testing the idea of an adults-only section on certain flights. On the 432-seat Airbus A350 jets it flies, Corendon Airlines will set aside 93 conventional seats and 10 extra legroom seats for the adult section, located toward the front of the planes. To sit there, passengers—as long as they are at least 16 years of age—can pay about $50 for a regular seat or $110 for the extra legroom rows, on top of the basic fare.

This offer may be relatively novel, but it matches existing pricing strategies by the airline industry, which has monetized “benefits” such as checking luggage and seat selections by charging extra for those options. In so doing, the airlines encourage consumers to segment themselves according to their preferences. For those looking solely for the cheapest fare, they can compromise on the experience. But for those who must have a window or want to sit close to their friends or families, paying a little extra to select their specific seats seems like a reasonable cost.

The adults-only section also harkens back to an old division in planes, long since eliminated, between smoking and nonsmoking sections. That is, at one time, people were allowed to smoke cigarettes during flights, usually relegated to the back seats in the carriers. But in addition to the influences of changing societal norms surrounding smoking, this option ultimately was doomed by the complaints of nonsmokers, who noted that a separation by rows was not sufficient to keep the smell of smoke from wafting throughout the cabin and invading their airspace.

A similar challenge may arise for the notion of adults-only rows, if the goal is to prevent those adults from hearing the sounds of screaming children. Those in the very front might not hear much, but if just one or two rows separates adults from the family section, they are likely to hear the kids anyways. They also are likely to complain about paying extra and not enjoying the promised benefits. Noting this challenge, in its ongoing experiment with separate seating, Malaysian Airlines has moved adults on the upper deck of its two-level Airbus A380 jets, preventing anyone under the age of 12 years from climbing to the top. It also bans children altogether from first-class cabins.

Despite the appeal of these options for many, many travelers, they raise some questions and concerns too. For example, if an airline cannot sell all the seats in the adults-only section, is it really going to give up the revenue it could earn by putting families in those seats? Furthermore, the additional service might require some renovations to the designs of the planes, to ensure clearer separation and auditory barriers. And finally, the airlines might run the risk of alienating families who cannot imagine that anyone would not want to sit near their perfect little angels.

Discussion Questions

1. How much would you pay to sit in an adult-only section on the plane? Does your answer differ, depending on the type of flight (e.g., a quick 90-minute hop versus an overseas journey)?
2. How can airlines use data about customers purchasing these seats to inform pricing strategies?

Sources: David Koenig, “For Travelers Who Want to Avoid Babies and Kids, One Airline Will Test an Adults-Only Section,” Associated Press, August 29, 2023; Thomas Bywater, “Five Airlines Offering Child-Free Cabins and Quiet Zones,” New Zealand Herald, September 22, 2022