Child- free or tolerance free?

Yes, travelling with children can be traumatic, at times, for the parents – and for fellow travellers too. So how shall we then view Indigo Airlines’ decision that forbids children in their premium rows – a move that provides relief to fellow travellers but is painfully indifferent to parents travelling with a child under 12! Is the airline, under the garb of creating “quiet zones”, turning a cold shoulder to parent woes? As a mother of an infant or a toddler, what is your first reaction to the news that you cannot get a reservation in rows 1 to 14 of Indigo Airlines? Our proparent Canisha Kapoor explores the utility and absurdity of this move!

Major concerns: As a mother of an 8-year-old son, I have some of the concerns regarding the latest move by the airline. The first and foremost: Is my child being considered as an unnecessary intrusion for the other flyers who either want to have their beauty nap or just want to work while flying. Whatever the case be, as a mother I am not too impressed and guess what, I am not alone – and here’s why…

Rows 1, 12 and 13 not for parents: Well, if you are a frequent flyer, you will know that these three rows have maximum leg room. In fact row 1 is an ideal row for lactating mums travelling with infants, as this row not only provides a good amount of leg room but also comes equipped with a baby bassinet that makes the travelling easier for both the mum and the baby. “If an airline wants to create a child-free zone let them do so, but the seats with the maximum leg room should be exempted from the zone, because a mother travelling with a toddler or an infant will need those seats more than those seeking some quiet place to either take a nap or work,” says Nitin Gupta, father to an 8-year-old son.

Other than row 1, rows 12 and 13 have maximum leg room for an easy stretch. After all, one needs to relax the stiffened muscles after holding the baby for hours.  Says Preeti, mother to a 22-months-old daughter: “Back rows are not comfortable for a mother travelling with an infant. In a case of turbulence, the discomfort is felt the most at the back rows. Why would an airline shun us already-starved-of-comfort parents to the back – I don’t get it!?

Comfort in a company: Now here is a parent who welcomes the move –a fellow blogger Lakshmi, mother to a beautiful toddler daughter. She says she is okay with the decision because being a parent she won’t mind sitting with more children, as that will keep her daughter distracted. “I can look forward to relaxing a bit! What more could I want! But what I do mind is sitting next to a person with a frown, making me and my child feel unwanted. These people can huddle together in a child-free zone with some extra payment. I can deal with that.” 

Sshhhh! Really: Here’s another point to ponder: Is Indigo creating a noise-free zone or just a child-free zone? All said and done, a cranky child will howl at the top of his/her voice and the voice will not restrict itself to a few rows. Says Tanisha Khanna, mother to an 8-year-old son: “Can Indigo ensure that the zone is completely noise free? Can it guarantee that there will be no loud mouth or a fidgety person travelling in that zone because it is a ‘quiet zone’?

Shikha Batra, mother of two beautiful daughters aged 7 and 4 feels that this is an absurd move. “Tomorrow they may come with further weird ideas like those with two children are not allowed to sit in particular rows and parents with three children can’t enter the flight – who knows what lies next?” She adds that people who have issues with children should fly their private jets rather than opt for commercial flights. “We are not talking about smoke or noise-free zones; we are talking about children here! How can you restrict a child to a place? A child loves to explore and hence having a child-free zone is an absurd idea.”

Indigo Airlines is receiving mixed reactions. While the business travellers are welcoming the move, parents all over the country are not too thrilled. What do you have to say? We look forward to your comments. Indigo Airlines is receiving mixed reactions. While the business travellers are welcoming the move, parents all over the country are not too thrilled. What do you have to say? We look forward to your comments.