Brits would pay more for child-free flights

Blissfully reclining into sleep, only to be disturbed by the deafening bat-pitched cries of a red-faced child inflight is a scenario all too many travellers have experienced.

So it might come as no surprise that holidaymakers are willing to pay more money just to fly child-free. A third of Britons would happily pay more to take a flight where no children are on-board. A survey of more than 2,000 UK travellers by travel website TripAdvisor found that badly behaved children are one of the biggest causes of inflight frustration for holidaymakers.

Some 37% of those polled said they were so irritated by children that they would fork out more cash to fly without them. The research found that the second biggest annoyance for passengers was having a child kick the back of your seat, repeatedly. Almost a quarter said this was the most infuriating issue when it comes to flying with children on board.

Children on a plane may sound like a film spoof, but it’s a frustrating reality for many, which can ruin even short-haul trips.Emma Shaw, a TripAdvisor spokeswoman, claims that a stressful flight could have a severely negative impact on the travel experience.

“Any disturbance when flying is annoying but it seems that unruly children are among the biggest causes of frustration for some passengers,” she said. Despite the hassle and stress of children on flights, the main irritation for travellers was inconsiderate seat recliners. Some 29% of people surveyed shared this frustration.

One issue that “fiercely divides opinion” is whether children should be allowed in first class and business class areas – 34% said they should be exiled while 36% claim that children should be allowed. There are many irritations that could occur when travelling, such as lost luggage or flight delays, so it might be worth taking out travel insurance before you leave.

Date Created: 03/08/2012