Scoot Airlines - a subsidiary（子公司，附属机构） of Singapore Airlines - announced that it will let passengers pay about $14 to sit in a "child-free" zone. Children under the age of 12 are banned from sitting in this "ScootinSilence" area, which will span rows 21 to 25 on its flights. The child-free zone advertises itself under the auspice of ensured peace and quiet. It also offers additional legroom via Super or S-T-R-E-T-C-H seats, "offering 35" pitch – "4 more inches than the standard economy seat," according to the carrier's website. Scoot offers flights to Singapore (its hub), Sydney, the Gold Coast, Seoul and Nanjing.

 

Scoot is not the first to kick kids out of certain areas. Malaysian Airlines has long denied children access to first class and introduced an adults-only section in economy in 2012. Meanwhile, AirAsia introduced a "Quiet Zone" to its aircrafts last year.

 

While offering child-free zones may seem extreme to some, it beats being bumped off a flight for tending to an unruly toddler（学步的小孩）. That's what happened to a Rhode Island family flying back from Turks and Caicos last year on JetBlue. At the time, the airline said the decision had been made at the captain's discretion¹ after a prolonged period of disruption prior to takeoff.

 

The anti-kid trend is reflected in other areas of the hospitality industry, with an increasing number of restaurants banning children. In June a Virginia sushi restaurant gained media attention for refusing to serve anyone under the age of 18.

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