新加坡航空旗下廉價航空公司酷航最近宣布在客機上設立“靜區”，禁止12歲以下兒童在該區域就座，以便讓該區域的乘客享有相對安靜的乘機體驗，乘客需額外支付14美元才可選擇該區域的座位。該公司在宣傳廣告中還指出，“靜區”的座位間距也比普通經濟艙座位稍大，乘客可以更加舒適地伸腿活動。酷航并不是第一個開設兒童禁坐區的航空公司，馬來西亞航空一直禁止兒童進入頭等艙，并在2012年開設經濟艙兒童禁入區。亞航也在去年在客機上開設“安靜區”。

Scoot Airlines — a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines — announced that it will let passengers pay about $14 to sit in a “child-free” zone.

Scoot Airlines — a subsidiary 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. 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 discretion 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.

(Source: ABCNews)

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（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）