Why do I get the feeling the title of this column will be enough to spark controversy? Sure it won’t be as huge a discussion as say the US Presidential elections, but it will nevertheless be somewhat contentious.
We’ve all been there: screaming kids on the bus, screaming kids on the train, screaming kids on the airplane, screaming kids on the ferry. (Before I go any further I will admit I don’t have any children)
A controversial April Fool’s Day ad by Westjet in Canada earlier in the year claimed that they would now be transporting kids in the baggage section of the aircraft, thereby keeping noise levels down in the cabin. Before the ad was revealed to be an April Fool’s Day joke, people took to social media – with some claiming the new policy was inhuman and with some welcoming it. A few days later, Malaysian Airlines revealed it would allocate a part of the cabin on their A380 as child-free. But there was no joke there. The airline was indeed planning a scheme where people who pay extra could get a seat in the section of the cabin where there would be no children.
The plan was highlighted on an Australian news bulletin I was watching as “controversial.” Is it though?
After the initial shock wore off (to be honest I don’t even know why some were so shocked), many of my friends who have children actually said that was a good idea.
It’s time for some straight talk on this issue. It is a good idea to have generally noise-free means of transport – which would include the banning of children. I am not being insensitive towards the efforts and troubles of being a parent; and I understand it is overwhelmingly difficult to keep a kid under control during long travels. But on a rather selfish note, the space of a cabin is shared by those who might also be tired and want some peace and quiet. So, so long as there’s space, why not have places for people who simply would not want a screaming kid in the close vicinity?
On a similar note, these noise-free spaces apply for adults who are far noisier than a little child. With the children it is fair to say they don’t know better. But adults who are equally as noisy: now that’s something completely different to deal with. When told to keep it down, they tend to ignore it and the person who has complained is met with a snappy response.
And often the “shh”ing and the screaming collide in confined spaces. So I truly do believe that noise levels affect the travel well-being of someone. Instead of cramming different attitudes of comfort into one tiny space, why not create zones where those who want to talk can talk, and those who don’t, don’t? Trains already have it – why not extend it to other means of transport? Now that’s not controversial is it?
Şeref İşler is a broadcast journalist at the BBC World Service’s Turkish section.
