While it continually causes heated debate, it seems adult-only flights are far from being offered by airlines. 

When a traveller boards their flight and settles down for the journey, often the last thing on their mind is having to prepare to deal with an uncomfortably noisy passenger. So why are adult-only flights not an option for agents to book for their more finicky clients?

Disgruntled passengers will often take to social media to vent their frustrations over small children disrupting flights, as was the case with one user who posted to the social media platform Tik Tok recently. Morgan Lee posted a video to the app asking why adult-only flights are not readily available for consumers to choose from, explaining that she had to endure a three-hour flight with a small child crying the whole way through.

“I would pay SO much money,” Lee said. “I have noise-cancelling headphones. The child was well over five years old and sat directly behind me while kicking my chair as the mother slept.”

The clip quickly went viral, amassing 25 000 comments and 880 000 views in two weeks. Many agreed with Lee, asking why the option to buy tickets with the promise of a child-free trip was not offered by any airlines already.

The premise of adult-only flights, however, is simply unviable. “Maybe it could work in the realm of special charters, but not on a scheduled flight,” Linden Birns, aviation expert and MD of Plane Talking, told Tourism Update. .

“Why would an airline want to deter families from travelling? You would be denying revenue, and fobbing off flyers who you would hope would rather become loyal returning customers,” he added

“Adult-only flights is an interesting concept but beyond the commercial viability, this type of offering would not be in line with our inclusive philosophy at LIFT,” said Jonathan Ayache, Co-Founder and CEO of LIFT. . “A more viable option may be to have a section of the aircraft that is reserved for families with children, similar to the way we manage our flights with small dogs.”

Can these flights be avoided without chartering?

Those wanting to take their chances on a commercial flight instead of hiring a private charter can still try to steer away from travelling alongside families by booking their journeys very early in the morning or during peak travel hours.

“Families don’t generally travel at peak hours, which tend to be more attractive for people travelling for work,” Birns noted “You know if you get on a plane very early, it would typically be for business travel and not really for families with young children.”