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Child-free flights

Child-free flights would improve the travel experience for 48% of UK holidaymakers, according to a recent Holiday Extras opinion poll.

During the summer of 2013, Holiday Extras surveyed almost 20,000 customers on their feelings about child-free travel, as they returned from holiday. For 35% of holidaymakers, children are the worst thing about flying during the summer.

Child-free flying

The desire for no-kids flights isn’t driven by purely selfish motives though. Of the 48% in favour, 16% believe that separate flights would help ease the pressure on parents and kids and improve their journey too. Women feel more strongly that child-free flights would help families - 20% versus 12% for men.

Men are slightly more relaxed about the main issue - 56% don’t see the problem with children on flights, compared to 49% of women; and 30% of male travellers think kids are the worse thing about flying during the summer holidays compared to 39% of women.

Scoot, Air Asia and Malaysia Airlines seem to be the only airlines currently offering child-free zones, for an extra fee, to travellers who want to keep their distance.

Holidays without children?

Many British travellers think kids ruin an entire holiday (not all of them parents!), with three out of 10 (29%) saying they wouldn’t stay at a family holiday resort if they didn’t have little ones with them.

According to Holiday Extras customers, noisy children in restaurants (32%) and busy attractions (28%) are the worse things about being around families on holiday, followed by stressed out parents - 20%.

And it’s holidaying ladies who appreciate a child-free swimming pool the most - 21% compared to 13% of men.

A massive 54% of Brits avoid theme parks during the summer holidays, and just 12% think it’s nice to have children around on a break.

Term-time holidays

Travelling during school holidays is set to become even more hectic from September 2013 as the UK Government cracks down on term-time holidays for school children. Head teachers will only be able to authorise absences in exceptional circumstances, and can refer those who ignore the rules to the local authority - who will fine them a minimum of £60 per child.

A fifth (21%) of Holiday Extras customers admitted that they would rather face the fines and take their children away during term-time because prices during the school holidays are far too high. Almost one in three (28%) would consider taking their kids out of school for a special event, but just 12% believe that “travel is education”.

For 39% of travellers, school is more important than a holiday and they won’t ever take their family away during the term.

Holiday Extras surveyed a total of 19,063 travellers during the summer of 2013.

What do you think? Share your views on Twitter, Facebook or Google+, #childfreeflights

Written by Maxine Clarke