The Kids Aren't Alright

Last April, European carrier Ryanair stunned consumers by announcing a new initiative called “Child-Free Flights.” The promo, which had been scheduled to launch this October, would have banned children on all its planes, a reaction to a passenger survey that indicated 50 percent of fliers said they’d happily pay higher ticket prices to avoid listening to babies squawking at 30,000 feet. “When it comes to children, we all love our own, but would clearly prefer to avoid other people’s little monsters when travelling,” Ryanair communications chief Stephen McNamara wrote in a company statement.