THE LONG-HAUL arm of Malaysia-based budget carrier AirAsia said Wednesday it is to ban young children from sitting in the first seven rows of its economy-class section to create a “quiet zone”.

According to the airline’s website, the first seven rows on AirAsia X flights will be restricted to passengers 12 and above from February next year.

The cost of choosing a seat in the quiet zone will be the same as the 35 ringgit (€8.83) charged for picking specific seats or the 110 ringgit it costs to select a seat with extra legroom.

“We know that sometimes all you need is some peace and quiet for a more pleasant journey with us,” the low-cost giant said on its website.

Rival Malaysia Airlines sparked debate over its decision in June last year to bar infants from first class cabins in its Airbus A380 superjumbos, which it began taking delivery of this year.

The full-service flag carrier said the move would result in some loss of revenue but it had received many complaints from well-heeled passengers about noisy infants.

AirAsia, which has hubs in Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and Indonesia, is Asia’s largest budget carrier and launched its long-haul arm in 2007 to serve routes beyond the airline’s core Southeast Asian market.

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- © AFP, 2012