This is a less extreme version of the “Child free airplane” and “Baby helmet” ideas. I hope this compromise will be okay for everybody.

Have a movable soundproof wall, which will divide the cabin into a noisy section and a quiet section. Just like in the smoking section era, you will be able to choose in which section you wish to be seated. Passengers with babies, severe snoring problems and masochists, will be able to choose the noisy section and don’t have to contend with all those intolerant passengers that want peace and quiet.

I may be a bit naive, but I have a hunch that passengers will choose the appropriate section, just like they did in the days of the smoking section, even though it was entirely voluntary. In the event where a passenger “took a chance” with his/her baby and it starts to cry in the quiet section. He/She will be politely asked to swap his/her seat with the quietist passengers in the noisy section (e.g. the poor guy with the snoring problem, that can’t fall asleep anyways). Of course, the swapping would only be necessary if there isn’t a single unoccupied seat in the noisy section.

The main engineering challenges will be to make a door in it and to make it thin enough that it won’t waist much valuable seating space. Since most passengers would probably prefer an airline that has an optional quiet section, you would have strong market forces that would motivate airlines to install such a things. I for one would also be happy to pay a small premium.
-- imho, Jul 27 2003

Child-free Airplanes http://www.halfbake...ld-free_20Airplanes
[imho, Oct 21 2004]

Baby Helmet http://www.halfbake.../idea/Baby_20Helmet
[imho, Oct 21 2004]

punishment for making noise in the quiet section http://www.halfbake...Extreme_20Skydiving
[snarfyguy, Oct 21 2004]

We might as well do this on a national scale. The noisy people can have maine and alaska, and the quiet ones everything else.
-- DeathNinja, Jul 30 2003


I just figured those are the coldest, most undesireable places , and since we don't own Canada (yet)...
-- DeathNinja, Jul 31 2003


We've been spreading propaganda in the states that we are // the coldest, most undesireable place// for years, just to keep loud mouth American's out.

Oops I'd better stop typing my comp is melting a hole in my igloo and the dog sled is getting restless....
-- SystemAdmin, Jul 31 2003



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