It sounds like a dream come true for single travelers and possibly a parent’s nightmare (or dream, too, depending on what kind of parent they are), but Virgin CEO Richard Branson has been tossing around the idea of creating a cabin to separate children from the rest of the plane and have them be supervised by nannies. This is what Branson said in a recent interview with Conde Nast Traveler’s Daily Traveler blog:
Any new ideas you’ve been kicking around for the airlines?
I would love to introduce kid’s class. It would be a separate cabin for kids with nannies to look after them. We’ve had an issue with the Civil Aviation Authority. They worry in an emergency kids would be running in one direction and their parents would be running in the other. So we haven’t got it through yet.
I’m not a parent, so I can’t speak to how I’d feel about this is I had the chance to send my kids to another section of the plane. As a single guy who flies regularly? I wouldn’t mind this one bit. Your thoughts? Put ’em in the comments below.
In the meantime, how about some noise cancelling headphones to keep the noisy little ones out of your brain?
What about a family cabin? I can imagine choosing that as a parent. Less stress knowing I was surrounded by other people (young and older) in the same situation. I am not sure about sending them to a nursery cabin without me.
lets hope the “separate cabin” is called the wing
What is Virgin Air?
It’s the name of the collective airlines operated by Virgin (Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America, etc.).
What normal parent is going to just say bye to their kid for several hours and trust that someone they’ve never met is going to care for their needs? Great for business travelers or those w/out kids, but doesn’t seem realistic to me. You’d end up having all the parents milling around outside their seat. Try telling momma that she has to remain in her seat with belt buckled as she hears her baby daughter crying from 20 rows away.
Are you not familiar with a whole industry that’s called childcare where people drop off their children for a few hours and then pick them up later because?
This is not for Virgin America, but Virgin Atlantic. The Virgin airlines are three separate companies with different CEOs.
While you’re correct that the Virgin airlines all have different CEOs, none of them are Richard Branson. Branson’s the one who made the statement and, as the founder of Virgin, he’s technically responsible for all of the Virgin companies, although certainly not in a day-to-day capacity.
Here’s an early look at the proposed seating arrangement:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/airplane_layout
😉