Air Asia announced yesterday that, as from February next year, adult passengers will be provided with a “quiet zone” on their planes free of charge. This, of course, is due to the epidemic of noisy babies and/or badly behaved children who disrupt the flights of others. Anybody, who has been awoken from their in-flight slumbers by the banshee-like howl of a distressed infant or been bashed on the back of the head by an out-of-control brat in the seat behind you will welcome this news.

After a couple of weeks working away, I, like many travellers, crave the rest that a long haul flight can bring and am delighted that, at last, something is being done about this problem. I don’t take issue with anybody who takes their infants on long journeys (but why anybody would take a 6 month old baby half way across the world on holiday is beyond me) and I accept that people have the right to travel where and with whom they like. That right does not extend however to making the lives of the people around them a complete misery. It happens a lot and I once endured a transatlantic flight (and believe me, that’s the right word) where a baby, who was evidently not ill, but who simply required some attention, cried the whole time.

Much of the problem is down to bad parenting and a lack of common sense. If an infant is distressed then the poor child should be comforted and not left alone to scream to the heavens. If the child still requires comfort then surely it should be given a bottle or a dummy. Some parents don’t believe in giving their children dummies and clearly don’t give a monkey’s about the concerns of their fellow travellers.

This move by Air Asia is a good one and long overdue. On every flight, worldwide, there should either be a baby and child-free zone or a separate area, like a crèche, purely for occupation by parents with babies and children. For busy routes maybe they could even have their own plane where they can exercise their right to scream and run around to their hearts content. The rest of us can then exercise our right to some peace and quiet – if only.