Monday, March 21, 2011

Kiddies' Class

Like First Class, Business Class and Economy class, all airlines and trains in India should also have a Kiddies' Class - the class of travel of parents / adults with kids. This set of seats / set of coaches can be more spacious and brighter than the other coaches, with play area and child safe interiors.
As a parent if i can be guaranteed a safe and enjoyable journey for myself and my child(ren) either by train or flight because of such facilities, I will surely be willing to pay atleast 10% more than the current fare.
As a frequent traveller / traveller without children I would be guaranteed a quiet, peaceful journey during which i can catch up on my reading and sleeping. I would definitely be willing to pay atleast 10% more than the current fare for such a facility.

Travelling with children is not easy. As the popular joke goes, there are two classes of travel - one with children and one without! I am a successful survivor of an eventful 5 hour train journey with 3 hyperactive young girls, right next to me. Firstly I admire their energy levels - they reached new heights in consistency of performance, in this case, vocal volume. So much so that their high decibel comments, shrieks and playful banter are still echoing in my ears. Secondly, I admire the energy levels of the adults supervising them, who were also consistent and meticulous in trying to get them to pipe down. Needless to say they were barely successful.

Since I do not want to be a wet blanket and crib on what is otherwise considered a joy in one's life (in this case, children), I want to be constructive and suggest a solution. Kiddies' Class anyone?

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