Chinese airline Joy Air now requires babies under the age of 6 to be sedated with the anesthetic propofol prior to boarding, in an effort to reduce levels of child-related noise on its aircraft.
In China, drugs are only allowed when they are deemed to benefit the public, but they are rarely used outside of medical procedures. Crying babies are deemed to be an exception. Parent’s of children under 12 but over 6 will have the option of sedation.
“The Chinese hate crying babies on planes, and this was the obvious solution,” said Joy Air CEO Lei Ying Lu. In the emergency of a baby waking up mid-flight, all flight attendants are trained to administer a propofol booster shot which will “knock them out.” The propofol will be free of charge to all traveling families.
If the parents refuse that their child be administered the sedative, the babies are stored with the luggage in a three foot by three foot steel cage. “The cage is of generous size,” said Jung. “They aren’t animals, they’re human, even the baby girls.”
Frequent flyer Na Pahking told the China Times, “I almost killed a baby once while flying, so I’m happy to know all the babies are unconscious. Makes my flight more relaxing.”
Parents have mixed feelings on the required drugging of their infants to fly.
“On one hand, those drugs can be deadly, but on the other hand, it is a relief knowing they will be lying there almost dead like,” said mother Xio Kwan. “And Michael Jackson used that drug, so maybe they will grow up to be like him someday. That’s the Chinese dream. Who doesn't want their child to be the King of Pop?”
There is only a 5 percent mortality rate among babies sedated with the drug, which is acceptable for the Chinese, who struggle with population control. “The risk involved far outways listening to a baby cry for several hours,” said Lu. “The program has stopped baby crying by 100 percnt, and all adult passengers love it. We are at the forefront of sedating babies on airlines.”
Joy Air flight demand is already up 60 percent in the few months following the mandated sedated baby program.
“Businessmen love our airlines. Many of them work or try to catch up on sleep while flying. Crying babies makes their lives harder,” Lu said. “It’s a win-win for everyone on board our joyful planes. No more nervousness about sitting next to a baby on a long flight. Our babies get the Michael Jackson treatment.”
Propofol is famously known as the drug that killed Michael Jackson when the pop star overdosed at his home in 2009.
Joy Air’s next goal is a program to deal with the growing number of fat Chinese people but that “secret plan” is not expected to be announced and implemented until 2016.
