Budget long-haul carrier AirAsia X will introduce a Quiet Zone in February on its flights in southeast Asia, allowing passengers to avoid crying babies and boisterous kids.

The carrier will set aside the first seven rows of seats in coach for passengers 12 and over.

Passengers can reserve a seat in the designated area when booking through the airline's website. There's no extra cost, except for the fee charged for seats with more legroom.

The Quiet Zone will be right behind the airline's premium flatbed seats.

AirAsiaX claims passengers will experience "minimal noise" and benefit from soft lighting. Bulkheads, lavatories and a galley will provide a further barrier to the noise of tantrums.

But the service comes with an asterisk: The airline may allow passengers younger than 12 to sit in the Quiet Zone when "necessary for operational, safety or security reasons."

The move follows that by Malaysian Airlines, which is creating a child-free zone in the upper deck of its Airbus 380 flying the Kuala Lumpur-London route.

When all else fails, earphones are always an option.

— Gay Nagle Myers

Photo of crying baby courtesy of Shutterstock. 

Watch out for Stinky, the horny bottlenose dolphin who has been prowling the waters in Grand Cayman’s North Sound all summer.

Divers and snorkelers take note: Stinky is a lone male seeking companionship, and he’s apt to pin divers (male or female) to the seabed in his quest for affection.

Officials in the Cayman Islands’ Department of Environment reached out to the marine mammal experts at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for guidance.

NOAA’s advice: Don’t feed Stinky. This will discourage him from getting back with his pod of pals somewhere out in the ocean. Leave the water as soon as possible if Stinky heads your way.
 

— Gay Nagle Myers 

Disney Cruise Line's arrival in Galveston this weekend included a surprise custom reworking of the Disney Magic funnel livery that put a Texas-sized 10-gallon hat atop the usual image of Mickey Mouse.

The ship is sailing from Texas for the first time on a series of four-, six-, seven- and eight-night sailings to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. The Magic will stay through May, when it departs for Europe.

Ceremonies to welcome the 1,754-passenger Magic to Galveston included an appearance by the Ghostrider's equestrian drill team from Houston. The troupe galloped alongside the ship channel, bearing Texas flags.

Onboard, crew members returned the salute with their own red, white and blue Lone Star flags, and Goofy, Minnie and the rest of the Disney cast of characters waved to about 100 well-wishers gathered at the port terminal.
 

— Tom Stieghorst 

Flyers should avoid booking American Airlines this fall because its operations are “in shambles,” wrote Scott McCartney in his Middle Seat Terminal blog on the Wall Street Journal’s website.

McCartney reported that pilots are calling in sick and using go-slow tactics.

“The carrier, reorganizing in bankruptcy court, has begun implementing cuts in pay, benefits and time off and outsourcing more flying to regional airlines. Pilots at American are doing what they (and pilots at other airlines) have done before — reacting angrily and hurting passengers. Pilots are calling in sick, moving airplanes slowly and grounding flights for broken parts that wouldn’t normally delay a flight. The pilots’ union denies any orchestrated action and blames management for operational problems,” wrote McCartney.

The results? On Sunday, only 48% of American flights arrived on time, and 25.6% were at least 45 minutes late, according to FlightStats.com. American canceled 92 flights on Sunday, or 5% of its schedule.

McCartney said Monday’s performance was even worse: 39% of flights arrived on time, and 25.6% were at least 45 minutes late.

— Jerry Limone

First there was the Extended Stay America offer for free nights to Democrat and Republican staffers. That was later rescinded.

Now there’s the pillow promise.

The Benjamin, a boutique property in midtown Manhattan, has nominated a presidential pillow for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, figuring they could each use a good night’s sleep.

The pillow designs are available to hotel guests until Election Day.

Pillo1 for President Obama has precisely engineered contours, shoulder cutouts and angled side panels for reducing stress on head, neck and shoulders.

Apparently, Obama confessed that he hasn’t gotten much sleep lately and he doesn’t have an alarm clock. A White House operator calls to wake him up and keeps calling to be sure.

The Benjamin Pillo1 comes with as many wakeup calls as necessary.

The Boomerang Pillow for Romney is constructed for maximum support in any sleep position.

Known for having some of his comments come right back at him, the boomerang is a fitting choice.

Can we expect a pillow fight during the upcoming debates?
 

— Gay Nagle Myers 

Talk about trying to turn lemons into lemonade.

The Keating, a boutique hotel in San Diego that was recently featured in an episode of Fox’s “Hotel Hell,” has unveiled a custom suite designed by “Hell” host and celebrity-screamer-chef Gordon Ramsay.

The Gordon Ramsay Victory Suite includes a master bedroom, wet bar and a Jacuzzi designed by iconic Italian car designer Pininfarina. The suite also has a Bang & Olufsen entertainment system that includes two flat-screen TVs.

Eddie Kaen, who opened the 35-room hotel in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter five years ago, had a bit of a Ferrari fetish. Kaen redesigned the 122-year-old building’s interior to include lots of fire-engine red paint and sports-car inspired furnishings.

“Imagine if a 10-year-old boy designed a hotel,” mused Ramsay during the episode’s intro.

Ramsay went on to point out the hotel’s short-skirted waitresses and menu items such as chocolate pizza, and called the hotel the “twisted vision of a grown man.”

The hotel is apparently looking to get a return on its widespread, albeit not exactly positive, publicity.

While room rates start at about $250 a night and one-bedroom suites go for about $800, the Keating’s October weekend rate for the Victory Suite is about $1,100 a night.
 

— Danny King 

“Pan Am” the TV show no longer lives, as the ABC drama was canceled after one season. But the Pan Am candy bar is just getting started.

Praim Group — a food licensing, marketing and distribution company — has agreed to create and distribute a line of chocolate bars for Pan Am.

The bars will come in milk and dark chocolate, with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $3.99.

Stacy Beck, director of brand development for Pan American World Airways, said the Pan Am brand has worked with Praim Group to “create designs that will resonate with anyone who loves history, aviation, airlines, nostalgia and great chocolate.”

Pan Am branding is also on luggage, handbags, carry-on bags and apparel.
 

— Jerry Limone