Sick of Bad Seatmates? Airline to Let You Cherry-Pick

...using social media, of course
By Mark Russell,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 15, 2011 8:42 AM CST
Sick of Bad Seatmates When Flying? KLM to Let You Cherry-Pick Using Facebook, LinkedIn
The first of three KLM passenger planes heading to New York takes off from Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday April 19, 2010.   (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Not fun: Being stuck next to a super-chatty traveler or big drinker on a long flight when all you want to do is sleep. The modern-day solution: Forget earplugs, just book on KLM, which will next year launch a service called "meet and seat." The move will allow passengers to share their Facebook or LinkedIn profiles with the rest of the flight's passengers, and then choose their own seatmates based on whomever seems the best match, reports the Telegraph.

KLM has not said yet whether it will charge (yet another) fee for making use of this service, but industry observers think this is the first such matchmaking program to be attempted by an airline. Of course, some passengers might have something more in mind than just finding a comfortable neighbor—45% of people polled on a travel site earlier this year admitted to flirting on a flight, and 8% said that had turned into an actual relationship. (More airline industry stories.)

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