Dutch airline KLM is currently developing an innovative tool that will allow passengers to choose who they sit next to on flights in 2012.  The passengers will be able to do this by accessing other passengers’ profiles, who have opt-ed in for this service on Facebook or LinkedIn.

The service is aptly named “Meet and Seat”.  It will allow passengers to pick whom they will seat next to on an airline flight based on interests, professions, or even looks.  However, the program might not be all it’s cracked up to be. Imagine a fellow business traveler picks another business traveler thinking that they will have a quiet and peaceful flight, but it turns out the fellow business passenger gives them a non-stop sales pitch throughout the entire flight.  Or for a single person looking to meet another single person, the situation could turn into an awkward experience that neither person can escape from for the rest of the flight.  The question is will the service resonate and succeed with passengers?

AirTroductions, an online dating service for frequent fliers, offered a similar service to meet fellow travelers back in 2006.  However, the service appeared to never really take off and they rebranded their name to TripLife.  TripLife is the same concept, but they have now expanded the scope past just the airplane and the airport.  TripLife members can meet someone at any point before and during travel, such as at a hotel bar or restaurant.

However, this is likely just the beginning for social media innovation in the blue skies.  For example, Malaysia Airlines released a service on Facebook to see if friends are visiting a similar destination or if friends are taking the same flight at the same time. Some airlines, like Virgin America, even offer a seat-to-seat text chat service through their in-flight entertainment system.

Will any of these services take off and will customers want to use the service?  One never knows.  However, other companies, like airline Virgin Atlantic, have expressed interest in the idea.  One could easily envision a Virgin Atlantic flyer meeting another passenger at the bar in-flight on the plane. As social media continues to grow, I imagine that we will see more of this type of innovation and marketing from other travel companies.  I believe this service will be a big hit with young, single people.  Other travel industries, for example cruise ships, could also offer similar services.  I know I will not be requesting to sit with another passenger anytime soon since the only person I want to request to sit next to is my wife.