Traveling on planes means you have to sit next to at least one stranger and possibly engage in awkward conversations with someone you don’t know.
A new program by Dutch airline KLM will allow you to get to know your fellow passengers using Facebook or LinkedIn profile details. The decision to share information will be up to each individual traveler to select what information goes public.
Meet & Seat allows flyers to see if another passenger is going to the same event as them or if they share common interests. This is meant to increase enjoyment of travel by seating similar individuals with each other to facilitate passenger interactions. The process begins between three months and two days before the flight. Passengers who put their information up online can send seat requests to other passengers where it can then be accepted or turned down.
This program is currently available on flights between Amsterdam and New York, and San Francisco and Sao Paulo, Brazil for single passengers. All these flights are seven or more hours, so having a seatmate that will not get on your nerves for the trip will increase enjoyment greatly.