KLM allows passengers to select seatmates

Dutch airline, KLM, has launched a program called Knowing and Coping, which allows travellers to upload details of their Facebook or LinkedIn profiles and use the data to choose seatmates.

"For at least 10 years we have been studying the phenomenon of serendipity and whether it could increase the chances of meeting someone interesting on board. But we did not have the technology." says Erik Varwijk, managing director
in charge of the department of KLM passengers.

Now that Facebook claims to have nearly 500 million active users (over 60 times the eight million people flying every day), KLM and other airlines are sure many of them willing to share their profiles for the opportunity to knowing
someone with a common interest or which might be brought to the same destination.

Last year, Malaysia Airlines introduced MH Buddy, national application that allows users to reserve and billed through the Facebook page to see if any of your friends will be on the same flight or in your destination city at the
same time. The platform, which claims to have 3,000 active users each month, it allows travellers to choose his/her seatmate.

And airlines are not the only ones betting on this idea. Planely, a new Danish company allows registered users to submit their schedules to see the LinkedIn profiles of others who will be on the same flights. Since it became operational
in late 2010, planely has connected more than 1,500 travellers, according to their CEO, Nick Martin.

However, KLM services are only available for passengers with confirmed reservations. After providing some of the personal information, passengers are presented with the maps showing them the seats of other passengers who had shared
their profiles.

Consequently, they reserve the seat next to someone who looks interesting and that person will receive a message with the details of our profile. Although the passenger cannot reject a person who has chosen to sit on our side,
a passenger can select another seat until two days before the flight.

Analysts admit that the "social seating" are likely to attract mainly business travellers en route to trade shows or backpackers in search of fellow travellers.

Varwijk, KLM, said his airline has not actively promoted the preferred seating program, which initially only offered on flights between Amsterdam and New York, San Francisco and Sao Paulo. He admitted that the airline is expecting
to expand the service to facilitate international flights passengers, this spring.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=19267

Posted by Farasat Ali on Apr 17 2012. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry