Social networks to help determine airline seating?

Soon, social networks may play an important role in determining what seat an airline passenger will be assigned, a tech site reported on Friday.

 

TechCrunch reported said KLM is planning to launch in 2012 a service where passengers can use social networks to select seatmates based on friends or interests.

 

KLM's new social seating tool, called “meet & seat,” will work with Facebook and Linkedin but not Twitter, at least for now, TechCrunch reported.

 

On the other hand, it said the tool will be opt-in only.

 

KLM also declined to say if both people will be required to accept a seat pairing, saying the new service is still in the development phase.

 

TechCrunch quoted travel website Tnooz as saying it remains to be seen if “this is something passengers really want as opposed to a service the airline believe they might want.”

 

It also cited USA Today as raising possibilities for in-flight dating, suggesting it “could be fodder for a flight from hell.”

 

Not the first

 

TechCrunch said KLM is not the only player determining seat selection based on social networks.

 

It said Malaysia Airlines launched a system earlier this year that allows passengers to book a flight and check in, all on the airline’s Facebook page.

 

Under the system, passengers can also see if any Facebook friends are on their flight.

 

It was also not the first time KLM pushed technology before. Two years ago, the airline planned to hand out e-book readers to passengers. — TJD, GMA News