Dutch Airlines Allows Passengers to Pick Seat After Looking at Other Passengers Social Media Profiles

You know how you’re always curious about who you will be sitting next to whenever you fly? It could be someone that leaves you very little elbow room, a crying baby or an individual that simply will not stop their yacking. Well, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has eliminated some of that mystery. Some people are saying that the airline has taken blind dating to the next level.

According to USA Today, KLM is developing a way that passengers can select who they want to sit by with the help of social media. The company will now be allowing their passengers to select where they want to sit by examining the social media profiles of the other passengers.

When you book your flight, you are given the option of browsing the Facebook and LinkedIn profiles of other passengers that are also on your flight. This allows you to find a seatmate that has interests similar to yours or to simply choose someone that you think is attractive. However, to be able to browse other passengers' social media profiles, the passengers must have opted to link their e-ticket to their profiles. This is not required of passengers when they buy their tickets. It is a merely an option.

Lots of people are voicing their opinions on Twitter about this new way of selecting a seat. Some people like it, while others seem to think that it is slightly creepy.
Stumac01 tweeted that it is a great way “to go 'Mile High' with the hottest girl on the flight. The power will be in your hands," he said.

However laurastott1 said, “I cannot think of anything worse than this. Matchmaking via your seat choice in-flight, more like mile-high stalking."

cklenotic simply said, "That could be a LONG flight if it doesn't work out."

Although this is a new concept for airlines, it is not their first introduction to creative uses of social media. Back in February Malaysia Airlines released a Facebook app that allows passengers to book, check-in and then search for Facebook friends that are on the same flight or are traveling to nearby destinations, all without leaving Facebook.

I think that all of it is a little bit creepy, but if people are willing to put themselves out there like that to be judged by the rest of the passengers on their flight, then that is their choice. It will be interesting to see how many people are actually willing to link their social media profile to their e-ticket.

Sources: PCMag - Dutch Airline Lets Passengers Pick Seats By Perusing Facebook Profiles and SkyNews HD - KLM To Offer Mile-High Dating Via Facebook

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Technology Rules When it Comes to Family Travel

CarMax, the United States' largest retailers of used cars wants to know what parents find necessary when taking long family trips this summer. Modern technology definitely had its place within the responses.

The telephone survey was a part of the CarMax LUV2DRV campaign, which took place on Facebook until July 6, 2010. The aim was to help families make the most of their summer vacation journey. All Facebook users had the chance to enter the giveaway, which featured a grand prize of $2,500 and other items that would be great for your summer road trip!

So what were the results of the survey? Well, 42% of participants said they'd be rate their stress levels pretty high for their anticipated trips, with the average trip lasting about 8.5 hours one way. That's pretty understandable considering the group of participants was made up of 500 parents of kids ages three to fifteen. About half of the survey-takers said music was the one thing necessary to help ease their travel anxiety and the one thing they couldn't live without. 17% said movies are must-have technology, 16% said books, 11% said gaming devices and only 5% said they'd resort to games like "I Spy."

As far as what type of car travelers are using this summer, over half of the respondents said an SUV or Minivan (36% and 34% respectively). 16% were taking a normal sedan, 8% a truck, and 4% would travel in their station wagon.

Technology was definitely important when it came to the "must-have" accessory for the trip. 28% said a GPS or Navigation system is important. That was tied with a DVD System. 14% would take extra cup holders, 8% needed their car racks, as well as the 8% who needed folding or removable seats and 7% who would not leave without an extra power supply.

If you go to CarMax's Facebook page, you can currently download the LUV2DRV "Summer Road Kit Trip" and print it out for your summer vacation. The kit includes, ideas for games to play on the road, helpful app suggestions for your smartphone, quirky tourist spots, safety tips for your vehicle, and the LUV2DRV license plate, which they'd like you to hold in family photos and post on the CarMax Facebook page.

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Airlines and Social Media

Just about everyone with an internet connection uses some sort of social media to their advantage these days. From businesses looking to boost their image or give customers another way to keep up with what's going on to individuals looking to make new friends with similar interests or keep up with old ones who no longer live close by, social media has become a part of our daily lives. Even my 84-year-old grandfather has a Facebook page. But what about the airline industry? Why haven't they grasped on to social media to use it to their advantage, yet? Some say airlines just don't know how to do it. But a new report by Steven Frischling and Addison Schonland of Innovation Analysis Group attempts to tackle the problem.

The 62-page report titled "The Airline Industry & Social Media - A must-have strategic guide for airline marketing and sales," attempts to tell airline execs what social media like Twitter and Facebook can do for them and shows them how they can go about establishing a presence. While Schonland takes up for the airlines, saying that social media was never designed for business purposes and insists that social media is still relatively new, they do believe the airlines are falling behind when it comes to new trends.

Some airlines have already taken the first steps. Southwest Airlines has a Twitter team that is actively acting on customer complaints each day. It is believed the Twitter account has led directly to a reduction in the number of complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation because of the quick way Southwest is able to intervene.

But the report believes more can be done and it outlines the good, the bad and the ugly, as well as providing tips and a general plan for airlines. For example, the report says an airline must not look at social media as a quick source of revenue, but instead as a way to build relationships with its customers. "Airlines are jumping in and out of Twitter because they can't figure out, 'How do we jump in and make money?' But they can't just "jump in to say, 'We're here!' They need to interact fully," Frischling said in an interview with ATW Online.

Another problem is that the airline executives are not sure whose hands to place the Twitter account in - does it belong in marketing? Customer Service? Communications? Some airlines even leave the work for summer interns. The report says it should span across all of those departments and then some. And on top of that, whomever is in charge of the account should be well-versed in language that is commonly used with that form of social media. With Twitter, for example, knowing how to @, RT and use a hashtag is a must if the airline expects to be fully engaged with its customers.

The report notes that one U.S. Airline joined Twitter in August and sent out one tweet five days later. It ignore 231 complaints made about the airline on Twitter and 186 direct questions. All lost opportunities that could potentially escalate into bigger problems, or even eventually provide the airline with more business from satisfied customers.

Some airlines have caught on to the "interaction" part of using Twitter. JetBlue, Virgin America, and again, Southwest all interact with their followers.

And using Twitter vs. email helps the airlines get right to the point. Customers often delete or ignore graphic/text-heavy emails and miss out on certain opportunities.

The report also notes that social media is ever-changing and what was hot two years ago isn't necessarily hot today. Could Twitter be right behind? Possibly, but it's hot right now and the airlines, just like other businesses, need to take advantage of it and be prepared for the next new thing.