airBaltic to launch 'Seat Buddy' scheme
6th June 2012
The Latvian airline has devised a system of seat matching according to passengers 'flight mood'
If you've ever found your plans to snooze or finish that crucial piece of work interrupted by a chatty or noisy neighbour while cruising at 30,000 feet then listen up, because one airline might have a solution for you. Latvia's national carrier, airBaltic, have launched a new scheme that aims to match passengers with a 'Seat Buddy' according to their 'flight mood'.
To be seated next to an ideal neighbour passengers can choose from 'Work', 'Business Talk' or 'Relax' then fill in a section on interests and the airline will automatically do the rest. All this information will be stored on a secure database.
Spokseman Janis Vanags says airBaltic will be the first carrier to offer this service but admits that passengers will not be able to ban anybody from sitting next to them. While no other airline has run a scheme quite like 'Seat Buddy', there are some similar services. Last winter KLM launched 'Meet and Seat', which runs via social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. AirTroductions is an independent company that aims to match fliers prior to boarding but operates more like a dating service.
The launch is planned for the end of June and will be operated as a free service but its commercial potential may be explored at a later date.
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