Service Could Eliminate Annoying Airplane Seatmates

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Service Could Eliminate Annoying Airplane Seatmates

DALLAS -- Most air travelers might debate the severity of negative factors connected to airline flights.

Is it worse to wait seemingly for hours through baggage check-in, security lines and delayed departures, or to spend a three-hour flight trapped next to an annoying person?

A new online service called AirTroductions, a division of AirKarma LLC, now offers fliers an opportunity to meet fellow passengers before boarding a flight, reported KXAS-TV.

"You can meet someone on your flight and just be friendly with them," AirTroductions creator Peter Shankman said of the service's intent. "You don't have to date them, you don't have to marry them. You just be friendly for those three hours on the plane."

Air passengers fill out online personal profiles and list items such as their book interests and lines of business. Some travelers seek romance. Signing up for the service is free, and members pay only after a match is arranged.

In four months of business, AirTroductions has attracted about 5,000 members, Shankman said.

Dallas resident Dawn Quiett is among the members. She had specific criteria for an appealing seatmate.

"You can sit next to that person (who) knows about the city (where) you are going or is in the same (line of) work as you do," she said.

Quiett said the service makes travel a bit more exciting.

"It makes it a little less lonely, I guess, and definitely a more interesting flight," she said.

To use the service, travelers register online and list personal details in a profile.

They can post their traveling itineraries and check to see who else is taking the same flights.

AirTroductions is free until a registered user decides to contact a passenger for a $5 fee.

- One Man Short