Every business traveler hopes for a good seatmate when flying, one that lets them be productive while on the plane, no matter what their definition of “productive” is.
Road warriors are often spending more time in the air than on the ground at their destination, so making good use of travel time can be critical to their career success.
Although most business travelers work while flying, connecting wirelessly and sorting through large files can be cumbersome and somehow is never as efficient as sitting at your desk.
Not to mention the very real possibility of the crying baby or overly obnoxious seatmate.
What if there was a way to solve two problems at once? This is the idea behind social seating, one of the hottest trends to hit the skies in recent months and what some business travelers might call multi-tasking.
Several airlines, including Delta, with its Innovation Class, and South African Airways’ Meet and Seat, have started to embrace this idea and are opening the door for a whole new level of efficiency for business travelers looking to make the most of their plane ride.
While each program is slightly different, all aim to provide business travelers with the opportunity to connect with their peers and use “dead time” in the sky to network. Some programs take the form of a mentorship program that connects travelers with experts in relevant industries while in-flight. Others allow passengers to view the Facebook and LinkedIn profiles of passengers in advance and select their seat assignments based on social information. All programs are optional and careful to offer passengers the ability to not participate so it won’t interfere with the business traveler who just wants to plug in their headphones and zone out for a few hours.
Social seating could dramatically change the way road warriors work and approach the flying experience. Executives are already connecting through social media and networking sites like LinkedIn, so why not meet in-person instead of virtually?
For example, sales professionals can determine their flights based on knowing in advance who their fellow passengers would be, enabling them to connect with business prospects. Some platforms record who you opt not to sit next to and create automatic assumptions for future flying.
One technology company is taking a slightly different approach to social seating, allowing passengers to submit what in-flight "mood" they are in. Options include whether they want to chat with their neighbor, listen to music alone, or even sleep. These selections are used to match travelers with a compatible seatmate for a more enjoyable journey.
We have seen other breakthrough in-flight innovations including the introduction of Wi-Fi, which led to more productive flights for many business travelers. Social seating could create a future where executives are encouraged to take more frequent or longer flights in order to create more networking opportunities and airlines could also use the information to have more personal relationships with their passengers, translating to better service.
It’s still early days for this concept so only time will tell. What we know is that social seating introduces a whole new level of efficiency to business travelers looking to grow their professional network but don’t always have time to do it.
But remember, social seating is not a completely fool proof plan to ensuring the perfect neighbor. Your seatmate still might snore before wheels touch down, but at least you’re making a business connection for the trouble.