Choose Thy Neighbour

Ever travelled with a co-passenger who excitedly bombarded you with futile questions when all you wished to do was take a nap? Or have you ever had a bored toddler sitting right behind you, ambitiously kicking at your seat as the means of a frivolous pastime? Let’s face it. Travelling in the aircraft with uncomfortable co-passengers can be, well… annoying. Especially when you have nowhere to run, given that you’re travelling 60,000 feet above sea level!

airBaltic intends to change all that.

 What: The first of its kind, airBaltic’s SeatBuddy scheme allows its guests to choose their seatmates. So you’re surrounded by like-minded souls who share similar interests, cultural backgrounds or business fields. You can even choose your seat partner according to your language preference. So if you’re comfortable with speaking French, SeatBuddy will ensure that your seat mate speaks French too!

Choose your mood: The intelligent seating system offers four variant moods for their passengers to choose from – casual conversation; intention of meeting a potential business partner; desire to do your own work without any disturbance; the relaxation mood. The latter allows you to be left alone, when you’re in an anti-social, non-chatty mood.

How it works: As part of the check-in process, airBaltic gathers information regarding interests and other details from each passenger, which is then stored in a secure database. The matches are made via the computer, and the passenger identity is kept under wraps. No one is told who they are sitting with, until they actually board the plane – there should be some surprise element to all this, right?

Cost: Taking off at the end of June, the SeatBuddy scheme costs zilch! (For now, at least)._

By: Radhika Iyengar
Follow me on twitter @radziyengar