KLM social media Meet and Seat

My friend Gerard Vroomen, who lives in Amsterdam and flies KLM frequently, alerts us to KLM Meet and Seat.

Gerard (who tweets at @gerardvroomen and has an excellent blog) is a co-founder of Cervelo, the premier high end racing bike company. He built his company by focusing on a great product for his buyers (including road racers and triathletes) and by building a huge and passionate following through social media. So when Gerard brings something to our attention it is certainly worth checking out.

The KLM Meet and Seat lets those booked on certain KLM long-haul flights find out who else will be on flight too. With Meet & Seat you can view other passengers' Facebook or LinkedIn profile details and see where they'll be sitting – long before the flight leaves the ground.

You might search for people who are going to the same conference as you. Or someone from the same industry.

Opt-In to Meet and Seat

The KLM Meet and Seat service is opt-in. You can still be anonymous if you want. Or you can share your Facebook or LinkedIn profile through the KLM Manage my Booking interface. Once you share yours you can see the profile details of other passengers as well as their seat assignment (you can even try to sit next to someone interesting).

"I think this is a great way to use the capabilities of social networks," Gerard says. "Let's face it, many airline offerings are very similar and the consumer focuses on price a lot, so any time you can get your customer to think about something else, that's a good thing. Of course, KLM has to be careful it doesn't backfire, you can't run before you can crawl. Their website has had problems in times of crisis (Icelandic volcano, snowstorm at Schiphol airport) where online management of bookings wouldn't work, and their call centers would only play a recording telling people to manage their bookings online and then hang up on them. If you offer fancy services but the basics don't work, you'll take a real beating. But presuming they got the basics working now, this is a great addition and it also shows the benefits of being original; people will talk about it simply because you're the first to implement it."

KLM is a social media pioneer. When Foursquare first took off, they created a KLM Surprise program for those who checked into their flight on Foursquare at the airport gate. Sometimes, KLM staff would surprise you with an upgrade or travel bag or some other gift.

Each of these interesting KLM social initiatives are designed to get people to talk about the airline on their social networks. Imagine being seated next to your next customer or business partner (or even your future spouse) as a result of the social matchmaking.

Interesting stuff. Thanks Gerard.

Comments

[Rex Williams]

Cool. Thanks for sharing, David.

What if KLM auctioned the seat next to a person with a following? How much are people willing to pay (above the minimum) to sit next to you?

A new item of value... hmmm.

[Ruugie]

Yes, KLM are doing a great job with these kind of innovative initiatives. However, yesterday I published a criticizing blog post, because -I'm sorry to say- KLM still has some work to do in getting the basics right. What good are 40 webcare employees when they cannot help you on the basis of basic personal information, but a desk person on the airport *can*?

I feel Gerard is right in assuming these kind of initiatives are a great addition. Social media initiatives can enhance your core business, but only if you've got those basics right. What worries me most is that I see the current buzz on these initiatives, created by all kinds of Dutch professionals, but I strongly feel some of these professionals might have overlooked the fact that KLM still has some basic faults to correct.

For those interested and able to read Dutch, you can find my blog through my Twitter bio.

[David Meerman Scott]

Rex - wow. Interesting concept.

Ruugle - You and Gerard are right that the basics need to come first. Thanks

[Rita Garcia]

Thank you for sharing. It's very interesting. I'll make a post on my (portuguese) blog about it.

Keep going.

[Ian Brodie]

You know, that auctioning might be on the cards - KLM were amongst the first airline to do "yield management" - dynamic pricing of tickets based on timing, fullness of flights etc. to maximise profits.

They've probably got the software to do it. How the "rockstar" they're auctioning off the seat next to would feel is another matter.

And they've clearly not got the knack of sorting the basics yet!

More generally, this kind of meet & greet has such wide applicability for events, I'm sure we're going to see a flood of similar apps.

Ian

[Jorge Conceição]

David, new rules "every day"! Fantastic post! I've just shared it on Twitter and FBook.
Cheers,

Jorge

[Maddy_Perez]

I am studying Social Media Theory & Practice with @dr4ward at @NewhouseSU, and I subscribe to your blog. Before I read this post, I didn't even know about this new social media idea! Meet and Seat is just another result of social media evolution, where now connecting with others can take to the air as well. Informative and eye-opening post! #NewhouseSM4

[Heath_Fountaine]

I am studying Social Media Theory & Practice with @dr4ward at @NewhouseSU, and I subscribe to your blog. I hadn't heard of Meet and Seat until now, but in an almost comical way, it could definitely save from flying discomfort. For example, if I find a person I'm seated with to be a little distasteful, I might be able to switch my seat. It's also great for a lot more reasons as well. Interesting method, regardless!

[Social Seating]

Great Concept!

[David Meerman Scott]

Hey "Social Seating" -- you come into my blog and say "Great Concept" with a link to your 'coming soon' site about social seating. I'm tempted to remove this comment as spam and normally would.

Why not tell me and my readers what you are up to? It's not very social to give a cryptic comment just to get a link is it?

[Thor Sigmundsson]

Dear David,

Thank you for your acknowledgement and at the same time your interest in my support!

I am very thrilled about this new concept "social seating" being introduced by KLM. Companies are struggling to make a bridge between those connected via Social Media and their products. We truly believe this will be the start of a new approach in using Social Media for what it really is all about. I mean "to like" is completely different than to actually share and profit from each other. Say you book a flight to Kuala Lumpur right? This is about a 14 hour flight for most travelers, and sure you'll always have those travelers not wanting to socialize at all when traveling! But this is simply a mirror of our society. Do you know all your neighbours? Surely it' be fantastic to choose someone to sit next to based on the same interest you share. IE; I love going out, shopping, but hate and hate going on tours and excursions. Pretty soon, i'll be able to share those moments going there on board and perhaps get some great tips too. Would you not get excited about this! This is much better than how we travel now don't you think? Everytime I travel...I sit next to that sweaty beard ...:)

KLM only occupies .36% of commercial airspace. That's why I am sooo excited about SocialSeatMap!

[David Meerman Scott]

Thor - Okay. Thanks for coming out from behind the curtain. Now you're being social. I agree it could be interesting. I'll be interested in your progress.

David