Virgin America launches in flight social networking

Airline passengers need not despair that they are away from their social networking sites while in the air. Now passengers can chat seat-to-seat with fellow travellers thanks to Virgin America and its introduction of the new Bluetooth-style mile high networking club.

The airline has acknowledged that social networking is now the largest global phenomenon for interaction, and even those precious few without a Facebook account can attest to this trend. Facebook alone had 500 million users at the last count.

So introducing a system for in-flight chatting makes perfect sense, especially on boring long-haul flights. Moving around the cabin and sparking conversation has never been a feature of air travel, but the modern social technology may have created whole new trend, though the group has not made any statement on whether the initiative could lead to more traditional mile-high activities. However, there are reports that the carrier has teamed with the dating service Match.com to provide a unique singles atmosphere on selected routes.

The 28 aircraft of the Virgin America fleet have all been wired for the service, with WiFi accompanying the introduction at an estimated additional cost of up to $13 per flight. All passengers will be requested to agree to Virgin America’s ‘code of ethics’ before partaking in the program, and those worried about privacy or mid-air stalkers can simply turn the system off.