Last week I stumbled across this Influential Marketing Blog post providing an overview of how Virgin America is applying the “virgin way” to the airline industry. A 5 point summary ensued:

• Having a unique personality
• Enable traveller's gadgetized lifestyles
• Eliminate the hand signals and call button etiquette problem
• Discounts without the discount airports
• Connect with fellow passengers

The last one on that list really sticks out. How many times have you been stuck on a ten hour flight next to a catatonic newt who refuses to make eye-contact with you? How often have you found yourself next to a walking shrimp who insists on describing in excruciating detail the unfortunate rash that's driving him to seek help from a top German geneticist?

The problem with air travel is that due to you being stuck in such an uncomfortably close proximity to someone you want to have nothing more to do with them than is absolutely necessary. What results is polite (or not so polite) but ultimately meaningless conversation – in Tyler Durden's words, 'single serving friends.' Either that or else a stony silence that leaves you suspecting that your neighbour's thinking about how best to dismember you so that he can fit you neatly into his hand luggage without crushing the crystal rose that he's bringing back to his mom.

Regardless, we very rarely find ourselves seated next to someone who we click with. However being on a plane with a couple hundred other inmates you're bound to be able to find someone that is both willing and capable of having an interesting conversation.

What Virgin is implementing is a “seat-to-seat chat” that allows you to chat with other passengers that have set their consoles to the “discoverable” mode. Now instead of making idle, nervous banter with the likely serial killer busy resting his head on your shoulder you can share your misfortune with the 6 foot brunette sitting ten rows down from you.

This should develop a sense of community aboard flights and may just bring like-minded people that much closer together. At any rate, it's a pretty cool advancement and one that I'd personally love to see implemented on all airlines.