Air France-KLM launches social networking site for passengers
Air France-KLM launches social networking site for passengers
Air-France KLM has set up its own social networking website for frequent fliers. The Facebook-style site is open to members of the airline's Flying Blue group and alerts users if fellow members are booked on the same flight.
The social networking site,
bluenity.com has been set up to "appeal to a new generation of customers who use
social networking technology and expect us to do the same," according to a spokeswoman for Air
France-KLM.
Members of the airline's frequent flyer club,
Flying Blue, are being encouraged to register. Once signed up, the
frequent fliers can view fellow members' profiles and see if anyone will be on the same flight. Subscribers can contact each other and arrange to meet up during the flight as well as sharing travel tips.
Patric Roux, Air France-KLM's marketing director, anticipates 300,000 users within a year of the launch of bluenity.com, according to The Telegraph. Members will also be invited to give their opinion on the airline's service.
Business Traveller magazine's editor Tom Otley described the concept as
innovative, but thought that it may not appeal to everyone.
"There will be some who couldn't imagine anything worse than meeting other travellers, especially on a flight where you could be next to someone for hours," he told the paper.
"Others will embrace it as another important
networking tool. [However], the popularity of internet forums is partly due to their anonymity. You can create a profile for yourself on Flyertalk or Tripadvisor without revealing your details and that helps create a climate of
honesty in the reviews," he added.
"Adding a social element can make that more difficult."
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