This just in from a reader who’s a frequent flyer. It’s creepy, even though it is voluntary. I have no words, so I’ll just let him tell it:

Hi Claire,

This is just too weird.

KLM will help singles hook up on flights between Amsterdam and New York, San Francisco and Sao Paulo. They call it “Meet and Seat.” The basic idea is that single travelers can browse the Facebook and LinkedIn pages of strangers booked on the same flight, and request a seat next to them.

I thought it was a joke until I went to the KLM website:

http://www.klm.com/travel/us_en/prepare_for_travel/on_board/Your_seat_on_board/meet_and_seat.htm

Be sure and watch the video, even if you have to lower your guards a bit. I’m pretty sure KLM servers are safe, although now I’ll wonder about the seats.

This is pretty weird. The destinations, conditions (single passenger bookings only), and advertising all suggest that male homosexuals are the primary target audience. There aren’t any images of women in the promotional video.

The privacy implications are pretty awful, but perhaps for the gay hookup crowd that’s not an issue.

Here’s a slice of libertopia served up for us both: large corporations promoting casual sex liaisons as a way to sell more airline seats. Oh, those Dutch.

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Chapter 63 and

Chapter 64

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