Dutch airline KLM is taking some of the surprise out of air travel with Meet & Seat, a new program that will let passengers pick who they sit next to using social networking tools. According to International Business Times, travelers will be able to link their flight check-in information to their existing online profiles. Details are still thin, but the intention is to let users evaluate other participants in the program and pick a seatmate with common interests.

This isn't the only attempt at bridging the gap between online and in-flight interactions. Malaysia Airlines launched a Facebook-based flight booking and sharing tool back in March, which allows users to see where their Facebook friends are sitting on a given flight, and Virgin Atlantic is reportedly interested in a similar program. KLM will be launching Meet & Seat at the beginning of 2012, but the privacy-conscious needn't worry: the airline has already confirmed the service will be opt-in only.

Image credit: WexDub (Flickr)