Seating Assignments

I always get stuck sitting in between some 600 lb guy who only seems to expand as the flight goes on, and a 91 year old Voodoo witchdoctor performing her "safe flight" spell to the misfortune of one hapless vampire bat.

Movies and magazines go only part ways in easing the boredom of a long flight. The most enjoyable flights are the ones where, by happenstance, you meet someone who shares similar interests. You can then converse, make comments about the movie, and even make plans to see each other later if you have the same final destination. Your interests could be collected the same way online matchmaking is done, simply without the romance factor (or with one, if your desire is to meet a special someone). Seat assignments are then generated with the same algorithm used to match people up. Perhaps you're interested in meeting potential business contacts. Maybe you're looking to hook up with other young hostelers on a flight to Europe. Or maybe you'd just like someone who can talk about opera for three and a half hours. Time that would have gone to waste has the potential to become enjoyable and rewarding.

Obviously, it wouldn't work for everyone - it's highly improbable that everyone on a particular flight could be matched up perfectly. But it would be better than what we have now. And airlines wouldn't have as many irritable travelers to deal with.