Planely taps LinkedIn for even easier in-flight networking

Planely, the service designed to help you find out who else is on the same flight as you (thus maximising the chance to meet and network with new people) has just become more useful with the integration of LinkedIn.

With Planely, you enter your journey details and it lets you know which other users will be on the same flight. Now, if your new matches have connected their Planely and LinkedIn accounts, a LinkedIn icon appears next to their name. When clicked, you get a neat summary of their professional life.

Given that people tend to keep up-to-date CVs on LinkedIn, this is a great way of seeing just how worthwhile arranging a meeting with someone a the airport (or even on the plane!) might be. Planely CEO and founder Nick Martin explains, “The really interesting part is that if both you and your Match integrate, then as part of that summary we show you if your Match is 1, 2 or 3 degrees of separation away from you or in any of the same Groups.” Nifty.

Planely already supports direct importing of TripIt travel information, and the Denmark-based startup is continuing to hone its service. “Our aim here is to give people more confidence and reason to connect to their Matches,” says Martin. “Each layer of information about a person brings the connection one step closer to forming a relationship. You can expect more of these layers in the days and weeks to come.”