American Airlines: one day of lounge access to anyone with Klout score over 55

But I can see how this could be an interesting win-win for both companies- you care about your Klout score more, and you're more inclined to fly with American Airlines.

That said, most people I know that are on Klout joke about how they've been identified as experts in topics they know nothing about. Klout is either genius, or it's waiting for someone to reveal how inaccurate their entire model is. I removed myself after I realised I would never get past x points until I linked my Facebook account. It is a personal account that has no bearing on my professional life- why would I do that?

screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/4iflZt0.jpg

And it enters you into a contest to win a one year pass. So this is a one time freebie + contest promo, not an ongoing perk.

Having just logged into the AA/Klout thing, you'll note that they're actually just giving away a 1 day pass with a chance to win a free year in their Admirals Club

check it: http://cl.ly/image/3g1f2h04002J

What could possibly go wrong?

This is the first and only time in my life I'll ever be pissed that my Klout score's not high enough...

Edit: In all seriousness though, does anybody know how I can raise it just one point?

How many dollars does it cost to get a bunch of twitter followers? facebook, linked in? It would probably cost the same as paying to use AA lounges for a yer.

How is this sustainable though? Are they selling their data?

I just signed up hoping I has >55, but I am only 54, maybe adding some other random accounts social media accounts will nudge my score higher.

http://aa.com/klout

Flying used to be glamorous-- 50, even 30, years ago. Now it's just as expensive (except on three or four high-traffic routes over which deregulation actually worked) but it's such a negative experience that no one looks forward to a flight. First class and lounge access are supposed to bring that back, but those fail as well.

The appeal of flying in the old days was that you were guaranteed to be seated next to an interesting person doing something that either was exciting, or seemed it at the time ("international business"). Also, there was serious investment by the airlines into the quality of the experience: pilots actually told you when you flew over the Grand Canyon. That all got cheapened along the way. Also, attempting to create an "interesting people club" out of transportation is doomed to failure. Uninteresting people have money, too, and there's literally no way of keeping MWOCs (Money WithOut Culture) out. Plus, the airlines are constantly going bankrupt and have proletarianized the experience (baggage fees, uncomfortable chairs) to the point where it doesn't feel like a premium product, but they've also had to sell off the premium parts (first-class upgrades) for whatever coin-shavings they can get, to the point that they no longer feel special.

Airlines are desperately trying to revive that brand and allure, but it's gone forever. It's old technology put to a mostly uninspiring use. The flight is something that you learn how to sleep through, not part of the experience.

Before, frequent flyer programs were their attempts to find the interesting people and create something compelling. That might have worked in 1997; but in 2013, this generation's interesting people are in about 15-20 city centers (New York and San Francisco come to mind, but also places like Austin, Seattle, and Chicago) and generally do what they can to be locally self-sufficient (i.e. they don't fly more than a few times per year).

This Klout partnership is the newest attempt to create an "interesting people club" out of the flying experience and, like all others, it will fail.

I tried American Airlines lounge access with Google Glass on and I'm never letting my Klout score go under 55! Never.

scoble.

;)