(Hey, man, that is exactly the headline that Virgin America is using, so don't shoot the messenger on this one)

Virgin America is showing their in-flight entertainment system, something we'll get to experience if the DOT ever gives them permission to fly.

The system offers * a QWERTY keyboard * Live TV (Dish Network) * Pay movies * Email/SMS/instant messaging/chat rooms, providing an airborne social network * 3,000 mp3 tracks and 20 radio channels * Open source video games * food ordering from the seat

As well as wireless broadband.

I'm not sure I want to go into a chatroom with the business dickhead in 23H and the vacationing senior in 13B, but it's a new idea. JetBlue has done some interesting symbolic things to suggest that passengers are "in this together" - so the emotional meaning of the social-network-of-strangers-in-a-metal-tube might have more impact than the raw functionality. I'd certainly try it.