--- title: Delta and LinkedIn Join Forces to Irritate Everyone description: New “Innovation Class” flights will pair thought leaders with young go-getters to talk business. Because a lack of business meetings is obviously the worst thing about flying in 2014 canonical: https://time.com/30950/delta-and-linkedin-join-forces-to-irritate-everyone/ author: Denver Nicks article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-19T21:41:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:07:58.123Z og:title: Delta and LinkedIn Join Forces to Irritate Everyone og:description: New “Innovation Class” flights will pair thought leaders with young go-getters to talk business. Because a lack of business meetings is obviously the worst thing about flying in 2014 og:url: https://time.com/30950/delta-and-linkedin-join-forces-to-irritate-everyone/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta803dc3c0fe56988/69868281d0b6f20237302ec5/157637641.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4250 og:image:height: 2391 og:image:alt: Man Sits Texting on Airplane og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Delta and LinkedIn Join Forces to Irritate Everyone twitter:description: New “Innovation Class” flights will pair thought leaders with young go-getters to talk business. Because a lack of business meetings is obviously the worst thing about flying in 2014 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta803dc3c0fe56988/69868281d0b6f20237302ec5/157637641.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Delta and LinkedIn Join Forces to Irritate Everyone  by [Denver Nicks](https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Mar 19, 2014 9:41 PM UTC  Man Sits Texting on Airplane Man Sits Texting on AirplaneGetty Images  by [Denver Nicks](https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Mar 19, 2014 9:41 PM UTC Finally, someone has addressed the glaring shortage of sycophantic business meetings taking place within my general vicinity every time I get on an airplane. Delta Air Lines and LinkedIn announced Wednesday a partnership to “connect today’s high-profile influencers with the business leaders of tomorrow at 35,000 feet.” The “Innovation Class” flights will pair successful applicants “with a titan in their industry” to swap ideas and talk future projects. The program, unveiled this week at TED2014, seems tailored to address long-term complaints about air travel from two key traveling constituencies—a) business leaders, who can’t understand the lack of irritating interruptions in the one place in life where they can plausibly not respond to a text message or cell phone call, and b) everyone else, who have long lamented the distressing shortage of doe-eyed, brown-nosing would-be “innovators” loudly trying to impress important people sitting next to them. 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