Spotted a cute passenger on your flight home? Don’t shy away from a conversation; what if they’re the one?! Here’s what to do when love is in the air – literally!
Finding love on a flight isn’t that uncommon. The Huffington Post recently published a story about Erica Domesek, who used social media to track down a fellow passenger she thought she had such an insane connection with, he could be her future husband! While she couldn’t get the details from the airline (though they did wish her luck in her pursuit), it got us thinking – are we just fooling ourselves into believing it could happen, or is it just another clichéd rom-com movie, telling us that there’s really love out there, even miles above the ground? We’d like to be optimistic in our search and say that it’s not such a needle-in-a-haystack situation. After all, if you do happen to meet the love of your life on an airplane, you’d like to be prepared, right? So, fasten your seat belts as we take off to explore a few ways you could turn the sparks into something more with a fellow passenger.
Taking off on the right foot
Let’s not fool ourselves here. Most singles are always secretly hoping to score a seat next to an attractive, interesting passenger, even if it’s just to save them from those long, dull flights. But, when this too-good-to-be-true moment actually crops up, you’re often confused about whether to secretly thank your stars and stew in good luck, or actually make a move. After all, that cute passenger could be a pretty awful person once they get talking. Don’t jump right in, ease into conversation with the passenger. Help with their baggage, introduce yourself and judge their reaction to your approach. If they don’t look receptive, this is when to back away. After all, nothing is worse than the creepy passenger next to you who’s constantly trying to talk you up when all you want to do is watch an in-flight film. Don’t be that person!
Let’s get it started – the conversation, of course!
Look at you – fretting about how to initiate a conversation! Because, how often do you sit next to someone you’re so interested in! It must be fate! Calm down… don’t jump the gun. Once you get to talking, try to steer the conversation towards something more personal, without being intrusive. Pretend you’re talking to a stranger at the bar – even wait for the drinks to be served if that helps! Unlike in a bar however, remember that you cannot get up and disappear if you make a social faux pas. Remember that you’re going to be stuck next to this person for the next few hours. Throwing in a little flirting and if there’s a language barrier, a few of your best flirtatious glances is a good idea too. You’re already thinking this is too much of a stretch, aren’t you? For PR executive Megha Iyer on the other hand, this worked like a charm. “On my flight back home from Glasgow, I spotted a guy looking at me. Even though he was a total stranger we somehow had this undeniable chemistry. I know he noticed too. On our way to the washroom through the long flight, we would exchange glances. Finally, he came up to me and spoke in French. And, luckily, I had learnt some! While he would converse in French, I responded majorly in English. Despite the language barrier, we connected seamlessly,” she says.
Time is running out!
To turn the spark into something more fruitful is the biggest challenge! If luck is on your side, you will be travelling to the same final destination, which gives you an easy excuse to exchange numbers and stay in touch, or even offer to catch up in the city. It’s even better if you’re on holiday! This may give you more opportunities to embrace each other’s company and explore – the destination and each other!
Depart in tandem
Eventually, whether it’s in the same city or at the airport heading off to different places, it’s going to be time to say goodbye. By now, you’ve already gauged each other’s interest levels – so this next step should be a piece of cake! After all, you’ve got technology on your side now, so framing your “happily ever after” isn’t going to be too hard. Exchange phone numbers, share social media details…and see where it goes!
Still skeptical? Don’t be! Even if you’re not lucky enough to find your true love on an airplane, you won’t lose anything from trying. At the most, you’ll walk away with a great connection, a good friend, or a really interesting story for keeps! If you’ve had a similar experience, we’d love to know in the comments!
