Air passengers say airport lounges are the best places for 'meet-cutes'

It's no surprise that more than a few relationships have taken off at airports - time to kill can easily lead to lingering glances, and casual conversations with strangers.

On TikTok, there's plenty of examples of travellers who say they've enjoyed a pre-flight flirtation while waiting to board - and even others who say they've found the loves of their lives via a meet-cute in transit.

One TikTok user @thequeenofmedia, seen strolling through an airport, posted recently: 'God forbid you miss your flight because you made your connection with a cutie in the airport VIP lounge.'

While those travelling cattle class might find it trickier to make a meaningful connection amongst the masses - with many glued to their devices, airport lounges are, say experts, the perfect place for Cupid to strike.

Relaxed, exclusive and with plenty of opportunity for interaction thanks to a free bar and selection of snacks, some singletons have even suggested that dating agencies should set up lounges specifically for those flying solo.

One person looking for love posed the question on TikTok: 'Idea: an airport lounge but specifically for single people travelling.

'You pay a fee to enter or a yearly membership fee and there's free drinks and foods like other airport lounges but you go in to mingle and meet people.'

Another wltm, @travelingtayler, filmed herself walking through an airport terminal mouthing the words: 'I'm looking for a man who travels, has pre-check lounge access, [and a] remote job'.

New dating app Wingle puts singles looking to mingle at 30,000 feet in touch and those behind it say it's no surprise that daters, exhausted by swiping on dating apps, are looking for love offline.

Founder Iñigo Merino, 30, told the New York Times this week: 'There’s so much digital burnout, of just being constantly online. We’re bombarded.

'And then there’s this love-hate relationship we have with dating apps.'

How does his app which promises to give organic airport connections a helping hand work? The app connects travellers with passengers who are also on the app and share the same flight number.

When the flight is airborne, passengers can then chat via the app, which doesn't require the internet - but does ask passengers to keep on their Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology on while in the air.

A Reddit sub-thread on the subject of meeting a potential partner at the airport saw one person suggest that chance encounters were simply how people met prior to the digital age.

Responding to a post from a user who'd had a deep connection with a fellow traveller while waiting for a flight, they wrote: 'This is literally how people would meet before cellphones and dating networks existed....you just...meet people, vibe with them and see where it goes.'

Another added: 'Better to meet people organically like that in the wild instead of on a dating app…GO FOR IT, SISTER!'

While one person penned: 'This is how relationships have started since the beginning of time!'

Dr Amanda Hanson, aka @midlifemuse on TikTok, revealed how she met her future husband after looking up while waiting for her plane.

She explained in a 2023 podcast how she looking up at the right moment change her life, saying: 'I was going for the second flight of my entire life, to look at graduate schools in Chicago.

'I had a friend drop me off [at the airport]...so he comes to the gate with me and we're hanging out at the gate before the flight.

At one point I happened to look over and there's someone leaned up against the wall reading the newspaper.

She continued: 'At the same time that I happened to scan over, the newspaper happened to go down and this guy was just like looking around and we locked eyes and it was this moment of "oh wow"'

The man 'assumed' her friend was her boyfriend but all was not lost - the couple ended up seated next to each other on the plane - and romance blossomed.