Picture your first date: Stale recycled air, fluorescent terminal lighting, and cellophane-wrapped sandwiches. But there's a mystique to traveling. A study released by HSBC found that 1 in 50 passengers meet a romantic partner while in flight.
Airport dating apps are a great way to meet new people before you board. Never again will you have to actually approach somebody you find attractive because your Tinder access is prohibited in the skies. Just switch on Airplane mode, turn on WiFi and Bluetooth, scan your fellow passengers for their preferences, connect your devices, and start a conversation. Here are the apps:
1. App in the Air
This app allows passengers on the same flight to message each other, grab an overpriced drink or coffee together, and start a conversation.
The messaging option is a new feature of the app and makes your profile and information public, so other passengers can see your name, home country, how much you fly, etc. It is a "personal flying assistant" and allows you to check on the status of your flight, shows airport maps, and logs your miles for you.
2. Happn
Happn shows people who have recently been in the same general location as you. The dating app Happn is entirely location-centric, connecting users based on real-time proximity. The most romantic air travelers find love at Amsterdam Schipol, Istanbul Ataruk, London Heathrow, and Singapore Changi Airports.
Happn CEO Didier Rappaport explained the idea behind his app was more about getting a second chance at missed connections, and less about matching algorithms.
Like Tinder Plus and Bumble Boost, Happn Premium offers some perks (like seeing who likes you), and it costs from $10 to $24.99/month.
3. Btrfly
Btrfly aims to connect people travelling on business or people looking to make new friends. Hailed as the "Tinder for airports," it offers lonely globetrotters the opportunity to connect to people by letting you browse who's nearby, who's on which flight, and who you might have time to meet at the gate. The app provides information on where other users are headed and what time their flight departs.
While the app does not claim to be targeting anything more than friendly meetings, it has inevitably been compared to dating apps. Btrfly chief executive Cenk Gurz said the app was a tool that would "take the awkwardness out of meeting strangers while travelling".
4. AirDates
AirDates bills itself as "the only in-flight dating app" and aims to make air travel an opportunity to find love-before, during, and after a flight. Simply build a profile and specify exactly what (business, social, party, dating) and whom (age, gender, sexuality, location) you're looking for.
The app is also practical. For those who travel too frequently ever to use the app to find a relationship, AirDates's website pointed out that you can chat with nearby users to share a cab into the city or even uncover secret frequent traveler's airport hacks.
Who knows? You just might find your love at first flight.
