Up in the air: Study claims that 1 in 50 people find love on an airplane
You have all kinds of passengers on an airplane - ones you get annoyed with, ones you may get along with and reportedly some you may even fall in love with. A study claims that around 1 in 50 people find love on an airplane. That is great news for that one lucky person and just annoying for the other 49.
A new study from the British bank HSBC says that around 1 in 50 people meet the love of their life on an airplane. The results come from interviews taken from 2,150 people from over 141 countries. The participants were questioned about the possibility and likelihood of meeting "the one" while they are in a metal contraption 30,000 feet above the ground. An estimated 6,000 people from Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and the United Kingdom were also asked about their flying habits and preferences.
The idea of a romantic airplane ride was promoted and propagated in travel posters which were advertised in the 1960s. An example of such an ad would be a raunchy BOAC ad which shows a couple sharing a cherry while on board. HSBC's study has revealed that around half of airplane passengers have struck up conversations with a stranger while on an airplane. The results of the study also suggest that around one in seven fliers have been able to make a long-lasting relationship while they are flying. Around 16% of the people were able to find a new business connection and add a connection to their network.
Numerous airlines have been testing out in-flight WiFi facilities and there are many opportunities to connect with passengers on the aircraft and not just the ones who are sitting next to you. An airline app 'Inflighto' has a chat function which allows you to communicate with passengers on board. Co-creator Christopher Smyth told CNN Travel, "The whole ethos of the app, the whole philosophy behind it is to help passengers re-engage with flying."
The app was created by Smyth and John Hopkins. Hopkins developed and came up with the 'inflighto' app after realizing that the no.1 question that passengers tend to ask was "what did we just fly over?" to which Smyth responds: "They've seen something out the window that's piqued their interest, the only way for them to find out is really sending a message through the cabin crew who knock on the cockpit door and have to ask the captain or the first officer what it was they flew over few minutes ago."
"The whole ethos of the app, the whole philosophy behind it is to help passengers re-engage with flying," says Smyth. "We think that there's a disconnect with passengers and their flying experience, and we're really passionate about flying ourselves."
