Love Is in the Air: Why More Brits Are Finding Romance at 30,000 Feet

Love really is in the air. According to a new survey from Icelandair of 3,000 Brits, one in five (20%) say they have fallen in love with someone they met on a flight. Gen Z are the most successful when switching to “airplane mode,” with nearly a third (31%) saying they’ve found love in the air, while Millennials aren’t far behind, with 28% reporting a mid-air romantic connection.

Gen Z: grew up with a phone, but flirt the most on “airplane mode”

Finding a partner mid-air might sound like the ultimate ‘romantasy’ , but for many Brits it is truly  a space where sparks fly. Nearly a quarter (24%) say they’ve felt a romantic or emotional connection with someone they met on a flight, while the same proportion (24%) admit they’ve flirted mid-air.

The trend is being led by younger generations. More than a third of Gen Z (34%) admit to flirting with a stranger on a flight, with 31% taking it a step further by starting a romantic relationship — making them the most confident mid-air flirts of any age group. Millennials aren’t far behind, with nearly a third (32%) also confessing to flirting while flying.

With fewer people using dating apps to find a partner, flights are emerging as a space where real-life connections can happen. Just 12% of Brits now say dating apps are a good place to meet a romantic partner.

Not just data: A true love story

The idea of romance at 30,000 feet isn’t just backed by data. Icelandair has already played matchmaker for one couple whose love story began onboard.

Sasha Ebrahimi and Daniel Gutierrez, met as complete strangers on an Icelandair flight from Denver to London in spring 2022. Instead of sleeping through the long-haul journey, they struck up a conversation.

When they were retelling their story to People magazine Daniel admitted he already spotted her at the airport and though ‘Now I get to sit for the seven-hour flight with a beautiful woman.’”

Sasha said: “About an hour into the flight, I said to myself, ‘I am going to marry this man,’”. “And as soon as I got off the plane, I texted my friend Claire and said, ‘I just met my husband on the plane.’”

Sparks flew, emotions followed, and just over a year later, the couple were married in August 2023.

Friendly, natural conversation was rated by nearly half of Brits (49%) as the best way to build a connection on a plane, followed by being mindful of personal space (38%) and keeping interactions respectful (37%).

Sasha Ebrahimi and Daniel Gutierrez, met on an Icelandair flight and got married

Volunteering, solo travel and work trips: the hottest trips

While social occasions still top the list for romance overall, cited by nearly six in ten Brits (59%), travel ranks second, with 13% describing it as a place to spark romance. 

When asked which type of travel could lead to meeting a romantic partner, a quarter of Brits (25%) said volunteer travel, while around one in five said they could meet someone while travelling alone (18%) or on work trips (18%).

Interestingly, enthusiasm for travel-based romance increases with income. Nearly one in five (19%) Brits earning over £100,000 say travel is the best place to meet someone, with the figure declining among lower-income groups.

Why travel makes connection easier

Gemma Nice, Certified and Multi Award Relationship Coach,
explains why flying and travel can lower social barriers and make attraction feel more natural:

“The everyday routine doesn’t happen in the air, allowing people to switch off and be more in the moment. With fewer digital distractions and a shared experience, passengers can feel more vulnerable and open to conversation. When you talk to people, oxytocin (your love hormone) gets released and so this keeps you calm and you enjoy the experience more. You get to talk about fascinating conversations you maybe wouldn’t normally. These interactions are more genuine and meaningful rather than in everyday life”

With Valentine’s Day approaching, the research suggests that while modern romance is often mediated through screens, meaningful connections are still happening in real life — sometimes between seatmates at 30,000 feet. Far from being just a way to get from A to B, air travel may be one of today’s most unexpected settings for genuine human connection.

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