Finding love at 30,000 feet
10-29-2009, 02:58 PM
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Finding love at 30,000 feet
From Houston Chronicle:
Here's a new one: A "matchmaking flight," filled with singles ready to mingle. Think of it as a more romantic version of the mile-high club.
"I've done so much dating and I'm kind of like eternally single in the eyes of my friends," said Corinne Theile, a 30-year-old who participated in Air New Zealand's first matchmaking flight last month. "I was open to the possibility (of meeting someone), but I certainly didn't expect anything."
On Oct. 13, about 100 North American singles including Theile boarded an Air New Zealand plane and flew from Los Angeles to Auckland hoping to find true love 30,000 feet in the air. After a pre-party at the gate, participants spent 12 hours in-flight sipping champagne, snacking on chocolate-covered strawberries, watching romantic movies, playing dating games and chatting with potential future mates.
Also on-board were celebrity hosts Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney of ABC's The Bachelor, who offered dating advice (like how not to pick one girl, dump her and pick someone else on national TV?) to passengers.
Kathryn Gregory, marketing manager at Air New Zealand, said the matchmaking flight fits with the airline's mission to "make flying fun again."
She said the airline began promoting the flight in May using a combination of social networking sites like Facebook and a company-launched microsite -- www.thematch makingflight.com -- and that it was completely full within a few months.
Gregory said participants ranged in age from 20-60 and included widowers, students and people who had never left the U.S. In addition to coordinating the flight itself, the airline also arranged a post-flight party and activities and events with single New Zealanders when the group landed in Auckland.
"We try to look at things in a fun, innovative way and get the attention of people who are not expecting airlines to do this sort of thing," Gregory said. "We've got a really great brand personality that can deliver on some of those fun elements."
This is not the first time Air New Zealand has made a splash and grabbed headlines. Earlier this year, the company released its Bare Essentials of Safety video, which features crew members giving flight safety information in nothing more than body paint. The video has since earned more than 4 million views on YouTube.
For the matchmaking flight, the airline handpicked crew members who were particularly excited about the idea. From performing a preflight dance to Beyoncé 's Single Ladies to donning T-shirts that said, "Fancy meeting you up here," they played an active role in the festivities.
In fact, once Theile got on board, she found herself drawn not to a fellow passenger but a single pilot named Dave.
"He said, 'Give me a call' and I thought he was kidding," Theile said. "I was getting off the plane and he was waiting for someone. I kept walking and it turns out now as we talked more that he was waiting for me."
What followed was a whirlwind trip that included fancy dinners, a sailing excursion and a hike up to the volcanic Rangitoto Island.
"I got back on the plane to come back and I was like, 'Did that just happen?'" said Theile, who lives in Los Angeles. "I'm just enjoying it."
Since she returned home, Theile said she and Dave have Skyped regularly and have made arrangements to see each other again in three weeks. She's even planning to introduce him to her parents.
"I told my parents (about him) last night, and for me, that's huge," she said, "My parents don't ever find out about my dating life."
Although no date has been set for the next matchmaking flight, Gregory said it is something the airline would like to do again, adding that Air New Zealand will continue to "rise above the clutter of airline advertising" by offering innovative options to passengers.
When she said that, I couldn't help asking if an in-flight wedding for couples who met on the matchmaking flight would be next.
"A wedding on board?" she said with a chuckle, then paused to think it over. "That could be the next one."
Here's a new one: A "matchmaking flight," filled with singles ready to mingle. Think of it as a more romantic version of the mile-high club.
"I've done so much dating and I'm kind of like eternally single in the eyes of my friends," said Corinne Theile, a 30-year-old who participated in Air New Zealand's first matchmaking flight last month. "I was open to the possibility (of meeting someone), but I certainly didn't expect anything."
On Oct. 13, about 100 North American singles including Theile boarded an Air New Zealand plane and flew from Los Angeles to Auckland hoping to find true love 30,000 feet in the air. After a pre-party at the gate, participants spent 12 hours in-flight sipping champagne, snacking on chocolate-covered strawberries, watching romantic movies, playing dating games and chatting with potential future mates.
Also on-board were celebrity hosts Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney of ABC's The Bachelor, who offered dating advice (like how not to pick one girl, dump her and pick someone else on national TV?) to passengers.
Kathryn Gregory, marketing manager at Air New Zealand, said the matchmaking flight fits with the airline's mission to "make flying fun again."
She said the airline began promoting the flight in May using a combination of social networking sites like Facebook and a company-launched microsite -- www.thematch makingflight.com -- and that it was completely full within a few months.
Gregory said participants ranged in age from 20-60 and included widowers, students and people who had never left the U.S. In addition to coordinating the flight itself, the airline also arranged a post-flight party and activities and events with single New Zealanders when the group landed in Auckland.
"We try to look at things in a fun, innovative way and get the attention of people who are not expecting airlines to do this sort of thing," Gregory said. "We've got a really great brand personality that can deliver on some of those fun elements."
This is not the first time Air New Zealand has made a splash and grabbed headlines. Earlier this year, the company released its Bare Essentials of Safety video, which features crew members giving flight safety information in nothing more than body paint. The video has since earned more than 4 million views on YouTube.
For the matchmaking flight, the airline handpicked crew members who were particularly excited about the idea. From performing a preflight dance to Beyoncé 's Single Ladies to donning T-shirts that said, "Fancy meeting you up here," they played an active role in the festivities.
In fact, once Theile got on board, she found herself drawn not to a fellow passenger but a single pilot named Dave.
"He said, 'Give me a call' and I thought he was kidding," Theile said. "I was getting off the plane and he was waiting for someone. I kept walking and it turns out now as we talked more that he was waiting for me."
What followed was a whirlwind trip that included fancy dinners, a sailing excursion and a hike up to the volcanic Rangitoto Island.
"I got back on the plane to come back and I was like, 'Did that just happen?'" said Theile, who lives in Los Angeles. "I'm just enjoying it."
Since she returned home, Theile said she and Dave have Skyped regularly and have made arrangements to see each other again in three weeks. She's even planning to introduce him to her parents.
"I told my parents (about him) last night, and for me, that's huge," she said, "My parents don't ever find out about my dating life."
Although no date has been set for the next matchmaking flight, Gregory said it is something the airline would like to do again, adding that Air New Zealand will continue to "rise above the clutter of airline advertising" by offering innovative options to passengers.
When she said that, I couldn't help asking if an in-flight wedding for couples who met on the matchmaking flight would be next.
"A wedding on board?" she said with a chuckle, then paused to think it over. "That could be the next one."
10-29-2009, 04:03 PM
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I thought every flight was a matchmaking flight. You look over the women boarding the plane, find her on the plane and say "oh, looks like the only place left". You then have the rest of the flight to get her phone number and make a good impression on her. Single guys have been doing this for years... nothing new.
each flight a is a lawsuit waiting to happen
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